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Injury expert Dr. Rajpal Brar believes Manchester City defender Nathan Ake is a major doubt for the Premier League meeting with Arsenal next week.

What happened to Ake against Bayern Munich?

Ake kept his place in Pep Guardiola’s side as City qualified for the Champions League semi-finals after a 1-1 second-leg draw with Bayern Munich.

However, it wasn’t all good news for the Sky Blues, with Ake going off with an apparent injury in the second half. The Dutchman held his hamstring after stretching to receive a pass and signalled straightaway to the bench, with Aymeric Laporte coming on in his place.

A top-of-the-table and potential season-defining clash with Arsenal is scheduled for Wednesday, and it looks as if Ake, who was set for a scan yesterday, may not feature following Brar’s comments.

Footbal London relayed a Twitter post from Brar in the last 48 hours regarding Ake’s injury. The injury expert believes that the timeline for a return will depend on the severity and location of injury, with a minimum timeframe of one week and maximum of 10 weeks or more.

"Nathan Ake right hamstring injury. Timeline depends the severity & location of injury (near tendon typically longer).

"Typically grade 1 is 1-2 weeks, grade 2 is 3-6 weeks & grade 3 is 10+ weeks depending on surgery or not. Higher risk for high pace players/positions.

Would be a blow for Guardiola…

It remains to be seen if Ake is definitely out of the meeting with Arsenal, but you’d expect that his involvement against Sheffield United tomorrow and Arsenal next week is in real doubt. Losing Ake for two crucial games would be a real blow for Guardiola, with the 28-year-old making 36 appearances in all competitions this season.

The Netherlands international has shown his versatility by turning out as a centre-back and left-back and was even hailed by Shaun Goater following his display against the Gunners in the FA Cup earlier this ear after scoring the winner and keeping Bukayo Saka quiet.

"He was brilliant how he played and in keeping (Bukayo) Saka quiet. It was a real man-of-the-match performance. He was absolutely brilliant again on Friday and it was capped with that great finish."

City should have plenty of options to replace Ake, though, with the likes of Laporte, Sergio Gomez, Kyle Walker and Rico Lewis just a few defenders who Guardiola may need to turn to. However, as per WhoScored, Ake has outperformed Laporte, Gomez, Walker and Lewis this season, showing how his absence could be a big blow.

Manchester United have held “positive” conversations over a move for AS Monaco defender Axel Disasi, according to Dean Jones.

What’s the latest news on Disasi and Man United?

The Red Devils have been linked with a move for Disasi in recent weeks, with manager Erik ten Hag seemingly looking to bring in a new centre-back this summer.

Reports suggested that contact was made by United over a possible transfer for Disasi, with Monaco prepared to sell this summer for a hefty fee in the region of £44m. A further update has now emerged regarding the 25-year-old, who is under contract with the Ligue 1 side until 2025.

Jones was talking to GiveMeSport regarding United and a potential move for Disasi. The reporter said that “initial conversations” have been “positive” and said that the defender could be viewed as a “Patrice Evra mark two” at Old Trafford due to the Monaco connection.

"He’s a different sort of player, but Axel Disasi could be viewed as Patrice Evra mark two if he was to come from the same Monaco pathway.

"His ceiling is high, he has as a similar age to Evra when he first arrived at the club and I'm told the initial conversations over the past couple of months have been pretty positive around this one.”

Could he be Man United’s Virgil van Dijk?

Disasi has seen his Transfermarkt valuation rise to a career-high €25m prior to the World Cup, and the France international could be a shrewd signing by those at Old Trafford.

That’s because there could be some defensive departures in Manchester over the coming months, with Ten Hag reportedly giving the green light to possible exits for both Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.

Should they depart, Ten Hag would surely need a central defensive addition to challenge Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, with Disasi an experienced option at the age of 25 after making 120 senior appearances for his current employers.

He has been described as “dominant” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, who even compared him to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk back in 2020. The 6 foot 2 defender has also impressed during the current campaign, making more interceptions and clearances than any of his Monaco teammates while also topping the charts for average passes per game, as per WhoScored.

It could well be one to keep an eye on over the coming months following this claim from Jones, with United also looking to bring in a new midfielder and forward ahead of Ten Hag’s second season in charge.

Everton have reportedly made an approach to signing Lyon star, Moussa Dembele, with Sean Dyche seemingly hoping to bolster the club's centre-forward ranks this summer.

What's the latest on Dembele to Everton?

According to Jeunes Footeux, the 26-year-old is said to be of 'particular interest' to those at Goodison Park, with the former France U21 international set to be available on a free transfer at the end of the season with just a matter of months left on his existing deal.

The report suggests that the Toffees have made an offer of around €5m (£4m) a year in order to tempt the former Celtic and Fulham striker to make a move back to England, albeit with any deal potentially set to rest on whether the Merseyside outfit are able to stave off relegation.

The piece also reveals that the Premier League outfit were interested in signing the £70k-per-week man during the January transfer window, while the likes of Aston Villa, Southampton and Crystal Palace have also been named as potential suitors ahead of this summer.

Should Everton sign Dembele?

A new number nine appears a matter of urgency for the joint-lowest scorers in the top-flight, with Everton currently suffering amid the continued injury woes of England international, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, while summer signing Neal Maupay has also failed to deliver this season with just one league goal to his name.

As such, turning to a "scoring machine" such as Dembele – as lauded by L'Equipe's Bertrand Latour – would seemingly be an astute move as far as Dyche is concerned, with the 6-foot menace having been a regular goalscoring presence throughout his career to date.

The Pointoise native notably came to wider prominence after scoring 51 goals and providing 18 assists in just 94 games during his two-year stint at Parkhead, having since gone on to bag 70 goals and 19 assists in 170 appearances in his homeland.

While the one-time Atletico Madrid loanee has scored just three Ligue 1 goals this season after falling behind Alexandre Lacazette in the attacking pecking order at Lyon, the striker's displays prior to that no doubt bode well for the impact he can make on Merseyside.

Dyche and co should also be encouraged by Dembele's apparent likeness to Napoli sensation, Victor Osimhen, with the pair said to share a number of stylistic and statistical similarities, according to FBref.

That likeness to Osimhen – who has also been dubbed a "goal machine" himself by journalist Mimi Fawaz – is illustrated by the duo's potent threat in front of goal, with the Nigeria international ranking in the top 1% among his European peers for non-penalty goals, while Dembele is only just behind as he ranks in the top 7% in that regard.

Equally, the two men are clearly out-and-out centre-forwards in a traditional sense due to their desire to stay in and around the 18-yard box, with the Naples hero ranking in the top 4% for touches in the attacking penalty area, while the Lyon ace ranks in the top 14% for that same metric.

To be compared to such a player is a marker of Dembele's perhaps unsung quality, with Osimhen currently one of the most coveted assets on the continent after netting 21 Serie A goals so far this term, with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea currently showing an interest in the 24-year-old's services.

As far as the Toffees are concerned, to be able to land their answer to the former Lille man with the signing of Dembele on a free would represent a real coup, particularly when a player of Osimhen's profile is likely to command as much as €150m (£132m), according to reports.

Arsenal started February failing to win any of their Premier League games, however, Mikel Arteta has since led the Gunners to three straight wins to have them five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.

The recent good run proves early February was just a blip and a first league title since 2003/2004 is very much within their grasp heading into the final months of the season.

With just 13 matches left, the race for the title will likely go down to the wire and Arteta must start with his strongest line-up every match, and with Thomas Partey making his comeback from injury against Everton in midweek, the 40-year-old must unleash him against AFC Bournemouth this afternoon.

Will Thomas Partey start against Bournemouth?

To prove how important Partey is to Arsenal, against Everton in their 1-0 defeat last month, the Ghanian was substituted off in the 59th minute and the Toffees scored a minute later.

He also missed the game against City due to injury, the final result? A 3-1 defeat. The North London side did win against Aston Villa, although they conceded twice without Partey in their midfield.

The 29-year-old managed 45 minutes against Everton in midweek and was incredible. He came on for Jorginho at halftime and averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.5/10 for his display, taking 66 touches while having a 93% pass success rate while making one key pass and creating a big chance.

Partey was also solid defensively, making two tackles and winning all three of his ground duels during his 45-minute cameo and it proves Arteta needs to start him today.

These statistics show that the battler made a huge impact on the pitch with his quality on and off the ball, which is why the gem should return to the starting XI now that he is fit.

Journalist Yaw Ampofo Jr claimed after the win that the enforcer “brings stability to Arsenal” and this was clearly evidenced throughout his performance while after the 1-1 draw against Brentford last month, he was dubbed an “absolute monster” by journalist Abhimanyu Bose and both these comments clearly suggest the midfielder makes a massive difference to the dynamic of the side when he is fit and firing.

The North Londoners look to have put their sticky spell behind them and will be hoping to secure their fourth win on the bounce against Bournemouth today. In order to do this, Arteta must start with Partey in the middle of the pitch as the gem holds the key to everything good Arsenal have done recently.

Everton’s former striker Moise Kean is ‘no longer’ a registered player at Goodison Park, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Option to buy

The Italian joined Juventus on a two-year loan back in August 2021 and was set to return to Sean Dyche in the Premier League at the end of the current season.

The Serie A giants, however, have always had the option to buy included as part of the deal, so long as he meets certain objectives during his time at the Allianz.

Having posted 24 goal contributions for Massimiliano Allegri’s side, the club have been impressed by what they’ve seen and have already made their mind up regarding his future.

The Latest: Juventus trigger clause

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Juventus have green-lighted the move to sign Kean permanently meaning that he won’t be returning to Everton. He wrote:

“Moise Kean, no longer Everton player as Juventus have already triggered the buy option clause for €28m.

“Full agreement was already in place last year, Kean can be considered 100% Juve player as @romeoagresti reports.”

The Verdict: Blessing in disguise

Everton are in desperate need of a centre-forward up top, but Kean imminently leaving could be a blessing in disguise given his history on Merseyside.

The 23-year-old scored just four goals in 39 appearances for the Toffees and only made six starts during his debut season, showing that he was never at the top of the pecking order.

With the Blues set to receive €28m (£24m) from this deal, this fee can be put towards generating transfer funds to bring in a more prolific striker later in the summer, which is required regardless of whether they are able to maintain their top-flight status.

While Manchester United’s recent Carabao Cup triumph has indicated that new boss Erik ten Hag is primarily concerned with leading the club to success in the short-term, the Dutchman has also showcased his desire to look to the future in his Old Trafford tenure to date, having already put his faith in the club’s promising youth products.

The most obvious breakout star so far this season has been that of Alejandro Garnacho – with the 18-year-old having provided eight goal involvements in 28 games in all competitions – although the Argentine is not alone in having forced his way into the first-team picture, as fellow teenager Kobbie Mainoo has also been handed a chance to shine of late.

While the 17-year-old has only made three senior outings thus far, those brief cameos are a marker of just how highly thought of he is by those at the club, with it undoubtedly rare to see a player of his age making a mark for an elite club.

Even despite the Englishman not earning a place in the matchday squad for Sunday’s win at Wembley, the youngster still appeared to be on the mind of Ten Hag, with the former Ajax boss seeking out his emerging star for a chat amid the ongoing celebrations.

Although it is not clear with the 53-year-old said to the promising midfielder, it perhaps represents he is seen as a figure who could go on to be a key part of the club’s success in the years to come, with the Red Devils’ conveyor belt of young talent continuing to prove fruitful.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke – speaking to Football FanCast – certainly believes that Mainoo’s emergence is a real positive for the Premier League side, having stated:

“So yeah, it’s obviously impressive for Manchester United, the players that are coming through the academy like Garnacho and Mainoo.

“So it can only be good for the club who’ve had a long history of producing their own players that these players are coming along and you know, making inroads into the first team.”

Could Kobbie Mainoo be Man Utd’s own Jude Bellingham?

The aim now will be for the teenage sensation to solidify a regular role in the side moving forward, with Mainoo likely hoping that he proves to be the long-term solution in the centre of the park, with the likes of Christian Eriksen, Fred and Casemiro all in and around their thirties.

The recent suggestion has been that the club are keen on landing another exciting English talent in the form of Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham – after previously missing out on the 19-year-old’s signature in 2020 – albeit with rivals Liverpool also firmly in the mix for the player’s signature.

Even if United are to fend off the Merseysiders in the pursuit of the former Birmingham City gem, any deal is likely to cost as much as €150m (£131m), hence the potential desire to avoid splashing the cash by turning to Mainoo instead.

Like Bellingham – who can operate as both a defensive-minded midfield asset or in a more creative berth – the England U18 international also has the capability and versatility to feature all across the midfield, with youth coach Travis Binnion having stated earlier this year:

“In recent weeks, we’ve seen him play as a 6, 8 and 10, and that shows the making of a really good football brain and an athletic capability to play throughout the pitch and play in different roles and systems. He’s progressing nicely.

“His strengths are close control, good awareness, body contact. He’s really good in both boxes, he’s combative. He’s got a nice blend of many skills. He’s been training with the first team and doing well. He’s been really consistent.

“With young players, they’re up, they’re down, and sometimes they get carried away with themselves. Then they get a reality check and struggle to deal with it. The thing with Kobbie is that he comes into the club every day, he applies himself really well. He’s never too high, never too low. He’s got quite an old head on his shoulders.”

As Binnion noted in that final line, Mainoo’s maturity has been central to his impressive rise up the age groups of late, with the FA Youth Cup winner seemingly sharing such a trait with the aforementioned Bellingham, as the Dortmund star has already emerged as a “leader” in Germany, according to teammate Mats Hummels.

That mentality should ensure that the Stockport-born ace is able to replicate his compatriot in thriving at the top level at such a young age, with Bellingham having already scored 20 goals and provided 24 assists in 120 games for the Bundesliga side to date, despite still being in his teens.

The latter man’s example should show Ten Hag that taking the risk on a youngster can well prove worth it, with Mainoo potentially able to replicate the Three Lions machine by becoming a leading figure despite his relative youth.

Chelsea are no longer pursuing a deal to bring Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer to the Premier League, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Blues make Sabitzer contact

The Austria international’s contract in the Bundesliga isn’t set to expire until 2025, but after falling out of favour at the Allianz Arena, he has been attracting interest from the English top flight.

Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg claimed earlier today that both the Blues and Manchester United have been in contact with the German champions regarding a last-minute move for the 28-year-old, but it now appears that Graham Potter’s side have removed themselves from the race.

The Latest: Romano’s update

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Chelsea are focusing their attention elsewhere, with the Red Devils seemingly in pole position to land Sabitzer before tonight’s transfer deadline.

The Italian wrote: “Marcel Sabitzer wants to leave and Manchester United are now pushing in talks with Bayern. Discussions on the formula of the deal, ongoing. Chelsea are currently busy with other deals and not with Sabitzer as things stand.”

The Verdict: Wrong decision

Sabitzer has been dubbed a ‘deadly’ player by journalist Josh Bunting, and when you look at his performance metrics, Chelsea’s apparent decision to drop their interest in him was the wrong one.

The Austrian has recorded 184 goal contributions in 443 senior career appearances and currently ranks in the 99th percentile for shots per 90 minutes among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, highlighting his desire to impact the game in the final third.

As the lowest scorers among the top 11 teams in the Premier League, Chelsea could certainly have done with a midfielder with such attacking intent and potency.

Sabitzer would have been the perfect alternative to fellow Blues transfer target Enzo Fernandez, whose deal continues to be a slow burner, but it seems clear that the Stamford Bridge hierarchy have other preferred targets in mind.

Newcastle United could yet seal a last-minute deal to bring Conor Gallagher to St James’ Park on transfer deadline day.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Luke Edwards, who revealed in a live update on The Telegraph on Monday morning that, despite Chelsea being unwilling to loan the midfielder to a direct rival for a top-four spot in the Premier League, the Magpies will nevertheless launch a further enquiry for the 22-year-old in the coming hours.

The journalist went on to state that, while the Blues are demanding a fee in excess of £50m for the England international – which might put the youngster out of the Magpies’ price range – Eddie Howe’s side could still complete a deal at this figure prior to tonight’s deadline by bringing forward some of their summer transfer budget.

“Extraordinary”

While it is true that Gallagher has struggled to hold down a regular spot in the Chelsea XI this season – starting just nine of his 18 top-flight outings – considering the remarkable performances the midfielder turned in during a season-long loan spell at Crystal Palace last time out, the argument that Howe must launch a late bid for the 22-year-old is an easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 34 Premier League appearances in 2021/22, the £38.5m-rated talent was in fantastic attacking form, bagging eight goals, providing three assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.5 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 1.3 dribbles – at a success rate of 57% – per game.

The £50k-per-week midfielder also caught the eye in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 2.0 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and winning 5.9 duels – at a success rate of 47% – per match, as well as enjoying an average of 51.6 touches, finding his man with 1.4 long balls and completing 25.1 total passes – at a success rate of 81% – per fixture.

These returns saw the four-cap international who Mark Duffy dubbed “unreal” average an incredibly impressive Sofascore statistical rating of 7.08, ranking him as the Eagles’ best performer in the league last season.

Rather unsurprisingly, the 22-year-old’s performances in south London saw him come in for a considerable amount of praise, with ex-Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel stating of the midfielder last year: “His development is extraordinary and outstanding. He is one of the key players at Crystal Palace and he has made a huge step in his development.

“He was a pleasure to coach in pre-season – he has so much positive energy, so much energy in general and so much work rate to give that he can of course be a big help and a big influence.”

As such, with Jonjo Shelvey now looking set to seal a late switch to Nottingham Forest, it would appear even more essential for Howe to add another midfielder to his current options at St James’ Park, with Gallagher undoubtedly representing an extraordinary last-minute signing for Newcastle to get over the line on deadline day.

An update has emerged on Wolves’ on-loan striker Fabio Silva, which could see Julen Lopetegui repeat a mistake made by Bruno Lage during his time at Molineux.

Despite Wolves’ struggles in front of goal last season, Lage made the decision during the summer to send Silva out on loan to Anderlecht but found himself without a natural striker at the club after injuries to Raul Jimenez and new signing Sasa Kalajdzic.

While Diego Costa was brought in as a free agent, he has proven to be a panic signing as he has failed to contribute a single goal or assist in his 11 appearances thus far.

Considering Wolves spent £35.6m on Silva in 2020, fans would surely have preferred to see him given a consistent run in the side to aid his development, rather than trusting in a veteran forward who looks well past his best.

It was no surprise therefore that the Old Gold continued to look lost in front of goal, as while things are slowly improving under Lopetegui, the Midlands club are still comfortably the lowest scorers in the division.

Meanwhile, Silva has blossomed in Belgium, hitting 11 goals and four assists in 32 appearances for Anderlecht, which suggests that he may have boosted his confidence ahead of a potential return to Wolves.

Express and Star journalist Liam Keen has now reported that the 20-year-old could be on the move to a different side this month, which could be a mistake by Lopetegui considering his decent goalscoring form this campaign.

Keen said on Tuesday: “Breaking: Clubs from the top tiers of Spain, Italy and Holland have all made enquiries to take Fabio Silva on loan until the end of the season. He could leave Anderlecht this month.”

Lopetegui may have added Matheus Cunha to his ranks and welcomed Jimenez back from injury but Wolves have still struggled in front of goal, scoring just nine times in eight games under the Spanish manager.

Although Silva managed just four strikes and six assists in his 62 previous appearances for Wolves, this spell at Anderlecht has seen him become the main man and he will undoubtedly return to Molineux a better player.

Conor Coady was full of praise for the Portugal U21 international in 2022, saying:

“We know what he brings us. He’s a young lad who is working every single day. He’s been fantastic since he came in. He works so, so hard to improve and get better, and you see that now. We know when he comes into the team, he’ll do a job, and that’s what he’s doing at the minute.”

Therefore, the youngster could definitely have played a part in keeping Wolves up in the second half of the season, meaning it would be incredibly disappointing to see Lopetegui ship him out on loan again this month, potentially repeating the mistake made by Lage during the summer.

Newcastle United are seemingly intent on hoovering up some of the globe’s hottest young talent, having already secured a deal for Australian teenager, Garang Kuol, in recent months.

Speaking at the time of that capture, Magpies sporting director Dan Ashworth confirmed that the club’s “philosophy is to invest in our Academy and in exciting young players for the future”, with it looking as if PIF are concerned with more than just short-term success.

That trend of targetting up-and-coming prospects looks set to continue if recent reports are to be believed, with GOAL reporting that Athletico Paranaense sensation, Vitor Roque, is also a player of interest to those at St James’ Park.

The report suggests that the Tynesiders – as well as the likes of Barcelona and Chelsea – have all made enquiries regarding a move for the 17-year-old wonderkid, with Europe’s elite clubs seemingly intent on snapping up the forward this summer.

The teenage Brazilian will likely not come cheap, however, with the piece also outlining that the exciting asset has a release clause of around €60m (£53m), with his existing deal set to run until 2027.

Despite the prospect of having to splash the cash to land the 5 foot 8 dynamo, such a move could well prove worth it for Eddie Howe’s side, with Roque having been dubbed “one of the most talented Brazilian players of his generation” by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Also lauded as a player of “crazy potential” by Kulig, the former Cruzeiro ace has been in scintillating form in his homeland of late, having scored seven goals and provided three assists in just 36 games for his current side, after bagging six goals and one assist in just 16 games for his previous employers.

Although there may be doubts about signing a player who is still in the infancy of his senior career, Newcastle can well look to Arsenal’s success with the signing of Gabriel Martinelli as a reason to be encouraged.

Like his young compatriot, Martinelli also started out life in Brazil with lower division side Ituano, before being snapped up by the Gunners on a £6m deal back in the summer of 2019, at the tender age of just 18.

Despite that move having been potentially something of a gamble due to the winger’s inexperience at first-team level, the fleet-footed speedster has gone on to dazzle since then, with 41 goal involvements in 108 games for the north Londoners to date.

The 21-year-old has been particularly impressive in this season’s title charge under Mikel Arteta, having scored seven goals and laid on two assists in 17 Premier League games, with such form ensuring that he is now valued at around £88m, as per CIES Football Observatory.

The league leaders have clearly struck gold with their bold move to bring the young Martinelli to the club, with Newcastle seemingly hoping to repeat that feat by snapping up another promising young forward in the form of Roque.