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Leeds United have been dealt a setback in their efforts to sign Ben Brereton Diaz this winter…

What’s the word?

The Yorkshire giants have regularly been linked with a move for the Blackburn Rovers forward in recent windows, with claims earlier this month suggesting that a serious push to sign him would be made in January.

However, according to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, it’s going to take a massive offer for the Championship outfit to even consider letting him go, so that puts a big dent in their chances of sealing him.

“I don’t think he goes … unless offer is mad,” he tweeted.

Diaz is out of contract in the summer but the Lancashire side have an option to extend that by a further year. Meanwhile, a fee in the region of £20m has previously been mooted, as per the Mirror.

Unlikely move?

Historically, the January transfer window has not been one that Leeds often get involved in.

“The feeling in the club and in the recruitment department is generally that they would like to do as little business as they can in January,” once claimed The Athletic’s Phil Hay, whilst Marcelo Bielsa’s comments in the past have hinted towards there being a lack of activity.

The Argentina head coach also spent a lot of money in the summer, breaking Untied’s club record to sign Dan James, one of several £20m+ signings, so there are questions over how much of the budget is left for further additions next month,

However, Leeds need reinforcements as their injury list continues to pile up. They have missed the likes of vice-captain Luke Ayling and leading goalscorer Patrick Bamford for most of the season, without an adequate backup, whilst a fresh blow to Kalvin Phillips is certainly worrying.

Bamford returned from injury and suffered another setback, meaning he has played only 22 minutes in the top-flight since September, so it’s no wonder Bielsa has his sights set on a new frontline addition in Diaz.

Reports in Chile have previously suggested that the 66-year-old has been a huge fan of the Blackburn star, ever since the two sides met in the Championship for the first time several years ago, so he will be absolutely gutted to not be able to sign him this January, if Nixon’s claims are accurate.

The striker, dubbed a “beast” and an “extraordinary talent” by his manager Tony Mowbray, has been in electric form this campaign, where he has delivered 19 goals and one assist in 23 league games, via Transfermarkt.

Bamford’s only backup is academy gem Joe Gelhardt, so a move for one of the Championship’s most prolific goalscorers does make sense but it now seems unlikely given that Rovers will not sell him on the cheap, despite his contractual situation,

As such, Bielsa and co have been dealt a big blow in their attempts to bring in an alternative this winter. He will surely be devastated as his nightmare campaign at Elland Road looks set to continue.

AND in other news, Big relief: Phil Hay finally relays positive injury news for LUFC, fans surely buzzing…

An update has emerged regarding Sunderland’s interest in Manchester United midfielder Ethan Galbraith.

What’s the talk?

According to the Sunderland Echo, the 20-year-old has emerged as a loan target for the Black Cats. Lee Johnson is looking to bolster his midfield options this summer and is keeping tabs on Galbraith, who could be available on a temporary deal ahead of next season.

Last year, Northern Ireland boss Ian Baraclough compared him to Spanish greats Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

He told Manchester United’s official website: “Ethan, over the last six months, we’ve seen a maturity in his play and the way he goes about his work day to day.

“He’s excelled with the Under-21s and he’s a different type of player to anyone we’ve got in the senior squad.

“He has earned his right with the way he has gone about his play for the last six months

“Not to put too much pressure on his shoulders, but he’s our little [Andres] Iniesta or Xavi, someone who can get on the ball and manipulate the ball and find positive passes. Over the coming years, he will give us a different flavour to the squad.”

Forget Scowen

Josh Scowen is set to officially leave Sunderland next week upon the expiry of his contract at the Stadium of Light. This has left Johnson with a hole to fill in his squad and Galbraith could be the player who steps in to fill the void next season. It is time to forget about Scowen and start thinking about the possibility of Galbraith lining up in the red and white stripes later this year.

As with any young player coming in, the 20-year-old would be a risky signing for Sunderland. It is impossible to tell how he will manage the step up to senior football, but the signs are there to suggest that he could be an excellent addition to Johnson’s team.

He has already been capped twice by Northern Ireland at senior level, with his manager comparing him to Barcelona legends Iniesta and Xavi, and he has played for Manchester United once in the Europa League. This suggests that his managers at national team and club level believe he has potential.

Therefore, Kristjaan Speakman must ensure that he is able to seal a deal for the “little Iniesta” this summer. If Galbraith is even 5% of the player the nine-time FIFPro Team of the Year member was for Barcelona, then Sunderland would have a cracking player on their hands in League One.

He could be the midfield dynamo the Black Cats need to help push for promotion next season and that is why Speakman must take the gamble on him and why fans should forget about Scowen.

AND in other news, Major development emerges on £4k-p/w “revelation”, Sunderland fans will be buzzing…

Leeds must land Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham this summer amid Noel Whelan’s transfer claim.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have suggested that the Blues are ready to offload the England international this summer, and Whelan has urged Marcelo Bielsa’s side to throw their name into the hat.

He said: “Gosh, I’d like Leeds United to be linked with Tammy Abraham. A natural goalscorer, somebody with that stature. Very much like a Patrick Bamford sort of player as well, probably a little bit more clinical in front of goal.

“I’d like to see us linked with a Tammy Abraham, that would be quite a good signing. He works hard, he’s got the right attributes that I believe we could benefit from. I could see it.”

Bielsa’s perfect striker

Called the “real deal” by former Villa manager Tim Sherwood, Abraham has got all the qualities to be a real dream striker for Bielsa, given his ability to do all facets of the game up front, whether that be holding the ball up, running the channels, and just providing a finisher’s touch inside the box.

Last season in the Premier League, when he was much more of a regular starter under Frank Lampard, Abraham scored 15 goals, and his heat-map as per Sofascore shows a striker who spent most of his time in the penalty area, but drifted much deeper and out wide too.

Bielsa himself has previously lauded Patrick Bamford for his work rate, saying: “If you see the players in the best teams in the world, not the best players, they are players who always play at one hundred percent.”

And in Abraham, the Leeds boss could find something very similar.

Speaking after he netted during a loan spell against Swansea a couple of seasons ago, Aston Villa boss Dean Smith said: “Tammy is a handful and he knows better than me that he should have been walking away with the match ball tonight. But he scored the winning goal, he’s a hell of a talent. Tammy put in a hell of a shift up front on his own and proved he is a fine player.”

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Tall and physical just like Bielsa’s former favourite at Athletic Bilbao, Fernando Llorente, the £36m-rated Abraham has got the combination of athleticism and technical ability to be a real star for Leeds.

Meanwhile, a Leeds source has revealed some exciting plans at Thorp Arch…

Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has claimed that he would not be surprised to see Christian Eriksen return to Tottenham Hotspur, despite interest from Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Eriksen’s contract

Having been released by Inter due to not being allowed to play in Italy with a cardioverter-defibrillator implant device, the former Spurs man was snapped up by Brentford on a short-term contract which is set to expire at the end of the season.

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Consequently, rumours have emerged linking Eriksen with a whole host of Premier League clubs. This includes the Lilywhites, following Football Insider’s report which revealed that Tottenham are keeping tabs on the Denmark international.

The Northern Echo have claimed that Newcastle have a strong interest in the signing Eriksen, and are also hopeful of striking up a deal with the Brentford midfielder.

The Latest: McLeish’s claim…

McLeish, who can be heard on BT Sport nowadays, has admitted that he would not be surprised to see Eriksen lining up in a white shirt next season due to his ‘love’ of the club.

Speaking with Football Insider, he claimed: “Spurs did lose their rhythm a little bit losing someone like Eriksen. He was a key individual in those years where they came very, very close.

“He’ll be a free agent so it wouldn’t surprise me if he went back to Spurs with his love for the club.

“Newcastle are ambitious as well. They’ve had a couple of great results since Eddie Howe brought in a couple of great players in.

“Also, he seems a very honourable guy. If he stayed at Brentford it would be an incredible gesture.”

The Verdict: Could be a good move

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte heaped praise on Eriksen after his Spurs side were held to a 0-0 draw against Brentford at the weekend. He claimed that “it’s amazing” to see the midfielder performing at the level that he is after recovering from the cardiac arrest he suffered last summer.

With the 30-year-old ranking in the 99th percentile for non-penalty goals and the 98th percentile for shots and expected assists among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues (via FB Ref), it is easy to see why Tottenham would be interested in bringing the Dane back to Hotspur Way.

Therefore, if Fabio Paratici can get a Bosman deal over the line, this could prove to be a strong addition to Conte’s squad on the cheap.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Alasdair Gold leaks more info on Conte, Pochettino and PSG

Real Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal could be fit for his side’s Champions League clash with Liverpool next month.

The Reds have a mouthwatering two-legged clash on the horizon as they come up against the La Liga giants in the quarter-finals. Jurgen Klopp’s men will be out for revenge following their heartbreak in the 2018 final, but they will have their work cut out to get past Zinedine Zidane’s star-studded side.

It promises to be a fascinating match-up between two of the most successful clubs in European football history.

Carvajal could be fit for Liverpool clash

Real Madrid have been without long-time regular Carvajal of late, with the Spaniard not featuring since the 2-0 win over Valencia on February 14.

According to Marca, however, the 29-year-old defender is now back in training and could face Liverpool in the first leg meeting on April 6.

Transfer Tavern take

This news will come as a big boost to Real Madrid, with Carvajal such a solid performer for years now, possessing great experience and consistency at right-back. He is nine games shy of the 300 mark for Los Blancos and has almost always started when available during an injury-hit 2020/21 season.

As per WhoScored, he is among the six best performers statistically in the current campaign for Zinedine Zidane’s side, illustrating his importance to the Spanish giants.

If he plays, his likely tussle with Sadio Mane could be a fascinating one as Liverpool look to make it into the semi-finals and hopefully go on to seal an unlikely Champions League triumph this year.

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly closing in on a shock Premier League signing – find out who it is here.

Southampton reportedly bid for Takehiro Tomiyasu in January but were unable to agree a deal, and with the Japan international now heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, it seems that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side may have missed out on a gem.

According to the Evening Standard, the Saints made an offer for the Bologna man in January and returned the following month to enquire about a potential summer switch, but it was thought that a bigger move was on the cards for the 22-year-old.

It now seems likely that the Japanese centre-back will complete a move to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side this summer, with Spurs in talks with the Serie A outfit over a potential deal for the defender.

Last season saw the youngster make 31 appearances in Serie A for the Rossoblù, contributing two goals and averaging a solid 6.77 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

The £18m-rated defender has featured regularly as a centre-back, right-back and defensive midfielder in his career thus far, and given Hasenhuttl’s preference for versatile players at Southampton, it seems clear that he could have been a stellar addition.

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It is no surprise that the Austrian was reportedly keen on the Japan international in January when you consider that he was forced to deploy James Ward-Prowse and Jan Bednarek at right-back in the absence of Kyle Walker-Peters after Yan Valery was sent out on loan to Birmingham.

Tomiyasu could have been a great player to compete with Bednarek and Jannik Vestergaard at centre-back, whilst also covering for Walker-Peters on the right, as he has plenty of experience in Serie A despite being so young.

His performances in Italy earned him the praise of teammate Mitchell Dijks, who said: “He is very strong, a real Japanese warrior.”

After their advances in January and February were rejected, it seems unlikely that Southampton will be able to negotiate a deal for Tomiyasu this summer. If he does join Spurs and become a success, then he will unfortunately be regarded as one who got away for the Saints.

In other news… Hasenhuttl dealt huge Saints transfer blow over “top player” likened to Kante

Mark Douglas has dropped some promising insight from those close to the potential takeover of Newcastle United, claiming it could be done in a matter of weeks if the arbitration case goes to plan.

The Lowdown: Ashley’s claims

Mike Ashley has launched two separate claims against the Premier League over the failed takeover deal between him and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

These are the separate arbitration and Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) cases, with the former set to take place this month.

The Toon will need a positive result there, but if they get it then things could kick into gear rather quickly.

The Latest: Takeover insight

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Douglas, who has of course been following the whole saga closely, has shared that those close to the potential deal believe that it could be struck within a number of weeks.

He also added that plans have been put in place and could be implemented quickly in time for the new 2021/22 season to start, assuming that the bid can be pushed through.

The Verdict: Promising

It is certainly promising to hear that plans for the potential takeover could be put in place quickly, especially if they can be implemented before the new term starts.

The timing of the arbitration hearing against the English top flight is not ideal, given that the summer transfer window has already opened, and so ideally the consortium would have wanted to strike a deal before so that they can work on some transfers.

However, this would not matter as much if a deal can be struck before the new campaign begins, as they would still have time to work on the squad and overall be better prepared for their first game.

Nonetheless, the fact that there is belief that a deal can be done within a number of weeks is a good sign ahead of the arbitration proceedings.

In other news, find out what Premier League insight Lee Ryder has dropped on the CAT case here!

Rangers return to Premiership action on Sunday as they take on Hibernian at Ibrox, with Steven Gerrard’s side still in with a chance of finishing the league season unbeaten.

The 40-year-old manager rang the changes for his side’s 4-0 win against League One Cove Rangers in the Scottish Cup last time out, so will likely be back at full strength for the game against Hibs this weekend and the bookies featured at bookmaker-ratings.com have reflected this in their odds on the Champions picking up three points.

Unfortunately for Scott Arfield, that should see him drop out of the team, as his performances in recent fixtures have been far from good enough and you could definitely argue that Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara and Steven Davis are all ahead of him in the midfield pecking order on current form.

The Canadian international started the game against Cove Rangers but failed to provide a goal or an assist in the 90 minutes to continue his recent barren run. The 32-year-old’s last goal contribution came in the 3-2 win against Standard Liege back in December, meaning he has failed to register a single goal or assist in 2021 thus far.

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The former Burnley man has made 25 appearances in the Premiership so far this season and has averaged a less than impressive 6.65 WhoScored rating for his performances, which ranks him as the worst performer in Gerrard’s squad of those who have made at least five starts in the Scottish top flight.

Despite his poor run of form, Gerrard was full of praise for Arfield earlier this year, saying: “Scott epitomises what we want. Out of possession he shows grit, he shows fight, he’s there for you and in possession, he’s always available.

“He stands up to be counted at important times, so we’re extremely happy with Scott at the moment.”

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However, the former Liverpool captain will surely be aware that the midfielder’s performances have declined in recent months and therefore he should drop him against Hibernian in order to give his team the best chance of picking up all three points and continuing the unbeaten run.

In other news… Sold for £1m, now in League One: Rangers axed one of their “top performers” at the perfect time

Many Everton fans have been left to fume as a transfer update emerged on Randal Kolo Muani.

As per a Foot Mercato journalist, the Goodison Park faithful have checked Muani as a player to potentially strengthen their attack, as they look for a possible replacement for Moise Kean, who may join PSG on a permanent deal.

The striker scored nine goals and made a further nine assists in 39 games in total over all competitions for Nantes in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), but some members of the Merseyside club faithful feel that these stats are not good enough to be playing for them.

Muani is still only 22 years of age, and so has potential, but it seems as if several Toffees would prefer a more experienced and ready-made forward to come in and support Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Everton fans on Muani transfer update

These Blues fumed as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to claim that his stats were ’embarrassing’:

“9 goals in a season is embarrassing”

Credit: @joshua_eardley

“I can score more than that! Need better than that”

Credit: @fifasavedmylife

“Not good enough”

Credit: @hawksworth1966

“End interest now”

Credit: @hammermurp

“We’ve already got enough players with poor returns ….why buy more dross?”

Credit: @RobColes11

“Why? Another waste”

Credit: @coltsblues12

In other news, find out what transfer update has left Toffees buzzing here!

This season had been one of positivity so far at Celtic, even if the Hoops did taste a defeat in Ange Postecoglou’s first Old Firm.

Proceedings at board level looked rosier than last season and the Bhoys were happily going about their business during a new era for the club.

What’s the club?

However, little did we know that the environment upstairs has actually been rather toxic and confusing this season.

Dominic McKay became the club’s new CEO at the beginning of the summer when he took over from Peter Lawwell who retired.

However, it hasn’t been plain sailing for him as he was forced to step down from his role last Friday.

The reasons are complicated but in an article for The Athletic, Kieran Devlin helped to clear up the factors at play.

He wrote: “Sources have spoken of receiving mixed, contradictory messages from different club figures. One described Celtic as being “painfully slow” in some discussions and several mentioned not receiving replies to messages for days or sometimes weeks. When replies did come, they would sometimes be from a different club figure.

“One source described it as “messy, everyone stepping on each other’s toes”. More than one target is said to have been missed out on during this process.”

Fans fuming

In this instance, it appears to be a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth.

Postecoglou wasn’t in charge of transfers but it’s quickly become apparent that McKay wasn’t the only one going out and negotiating deals either.

In fact, the former CEO also had to contend with Dermot Desmond and his son Ross, Peter Lawwell, Jay Lefevre – their head of scouting – and finally, the club’s now acting CEO, Michael Nicholson.

Now, communicating with the board makes sense but when you have six different people negotiating the one same transfer, proceedings are obviously going to get messy.

This doesn’t bode well for supporters; particularly after hearing they missed out on some primary targets.

Celtic did still acquire 12 first-team players in the market but if they lose out on the Premiership title again, questions will be asked of what happened this summer.

That’s especially after McKay seemingly had the Hoops’ best interests at heart.

Devlin added in his column: “That long-term vision, aspiring to be something more than just trying to win the Scottish Premiership every season, had been absent from Celtic for some time — at least in the public realm — and many fans bought into it.”

With Desmond reportedly not keen on a modernisation of the football club, it’s claimed by other outlets that McKay actually jumped before he was pushed.

All Celtic needed was some stability and in modernising the club, it could have taken them to greater success in Europe too. It will also have improved the profile of players they could sign in forthcoming windows.

That, however, now looks unlikely. Fans should be extremely displeased by the events that have played out.

AND in other news, Ange could discover Celtic’s new Christie by signing £6.3m-rated “top player” in Jan…