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Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has dropped a worrying transfer update ahead of the January window.

What’s the story?

The Whites find themselves in a difficult position in the Premier League heading into the busy Christmas period, with their mid-week drubbing at the hands of Manchester City placing a lot of scrutiny on the club’s growing injury list and potential transfer plans.

And now, Bielsa has delivered an update on where things currently stand, and it’s not great news for Leeds fans.

He said: “It’s a question that I’ve answered various times, I don’t have a different answer than what I’ve given up until now. Of course I’m losing authority in the position I defend because every game presents new difficulties. The question you ask me leaves me defenceless to defend my ideas.

“It’s also important to leave clear what I’ve said about this subject previously. The capacity for an institution to fortify their squad has a limit due to their budget. In that sense the president, the club have acted in a more than sufficient manner. But this is not the moment for me to explain anything.”

Fans will be worried

Having been at the hands of a 7-0 thrashing against City, and a clash against a resurgent Arsenal at the weekend, Leeds can ill afford any more big slip-ups in terms of results, and injuries too.

Bielsa has had desperate misfortune with missing the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Raphinha and Patrick Bamford for extended periods of time and it has placed a lot of question marks over his reluctance to strengthen his squad.

Phillips is now out for the best part of two months and the fact that they’ve not won a single game this term when he’s not featured suggests they need more bodies in the team.

The Argentine has been known to favour a tight-knit group that he can rely on, but what the injuries and illnesses have caused and exposed is a glaring lack of depth, especially in key areas.

His comments that new signings may not be on the table due to budget concerns should leave fans very worried, particularly with the prospect of a real relegation battle looming for the second half of the season.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has delivered a Leeds United transfer update…

An exciting update has emerged on Newcastle United and their pursuit of Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli…

What’s the talk?

Chronicle reporter Lee Ryder has claimed that the Magpies are in negotiations over a deal for the England international, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will be willing to sign for the club.

He Tweeted: “Dele Alli isn’t short on options after being made available by Spurs for loan. Will be interesting to see if he is up for the challenge at #nufc – talks on a deal have been ongoing throughout January. Notably, Alli is represented by the same agency as Trippier and Wood.”

Howe will love it

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe will surely love this update as Alli could be a superb signing for the Magpies on loan until the end of the campaign.

He is a proven top-flight performer who could come in and make a major impact in the final third, potentially winning games for the club. The ex-MK Dons man has shown his quality at this level over the years and could thrive as a key member of Howe’s squad.

In 181 Premier League matches, he has scored 51 goals and provided 37 assists. Throughout his entire Spurs career, he has 67 goals and 61 assists in 269 games in all competitions, showing that he can score and create goals at the top end of the pitch as he has done so on a regular basis over the course of a number of years in London.

This suggests that he could come in and be a fantastic signing for the club if they are able to get this move over the line, which is why Howe will love the news that they are in talks with Spurs to get it done.

He would surely be buzzing to have a player of Alli’s pedigree and quality to select in the coming month as it could improve his starting XI.

The move would also be an ideal one for the club as it would mean that they avoid the financial burden of keeping him on in the Championship if they fail to avoid the drop.

Newcastle are 18th in the Premier League table and relegation to the second tier would result in a major loss in income, which could make it difficult to afford Alli’s reported £100k-per-week wages.

AND in other news, Newcastle could get SJP rocking by signing “top class” £50m beast who has “everything”…

Charlie Nicholas has accused Glasgow Rangers of being “chokers” and has questioned Steven Gerrard’s achievements at Ibrox.

Nicholas questions Rangers

The Gers have already wrapped up the Premiership title and are also unbeaten in the league so far this term (BBC), but they are out of the Europa League and also lost prematurely in both the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup.

Writing for the Express (via Daily Record), Nicholas has accused the Gers of being “chokers”. He said:

“Winning the Premiership title as easily as they did disguised a lot of their faults.

“Many of the Ibrox players have downed tools since becoming champions.

“Yes, they knocked Celtic out of the Scottish Cup the weekend before last, but the hard work isn’t done until you finish the season and pick up the trophies.

“Steven Gerrard must be scratching his head. The Rangers manager still has so much to do and improve at Ibrox to make things right.”

Over the top

Gerrard will be disappointed that his team have been unable to get their hands on more than one trophy this season – he said as much in the immediate aftermath of the Scottish Cup quarter-final exit to St Johnstone. There is definitely a feeling that the Gers have missed an opportunity here.

However, for Nicholas to say they are chokers is over the top. At the end of the day, the Gers have ended Celtic’s nine-year hold on the league title, and they still have the chance to go the league season unbeaten. There is no doubt about it – it has still been a successful campaign for Gerrard and his players, and no-one should try to take that away from them.

In other news, Rangers are favourites to sign this striker.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Leandro Paredes to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian media outlet Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), who claim that both Tottenham and Inter Milan are keen on a deal for the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder – whom the Ligue 1 side would be willing to part with for a figure of around €25m (£21m) this summer.

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The report goes on to state that the Argentina international is both a favourite of Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte, with it being said that the 52-year-old manager would gladly welcome the arrival of Paredes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of Spurs’ 2022/23 campaign.

Paratici’s next Bentancur

While it is true that Conte currently possesses a number of solid options in the middle of the park – with Oliver Skipp, Harry Winks, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur all capable of playing in the Italian’s midfield two – the signing of Paredes would certainly provide the 52-year-old with greater quality in the position.

Indeed, over his 15 Ligue 1 appearances this season, the £18m-rated Argentine has highly impressed for Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG side, scoring one goal and registering two assists, as well as making an average of 0.7 interceptions, 1.5 tackles, 0.5 key passes and winning 2.8 duels – at a success rate of 61% – per game.

These returns have seen the £148k-per-week talent average a very respectable SofaScore match rating of 7.01 – however, perhaps the French top flight is not the best barometer on which to judge the defensive midfielder.

Indeed, it was over Paredes’ 27 Serie A outings for Roma in 2016/17 when the 44-time capped international proved his ability, with the 27-year-old scoring three goals, providing one assist and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.8 tackles, 1.7 key passes and winning 3.7 duels – at a success rate of 58% – per fixture.

These metrics saw the former Boca Juniors starlet average a quite extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.27, ranking him as the Giallorossi’s eighth-best player in the Italian top-flight – playing a crucial role in his side’s capture of a second-place finish in the league.

It was this level of form that led to Paredes establishing a reputation as one of Europe’s most exciting talents, with the former PSG midfielder, Fabrice Pancrate, previously stating of the Argentine: “He’s smart, technical, aggressive in a good way, and he’s not just a nasty gamer. He is also beautiful to watch. His tempo is perfect.”

As such, should Conte believe he can help the 27-year-old get back to his best, Paredes would undoubtedly make a fantastic addition to the Italian’s midfield – leading us to believe that his £21m summer signing could well see Paratici repeat his January capture of the increasingly impressive and previously underrated Bentancur from Juventus.

AND in other news: Paratici must seal Spurs deal for £350k-p/w “monster” who would “go to war” for Conte

During their 3-3 draw with Arsenal at the London Stadium this afternoon, plenty of West Ham United fans weren’t impressed by the performance of Said Benrahma – with many Irons supporters believing he was ineffective against the Gunners. 

Benrahma, who was taken off in the final 15 minutes by David Moyes after struggling to double up against Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Calum Chambers, couldn’t get on the scoresheet after being handed a start.

The Algerian, signed permanently from Brentford at the end of January, did enjoy a handful of fine moments – most notably managing to dribble his way inside the penalty area and put in a low cross for Michail Antonio who failed to convert the great chance late on.

However, these moments were debatably few and far between, with plenty of Hammers supporters left unimpressed by the 25-year-old as they took to social media – one called the Algerian a “fraud”, while another moaned that he “offers nothing” to the team.

Benrahma did not have a shot all afternoon, lost possession 10 times during the match and recorded just 16 accurate passes – among the outfield players in the Irons’ starting XI, only Jarrod Bowen had fewer. [SofaScore]

Scroll down below for a flavour of the online reaction.

West Ham fans tear into Benrahma

“Another Benrahma disasterclass

Get this fraud off”

Credit: @Joelwhu_

“Bowen and Benrahma uninspiring and embarrassing. Real shame when everyone else is putting in a shift.”

Credit: @pato2867

“Benrahma offers nothing”

Credit: @CzechSzn

“Nah Benrahma has had a stinker today”

Credit: @Ellis_XVI

“Benrahma been poor”

Credit: @MattIngram28

“Benrahma passenger”

Credit: @JimmyMundee

“Benrahma is frustrating to watch, one week he’s decent causing issues, the next he’s causing issues for us”

Credit: @_chowellWH6

Read more: plenty of West Ham fans flocked to this news, find out more here.

Liverpool’s hopes of signing Kylian Mbappe this summer appear extremely slim, with journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming that a deal won’t happen.

The Lowdown: Liverpool eye up stunning Mbappe move

Mbappe is arguably one of the most exciting players in the world at the moment, catching the eye with his incredible pace and relentless end product, scoring 132 goals in 171 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain. He is the most valuable player in world football according to Transfermarkt, who rate him at an eye-watering £144m.

His current PSG deal runs out at the end of next season and Liverpool have been continually linked with making a hugely exciting move for him this summer.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

The Latest: Romano provides bleak update

Unfortunately, that looks unlikely to happen, if Romano is to be believed. Taking to Twitter to respond to a question regarding the current situation, he rather brutally claimed that ‘there’s nothing between Mbappe and Liverpool’, as things stand.

While the journalist might not always get it right, he is one of the most trusted reporters in football, and his update suggests that the prospect of seeing the French maestro in a Reds shirt next season seems increasingly unlikely.

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The Verdict: No great surprise

There is no doubt that this update is a blow to Liverpool fans, but it has always been difficult to see the Reds signing the 22-year-old when Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are all still at Anfield, not to mention the frugality often shown by FSG in the transfer market.

It would be very difficult for Jurgen Klopp to keep all of his attacking players happy, especially with Diogo Jota also a strong option.

Liverpool’s best hopes of signing Mbappe could be as a replacement for Salah or Mane next summer, by which time both Anfield heroes will have turned 30.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to the Reds’ rumoured interest in a Champions League-winning player. Find out who it is here.

Celtic opened their Scottish Cup campaign last week with a routine 3-0 victory over Falkirk.

It was a nice distraction for the Bhoys as they were able to forget about their horrendous league season for a week and focus on other targets.

The Hoops have lost their grasp on the league title and have one remaining chance of winning some silverware this season. That, however, will be more difficult as they face fierce rivals Rangers in the next round.

This weekend, they are back in league action as they face Livingston at Parkhead on Saturday afternoon. They made a number of changes for their last clash so how will they line up when Livi travel to Glasgow?

We’re tipping Kennedy to make as many as four changes to the side which beat Falkirk a week ago.

That means a return to the line-up for a few of their star men. The £15,000-per-week Leigh Griffiths was handed a rare opportunity to lead the line but Odsonne Edouard is back this week. He’s scored 20 times this term and is their undisputed MVP from a rough-and-tumble campaign.

James Forrest keeps his place on the right flank after scoring his first goal following injury but Ryan Christie is axed from the starting XI. That means Mo Elyounoussi comes back after his impressive display against Rangers before the international break.

The Norwegian scored a wonderful diving header in that clash and deserves another run of starts.

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David Turnbull moves slightly further forward to play behind the striker, while Callum McGregor replaces Tom Rogic in the line-up.

The only remaining change to note is a return for Greg Taylor. Diego Laxalt consequently drops out, with Taylor now having a number of weeks of full training under his belt after injury.

AND in other news, Celtic may sign their best striker since Larsson with move for “powerful” £45k-p/w ace…

Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts has told The Transfer Tavern that if Harry Kane is sold by the club this summer, it will happen in the final week of the transfer window.

Kane has been at the centre of the back pages in recent days following a report from Sky Sports claiming that he has asked to leave the club in the coming transfer window.

There is said to be interest from Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea, but any deal to extricate Kane from north London will surely be immensely expensive.

The striker still has to play the final game of the season, against Leicester City, a game in which Spurs could seal qualification for Europe.

He will then captain England in the European Championships, attempting to end the nation’s 55-year trophy drought.

As a result, Roberts believes that if he does leave the club, he will only move in the final days of the window.

Speaking to TT, he said: “But you know, he will give 100% for the football club. He’s got one more game. And then you’ve got the European Championships.

“So, you know, we’ll see what happens. If he is going to be sold, it won’t be until the last week of the transfer deadline.”

West Ham United are in for an exciting summer if reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

The ever-reliable ExWHUemployee dropped an update on the Irons’ transfer plans on a recent episode of ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast, where he suggested that the East London club could splash their budget on three key targets.

He said:

“[Sam] Johnstone, the West Brom keeper, and [Matheus] Pereira [are in the mix].

“I don’t think we’d sign [Jesse] Lingard and Pereira but if we don’t [sign Lingard], he’s definitely an alternative that we like.

“I think [Tammy] Abraham and Lingard would be the top two targets and possibly Johnstone the keeper, and we’d pretty much blow the budget on those three you’d think if all goes to plan.”

Last month, the Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser claimed that the Baggies goalkeeper would cost in the region of £10m, though they face competition from local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, whilst the Express believe their star playmaker will be an alternative target if they cannot secure the Manchester United loan sensation.

He could cost £30m, with Lingard expected to be valued at around the same price.

Abraham is one of many strikers that have been linked to the London Stadium and he could be the most expensive of all the four names mentioned, with reports suggesting that Chelsea will only sell him for £40m or more.

Get it done, Moyes

As the Hammers insider suggests, the plan for West Ham would be to sanction moves for all three of these names and that would represent a pretty outstanding summer of business.

It would merely build on their recent success in the transfer market, signing the likes of Said Benrhama, Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek, who have all quickly established themselves as first names on the team sheet.

This latest development should also have fans hugely excited ahead of next season as it shows that the board are actually going to back David Moyes this time around, and they’ll have to, with the side sensationally qualifying for the Europa League.

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All three of these targets would help the Irons compete across domestic and European competitions.

Between the sticks, Sam Johnstone has been one of the best in the division, even despite Albion’s relegation. “Sam Johnstone is one of the best goalies in the Premier League for sure, without any question of a doubt,” claimed Sam Allardyce to the Express & Star this week.

He would provide Lukasz Fabianski, who has been injured a few times this season, with plenty of solid competition.

Similarly, the need for a new striker is ever so obvious, with Moyes only having an injury-prone Michail Antonio at his disposal. The club’s hierarchy never replaced Sebastian Haller after he left in January.

Abraham is a good target as he still sat amongst the Blues’ top goalscorers despite often being snubbed by incoming boss Thomas Tuchel.

Then there is Lingard, who the Hammers faithful have come to adore since his arrival earlier this year. The 27-year-old attacking midfielder delivered nine goals and four assists in just 16 appearances to help push Moyes’ squad into their best top-flight finish since 1999.

Much of the fanbase are desperate to sign him permanently but if they were to clinch all three, then West Ham could well enter dreamland.

AND in other news, West Ham could find their next Carlton Cole in “exceptional” 6 foot 4 beast…

Mohamed Salah is not demanding £500,000 per week to extend his Liverpool’s contract, according to the Liverpool Echo.

The lowdown

The Mirror floated the figure, which is more than double his current salary of £200,000, over the weekend. Salah is into the final two years of his contract at Anfield, and while talks are ongoing, the two parties have yet to make a breakthrough.

Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson have all penned new deals in recent months (via The Athletic), but there’s said to be interest in Salah from European giants such as Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

The Egyptian international joined Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017 and has since gone on to score 127 goals in 206 appearances for the Reds.

The latest

The Liverpool Echo reported that Salah’s demands are ‘not in the region’ of the £26m per year which was ‘suggested over the weekend’.

The Anfield club are ‘continuing to press ahead’ in negotiations in the hope of addressing a ‘priority’ and putting any speculation over the Egyptian’s future to bed.

The verdict

Had Salah genuinely been demanding £500,000 per week, then there was a very real risk that talks would break down altogether. That kind of sum could shatter a club’s wage structure.

Still, you’d imagine he is in line for a substantial salary hike, with the Reds under pressure to tie down arguably their biggest asset for the remainder of his peak years.

Kylian Mbappe’s potential move to Real Madrid may have strengthened Salah’s hand further, as there’s a very real chance that PSG could start sniffing around as the 29-year-old edges closer to the end of his current deal.

In other news, another Liverpool player could join Firmino on the treatment table.