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Leeds United are thought to be ‘interested’ in signing Villarreal left-back Alfonso Pedraza.

The Lowdown: Wober links

The Whites appear to be on the hunt for a new left-back in the New Year and seem to have an eye on RB Salzburg’s Maximilian Wober.

Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Leeds are preparing an offer for the 24-year-old, who can play as a centre-back or as a left-back. It seems as if Wober isn’t the only defensive target, though, with links emerging to a former Elland Road loanee.

The Latest: Pedraza news

According to Football Espana on Twitter, both Leeds and Inter Milan are ‘interested’ in signing Pedraza in January.

They add that the Spaniard has been a ‘standout’ for the La Liga side over the last 18 months.

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The Verdict: One to watch?

Pedraza, who played alongside Luke Ayling, Liam Cooper and Stuart Dallas during his loan spell in the 2016/17 season, can also operate as a left-midfielder or left-winger and has scored 23 senior goals at club level.

Therefore, you could make an argument that both Pedraza and Wober could be of use to Jesse Marsch. They would both be able to challenge Pascal Struijk and Junior Firpo at left-back, while also providing cover in other areas, so a move for Pedraza, described as a “machine” by Simon Harrison, could be one to watch.

Liverpool have been continuously linked with a move for Jude Bellingham and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on the club’s pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest?

Italian journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has dropped a teasing update on the transfer race to sign the Borussia Dortmund midfielder over the coming months ahead and dismissed any chance of Jurgen Klopp parting ways with the club.

Romano wrote in his exclusive Caught Offside column:

“Jurgen Klopp was never keen on the Germany job. He’s 100% focused on Liverpool now, already discussing new signings with the board and insisting for Jude Bellingham. Klopp and Liverpool board will also decide together on player contract situations.”

Bellingham is “one to watch”

The prospect of signing Bellingham will be exciting for the supporters, the manager and the squad at Anfield as there has been a lot of upheaval, concern and uncertainty for the Merseyside giants over the last few months.

Liverpool have been struggling to build a run of consistent form in the Premier League which has led to them potentially falling out of contention in the title race for the first time in years as they are currently sixth and 15 points behind Arsenal at the top of the table.

Not only that, it has been revealed that FSG are interested in selling the club and newly-appointed sporting director Julian Ward has resigned from his position just six months after taking over from Michael Edwards, so there is due some good news at Anfield.

As a result, securing Bellingham’s services would be a positive step forward in the manager’s pursuit to build the next successful generation of the squad.

The £129m midfielder – who was hailed “one to watch” and “special” by Romano – ranks in the top 6% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for non-penalty goals, dribbles completed, touches and progressive passes received.

Klopp will surely be watching Bellingham perform for England alongside teammate and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson at the World Cup over the last few weeks and the pair captured the headlines together when they delivered an important goal in the round of 16 clash with Senegal.

With that being said, it won’t be easy to secure the player’s signature as he continues to thrive in front of the world in Qatar and many clubs are interested in signing Bellingham, so Liverpool must do everything they can to beat their competitors.

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly set to firm up their interest in a former Ibrox assistant manager with an outstanding candidate having emerged to replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst at the Old Firm outfit.

What’s the word?

That’s according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, who revealed that the Scottish Premiership side are set to step up their bid to land Mick Beale, having sacked van Bronckhorst earlier this week.

Writing on Twitter about that developing situation, the insider stated that “Rangers look set to make a formal approach” for the coach. Crook continued: “Interesting to see if he stays loyal to the project this time. Big job to say no to.”

Reports this morning from talkSPORT then went on to suggest that his current club expect him to now make the move north of the border.

‘Genius’ appointment

The Englishman is of course a name familiar to the Light Blues, with the Bromley-born coach having previously worked under Steve Gerrard during the latter man’s time in charge at Ibrox, the pair helping to guide the club to a historic 55th league title back in 2021 to end Celtic’s lengthy domestic dominance.

While it may have been the former England international receiving much of the plaudits for that glorious triumph due to his role in the top job, the suggestion is that Beale was also just as vital to that success, having been dubbed the “brains” behind the operation by former Gers striker, Kyle Lafferty.

Also lauded as a “genius” by Jermain Defoe, the former Sao Paulo assistant coach arguably did much of the training ground work during his time in Scotland, having been praised for his quality behind the scenes by Gerrard, with the latter man stating:

“It would take me 15/20 years to become as good as Michael Beale as an on-pitch coach, delivering sessions on a daily basis – so I let Mick be Mick Beale, because he’s the expert.”

The up-and-coming asset has taken that talent into his first managerial post at Loftus Road, having guided the west London outfit into playoff contention after an impressive start to the season, with that impact having even seen him come close to joining Premier League side, Wolverhampton Wanderers.

While the 42-year-old ultimately snubbed that approach to stay put in his current surroundings, it remains to be seen if he is able to resist the temptation of returning to Scotland to re-join his former employers, although as far as Rangers are concerned it could well be something of a masterstroke to bring back a familiar face who has previously enjoyed success at the club.

There could be a ‘big opportunity’ for Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha to leave the club in the coming months, according to transfer expert Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Zaha’s Palace future up in the air

The 29-year-old is a modern-day Eagles legend, contributing so much attacking brilliance over the years and proving to be a talisman time and time again.

Zaha has scored six goals in 12 appearances in the Premier League this season, outlining his brilliance, but he has also been touted with a move away from Selhurst Park.

A fresh claim further suggests that a January switch could be on the cards for the Ivory Coast international.

The Latest: London duo have “considered” Zaha

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones said that Zaha could be eyeing up a fresh challenge over the next couple of transfer windows, with two Premier League clubs from London having “considered” a move for him.

The transfer expert said:

“It’s a really key time for Zaha and, possibly, he will see the next two windows as a big opportunity to push the limits of his career a bit further.

“We know Chelsea and Arsenal have considered him, so it will be interesting to see if they would take the next step in trying to actually sign him.

“Palace should and I’m sure will do everything they can to convince him to stay though, of course.”

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The Verdict: Will he stay loyal?

Zaha has remained so loyal to Palace for such a long time, ignoring plenty of transfer interest in preferring to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond, with all due respect to the Eagles.

However, turning 30 this coming Thursday, the Ivorian could feel that now is the last chance for him to get a high-profile move in his prime, which could finally see him leave the club.

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The lure of Chelsea or league leaders Arsenal could be too great to turn down, especially as it would mean being able to stay in London.

Ideally, the hope is he stays at Palace for the rest of his career, but it would be difficult to begrudge him a transfer after giving so much at Selhurst Park, having entered the top 10 of the club’s all-time scoring charts.

Crystal Palace were reportedly interested in signing Leicester City ace Ayoze Perez during the summer transfer window and Patrick Vieira would have surely loved him at Selhurst Park.

Reports from Spain claim that the Eagles, alongside Premier League rivals Everton and Fulham, were keen on signing the attacking midfielder during the summer transfer window as he seeks an exit from the King Power Stadium.

However, Perez is reportedly so desperate to return to his native Spain that he is now keen to rip up his contract with Brendan Rodgers’ side, which is perhaps reflected in his lack of game time under the Northern Irish manager.

The 29-year-old first arrived in England in 2014 when he joined Newcastle United from Tenerife and he would go on to become a big hit with the Toon faithful, contributing 48 goals and 17 assists in 195 appearances for the northeast side.

A £30m move to Leicester City would follow in 2019 but he has struggled to consistently replicate that form with the Foxes, hitting just 14 goals and 11 assists in 105 appearances.

After making just 14 appearances in the top flight last season, it was perhaps no surprise to him targeted by other Premier League clubs and he could have been a stellar addition to Vieira’s side, especially in the Eagles’ attack alongside the talented Eberechi Eze.

The former QPR man has enjoyed a superb start to the Premier League season, averaging a 7.05 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the top flight, after notching two goals and two assists.

WhoScored suggests that both Eze and Perez like to dribble and play short passes, which suggests that they could have linked up well had the Spaniard made the move to Selhurst Park.

During his time at Newcastle United, Perez earned the praise of former goalkeeper Steve Harper on talkSPORT.He said (via SportsMole):

“He looks a quality, quality footballer and he’s made that number 10 role his own.

“As a link-up player technically, he’s very good but he needs to add consistency to get into the teams with the big boys.”

The prospect of Perez being at his best in a technical Palace attack that includes the likes of Eze, Michael Olise and Wilfried Zaha would surely have been an exciting one for Vieira, and the Frenchman may well be gutted that Palace couldn’t bring him in during the summer, especially if he completes a free transfer to a Spanish side in the near future.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has now claimed that it is a ‘real cruel blow for Wolves’ that strikers Raul Jimenez and Sasa Kalajdzic have both picked up injuries.

The Lowdown: Injury woes

It has been reported that Jimenez has picked up a serious injury on international duty with Mexico, and he is now a doubt for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in November.

This adds to the serious injury that new striker signing Kalajdzic picked up on his debut, which Bruno Lage has since confirmed will rule him out for at least six months.

The Latest: ‘Cruel blow’

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, when asked if the Midlands club should have let Fabio Silva go out on loan in light of their injury problems in the striker position, O’Rourke claimed that they should not have in hindsight, but added that it is a ‘real cruel blow’ to lose both Jimenez and Kalajdzic to long-term injuries:

“Yeah, well hindsight, it’s a wonderful thing. They wouldn’t have expected these injury problems that hit them so badly, as they have with Raul Jimenez and especially the Sasa Kalajdzic one.

“He was the big signing as a striker this summer, they thought he was the man to solve their goalscoring problems, and unfortunately he suffered that cruciate knee ligament injury on his debut.

“So, a real cruel blow for Wolves and for Kalajdzic as well.”

The Verdict: Others now need to step up

With the injuries to Jimenez and Kalajdzic, and the fact that Silva has gone out on loan, the Molineux outfit now need others to step up in their absence and get the goals needed to climb up the Premier League table.

They are currently the joint-lowest scorers in the division alongside West Ham United with three goals, and incidentally face them over the weekend.

The Wanderers have brought in Diego Costa as a free agent, but he has not played any competitive football since December of last year, so it will be up to the likes of Daniel Podence, Pedro Neto and Goncalo Guedes to provide the goals needed until Jimenez and Kalajdzic return.

Everton are reportedly nearing a deal for Manchester United midfielder James Garner, having been heavily linked with the youngster in recent weeks.

What’s the word?

Transfer insider Dean Jones – speaking to GIVEMESPORT – had revealed that the Toffees were still in the mix to sign the 21-year-old, with reports earlier this month revealing that United are open to offers for the Englishman.

With the Merseysiders having reportedly been in discussions regarding a deal for the playmaker, Jones stated: “They are definitely still in that conversation for Garner as well.

“So, we’ll find out very quickly where Everton are going to be in terms of shaping up this season because if they don’t get three people through the door, Frank Lampard knows that he’s in a relegation battle.”

The latest suggestion is that the England U21 international – who spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest – is now closing in on a £15m switch to Goodison Park, with journalist Fabrizio Romano revealing that “a full agreement” has been reached between United and the Toffees for his signature after a bid was accepted.

Better than Gomes?

The highly-rated prospect has been unable to force his way into Erik ten Hag’s plans at Old Trafford in recent months, hence the Red Devils’ desire to sell, although their loss could well be Frank Lampard’s gain with the 44-year-old able to acquire a real emerging talent.

While the £6.3m-rated ace has made just two Premier League appearances in his career thus far, he has more than shown his quality in the second tier of late, notably starring at the City Ground last season as Steve Cooper’s side romped to promotion.

A key figure in the Welshman’s side, the £17k-per-week sensation scored four goals and provided eight assists in 41 games in all competitions from his central midfield berth, recording an impressive 7.26 average match rating in the process, as per SofaScore – the highest in the entire Forest squad.

Lauded as “exceptional” for that stunning run of form in the Championship by pundit Paul Robinson, the Birkenhead-born starlet has been tipped for big things throughout his time at his current club, with former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer previously suggesting that he is going to be a “top player” in the years to come.

An exciting addition then for Lampard and co, his arrival could well hasten an exit for current Toffees man Andre Gomes, with the 29-year-old having been heavily linked with a move away from the club this summer.

Hampered by injury throughout his time in England, the Portugal international – who signed from Barcelona on an initial loan deal back in 2018 – has largely underwhelmed in his Everton career to date, scoring just twice in 100 appearances across all competitions for the club, laying on only seven assists.

That is a dismal return for a progressive midfielder player – particularly in comparison to Garner’s record from last term – with journalist Paul Brown previously suggesting that the 29-cap dud has “gone backwards” since arriving in the Premier League.

Seemingly now a fading force, Gomes could well find himself rightly replaced should the United gem, who is quite evidently a younger upgrade, be secured before Thursday’s deadline.

Tottenham Hotspur’s intriguing decision to sell Juan Foyth last summer may have already come back to haunt them.

Following a lack of game time under former managers Mauricio Pochettino and then Jose Mourinho, chairman Daniel Levy sanctioned the 24-year-old’s departure, initially on loan for the 2020/21 season.

During his time in N17, he was even deemed to be a “fantastic talent” by former head of GOAL, James Dickens.

He moved to LaLiga outfit Villarreal and quickly became one of Unai Emery’s first-choice starters, helping the side to the Europa League trophy after defeating Manchester United in the final.

As a result of his fine form, the Yellow Submarines triggered a clause option in the deal, which looks to have been quite the bargain at just £13m.

Granted, Foyth looked to have no future in north London, so that price tag – prior to the loan – appeared to be fair game but after a campaign that saw him rank as one of Emery’s top-five performers, that looked to have been rather low.

The Argentine is now courting interest from LaLiga giants FC Barcelona, so that fee seems to be on the cheap side as the Catalan side will have to pay around £35m to bring him to the Nou Camp, as per Spanish outlet AS.

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It was Foyth’s form last campaign that has alerted the Blaugrana to his quality.

Largely featuring at right-back, the former Spurs man ended the 2021/22 campaign as Villarreal’s fourth-best performer in the Spanish top-flight, having averaged a squad-leading 2.8 tackles per game (some way off the next best of 1.5 per game by another ex-Lilywhites player, Etienne Capoue).

He also got forward, managing 1.1 dribbles per game which led to him providing two goal contributions across 25 appearances.

If Foyth goes on to complete a £35m switch to Barcelona, then it will only highlight the huge mistake that Levy made in his negotiations with the Yellow Submarines.

Sporting director Fabio Paratici was not at the club at the time and it seems unlikely that he would have sanctioned such a cheap exit for a player that is still only 24 and can play in multiple defensive positions.

Villarreal are set to claim around £22m in profit should Barca pay Foyth’s release clause and that, on the above evidence, will surely leave those at Hotspur Way disappointed with regret.

AND in other news, Conte “wants” £50m “lethal playmaker”, he’s a true heir to £150k-p/w “wizard”…

Manchester City playmaker Jack Grealish ‘might end up back’ at Aston Villa if his performance levels don’t improve this season. 

That’s according to former Villa striker Tony Cascarino, who was speaking to talkSPORT.

The lowdown

City paid a British record transfer fee of £100m to sign Grealish from Villa last summer, but on paper the 26-year-old didn’t set the world alight in his first season at the Etihad Stadium, notching just six goal involvements in the Premier League (three goals, three assists) and 10 overall (six goals, four assists).

For context, seven different Villa players – Ollie Watkins, Danny Ings, Jacob Ramsey, Philippe Coutinho, Emiliano Buendia, Matty Cash and John McGinn – recorded more goal contributions in last season’s top flight.

The latest

Cascarino reckons that City could run out of patience with Grealish if he fails to live up to his price tag this season.

He thinks that the England international, who has too often produced ‘six out of tens’, could find himself on the loan or transfer list come next summer, and that may present an opportunity for his former club.

Cascarino said of Grealish: “At the end of the season, if he doesn’t pick up his standards, what we know he’s capable of and why they paid £100m for him, he’ll probably be loaned out or he might end up back at Villa.

“He’s not playing well enough consistently for Man City. I’m not talking about being OK, six out of tens. He should be eight or nine. He’s got so much quality.”

The verdict

There may be some Villa supporters who dream about the prospect of Grealish returning to the Midlands.

The 26-year-old, who scored 32 goals and provided 43 assists for the club, made the Championship Team of the Year when they got promoted in 2019 under Dean Smith and won Villa’s Player of the Year prize after helping them to survive in the top flight the following season.

He has also expressed his admiration for Steven Gerrard in the past, tweeting in 2014 that the then-Liverpool captain was an ‘unreal’ player whose ‘passion is the best’.

Furthermore, he insisted following his departure from the Midlands that he would ‘always be a Villa fan’, and perhaps he privately plans to make a comeback towards the end of his career.

However, Grealish’s underlying statistics in his first season at City suggest that he could make a much bigger impact this term.

Only three players – Kevin De Bruyne, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah – could better his record of 0.3 expected assists per 90 last term, and if his team-mates are more clinical this time around, his headline numbers could improve dramatically.

If they do, City definitely won’t be entertaining the idea of letting him go back to his former stomping ground.

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira will be key in any deal that can be completed between the Eagles and Burnley for winger Dwight McNeil.

What’s the story?

Journalist Pete O’Rourke recently told GIVEMESPORT:

“Patrick Vieira, we know what a player he was in the Premier League, he’s a Premier League legend, so I’m sure he does have a lot of pulling power for players, and it does look like he is building an exciting young team at Crystal Palace right now.

“He had a good first season in charge and made some good signings as well, so I’m sure if Dwight McNeil was to make the move to Crystal Palace, Patrick Vieira would play a huge role in that, and his pulling power might help him to make that move to London.”

The Sun recently claimed that McNeil could move to Selhurst Park this summer following Burnley’s relegation to the Championship. He definitely is a Premier League quality player so it would make sense for him to depart Turf Moor.

However, Vieira’s side face competition from West Ham United who are also monitoring the situation. It would take at least £10m for Burnley to let him leave.

He would be “spell-binding”

If he made the move to South London then Palace fans are in for a treat with the winger previously being described as “spell-binding” by journalist Dan Black.

It’s hard to disagree given his impressive performances for Burnley. When you compare him to his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the last year he ranks in the top 6% for crosses into the penalty area.

For a team struggling at the wrong end of the table that’s impressive. He’s good creatively but is also just as reliable defensively, and ranks in the top 9% for tackles in the midfield third proving he isn’t afraid of a battle.

He could be a key player for Palace in the same way he is for Burnley and with some uncertainty over the future of star man Wilfried Zaha who has just 12 months remaining on his contract, he could be a good replacement.

If he were to leave then McNeil could come in as the perfect successor, someone who has plenty of top-flight experience. It’s still early days but the 22-year-old is likely to move to a club in the Premier League, and the chance to work under Vieira would be hard to turn down.

IN other news: Alan Nixon drops big Crystal Palace transfer claim that’ll leave supporters fuming…