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Leeds United could shock a few people this summer, according to transfer insider Dean Jones…

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT this week, the Eurosport journalist delivered an intriguing claim about Victor Orta and co’s potential plans to bolster Jesse Marsch’s playing squad.

He said:

“We’ll discover how ambitious Leeds will be.

“I think they’ll put in a few offers that are unexpected, just to test the water, but then I also think that we’ll see Jesse Marsch leaning on players that he’s either worked with in the past or knows a lot about from his career so far so that he can build a team that is adept to play his style of play.”

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Exciting claims

Indeed, these claims are surely going to leave the American head coach absolutely delighted as the club have already secured two familiar names in Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen, both joining from RB. Salzburg for a combined £35m.

The Yorkshire giants could make it a hat-trick by signing another player with ties to the Austrian champions as Liverpool backup Takumi Minamino has been linked with a switch to Elland Road, whilst Bayern Munich outcast Marc Roca is another name heavily mooted.

Both Aaronson and Kristensen add quality to two much-needed positions – attacking midfield, where Leeds had failed to sign a new option for four years and right-back, where an upgrade was due.

Minamino would add a new dimension to Marsch’s attack, something that could be needed if Raphinha does depart the club. The Japan international bagged nine goals in 22 appearances under the American at Salzburg.

Roca would be another piece for the engine room and could be a solid option alongside Kalvin Phillips, who too has been linked with an exit.

Given the fact that the Whites only narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship on the final day of the season, Marsch will surely be buoyed by the club backing him in the transfer window to ensure that it won’t happen again.

It could be an exciting time to be a Leeds fan if Jones’ claims turn out to be true.

AND in other news, Orta given green light to seal “special” £18m Leeds swoop, he’s Marsch’s dream signing…

Everton struggled this season following a tight relegation battle in the Premier League, and Frank Lampard must improve the squad if they want to do better next time around.

To that effect, a new Goodison Park transfer target has now been revealed.

What’s the latest?

According to 90min, the Toffees have joined the race to sign former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard, who is now a free agent.

As per the report, the attacking midfielder is a potential target for not just Everton – his former Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho could try to tempt him with a move to Roma, or he could rejoin his former loan club West Ham United this summer.

Imagine him & Gordon

Everton are desperate to add new attacking threats to enhance their goalscoring opportunities following a lack of goals last season, which ultimately led to the Toffees struggling in the bottom half of the table, and signing Lingard could be a great solution to that problem ahead of next season.

The Merseyside club conceded 23 goals more than they scored in the 2021/22 Premier League, with Richarlison leading the way with 11 in all competitions. However, they will need to find a few more reliable scoring outlets if they want to break back into the top half next term.

Lingard has never been a consistent starter at Old Trafford, but during his time at his boyhood club, he has scored 35 goals and delivered 21 assists in 232 first-team appearances, with one goal contribution every 224 minutes. However, he has proven elsewhere that regular game-time enables him to offer a consistent attacking threat.

The £80k-p/w star, who was dubbed “infectious” by Manchester United legend Andy Cole, enjoyed a successful six-month loan spell at West Ham last year. He displayed his talents effectively in east London, scoring nine goals and contributing five assists in just 16 appearances, proving that he could be a very astute signing for any Premier League club this summer.

Lampard is already a huge fan of the 29-year-old and spoke out about him in 2018 on BT Sport (via The Sport Review), saying: “What I like about him is his game intelligence. You never see him linger on the ball when he doesn’t need to. He has the right amount of touches and knows when to arrive in the box at the right time.”

With that in mind, the Toffees manager could tee up a formidable attacking duo if he can secure the signing of Lingard and deploy him in the team alongside Anthony Gordon, who chipped in with seven goal contributions this term. The pair couldlink up to create more goal-scoring opportunities in the final third, ideally leading to Everton enjoying a more fruitful 2022/23 season.

AND in other news – Worse than Klassen: Journo claims Everton are now tracking “really slow” 31 y/o dud

Out-of-favour Celtic centre-back Christopher Jullien will be sold by the club this summer, according to former Hoops striker Frank McAvennie.

The Lowdown: Jullien’s lack of playing time

The 29-year-old has been dogged by injury problems during his time at Parkhead, which has stunted his development hugely since arriving in 2019.

In fact, Jullien was limited to just one Scottish Cup appearance in the entire 2021/22 season, with Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers the first-choice centre-back pairing.

The Frenchman’s current deal at Celtic expires next year and it looks likely that he will leave this summer.

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The Latest: Summer exit predicted for Jullien

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said that he fully expects Jullien to move on from Glasgow this summer, claiming that Ange Postecoglou would be happy to sell the defender. The 62-year-old stated:

“It’s clear that Ange doesn’t like him [Jullien]. There were so many games to play last season and he never got a look in, that tells me he’s pretty much finished at Celtic.

“Carter-Vickers and Starfelt played every game. I think one of them needs a big, powerful defender to partner them at the back and you would think Jullien fits that mould.

“But he hasn’t played and it doesn’t sound like he’s injured again so Ange clearly doesn’t like him as a player. I expect he will leave this summer because Ange won’t keep anyone who isn’t contributing.”

The Verdict: Ideal time to leave

It is a shame how Jullien’s Celtic career has panned out overall – Neil Lennon once hailed him as ‘excellent’ – with the defender powerless to do anything about his constant injury issues over the years.

However, he is surely now surplus to requirements at Parkhead and it makes complete sense for him to leave this summer, giving the Hoops the chance to receive a fee for his services and him the chance to revive his career elsewhere.

If not, Jullien would be allowed to leave for free in 2023, which wouldn’t be beneficial for Celtic in the slightest. It therefore suits all parties to secure his exit imminently, if indeed a prospective suitor emerges.

In other news, a journalist has provided a key Celtic transfer update. Read more here.

Everton are set to have a busy summer transfer window following a disappointing season in the Premier League, and now a new transfer target has emerged that could be the first signing to improve the squad.

What’s the latest?

According to Spanish news outlet SPORT, Everton are eyeing a move for Barcelona outcast Clement Lenglet this summer.

As per the report, the La Liga defender was not keen on an exit but has now accepted he is not in the current future plans of the club and is looking for a loan deal with an option to buy.

It is reported that Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Arsenal join Everton in keeping an eye on the player’s situation but no official moves have been made by any of the Premier League clubs as of yet.

Lampard needs him

There is no doubt that improvements are needed at Goodison Park and when you consider their defensive record in the Premier League last season, it is clear that Frank Lampard needs to acquire a player like Lenglet.

Everton faced a challenging relegation battle this season and only secured safety in their penultimate fixture in the league, which is a situation the Toffees won’t want to repeat again, so improving the defensive line is a huge must for the club when they’re identifying players to improve the squad.

Lampard’s side conceded the fifth-highest number of goals in the Premier League, and Jamie Carragher even branded the defence a “Championship back four” following their humiliating defeat to Spurs.

Lenglet who was hailed “world-class” by Didier Deschamps has been struggling for minutes at Barcelona but when he has played he has been efficient in his role as centre-back.

The £97k-per-week star has contributed one assist, created two big chances, made one tackle, completed two duels and offered up a 91% pass accuracy on average per game in his 21 La Liga appearances this season.

With that being said, making signings to improve the defence should be a huge priority for Farhad Moshiri this summer and if they can secure a deal for Lenglet it would be a major coup for the club over their competitors.

AND in other news: Everton can finally axe “waste of space” by signing £50m ace who is “Kante with goals”

Southampton are set to secure the signing of goalkeeper Mateusz Lis, according to Polish outlet Sport. 

The lowdown: Career so far

Despite coming through the academy at Lech Poznan, Lis failed to make a single outing for the club before heading to Wisla Krakow on a permanent switch in 2018.

The 25-year-old shot-stopper made 70 appearances for the Ekstraklasa outfit and was signed by Turkish Super Lig side Altay Sk for £630,000 (Transfermarkt).

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However, following just one full season in Turkey, the former Poland youth international looks to be on the move once more having come to the end of his deal…

The latest: Deal close

As per Sport, Southampton are believed to be ‘interested’ in the free agent and are set to sign Lis on a five-year contract as Ralph Hasenhuttl performs much-needed surgery on the goalkeeping department at St Mary’s.

It’s claimed that the six-cap youth international – who has been billed as a player with ‘long term potential’ by journalist Alex Crook – will spend the 2022/23 campaign out on loan upon completion of his move to the South Coast.

The same report also details the ongoing Saints interest in Fiorentina star Bartlomiej Dragowski, who is also on the radar of Hasenhuttl as the Austrian prepares for the departure of Fraser Forster and Willy Caballero.

The verdict: Smart signing

Securing the capture of Lis would be a welcome addition to the Southampton squad, although it appears there will be a season-long wait to see the new man in action.

Last season, the Polish goalkeeper made 3.7 saves per game, kept seven clean sheets and only made one error leading to a goal whilst earning an impressive 7.01 average Sofascore rating from 35 Turkish top-flight outings.

When using the Fbref comparison tool, Lis stacks up positively against Forster, boasting a 74.1 save percentage compared to the Englishman’s 66.3 per cent from the 2021/22 campaign, whilst also saving 2/9 penalties faced compared to 0/2 during the season, highlighting an almost instant upgrade on the current first-choice.

In other news… a talkSPORT reporter has made this huge Saints transfer claim involving one of their summer targets

Leeds United won’t be expecting much investment from the 49ers Enterprises if they go down, according to journalist Beren Cross…

What’s the word?

In a recent Q&A with supporters, the reliable LeedsLive reporter was asked about the situation at boardroom level, with one fan questioning whether or not their minority shareholders would hold back spending.

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He responded:

“Without knowing the small print of their agreement with [chairman Andrea] Radrizzani, my assumption would be they are far more cautious about putting any more money into a Championship club than they need to.

“They may well surprise us all in the summer with bold statements about investment and immediate promotion, but a relegation was evidently never a part of their plan when they came on board in 2018.”

No easy return

It took the Yorkshire giants 16 years to return to the big time, so if they were to be relegated this weekend, then there will surely be big worries around Elland Road.

Heading into the final game of the season on Sunday, the Whites are sat in the relegation zone on goal difference – by quite some margin too (20 goals). They simply have to better Burnley’s result against an in-form Newcastle United side to remain in the Premier League.

Given the fact that Leeds have picked up just two points from a possible 15, it is entirely plausible that they will be a Championship side once again and that division is not getting any easier either.

Very few teams have managed an instant comeback. It took over a decade-and-a-half to return themselves, and without that financial backing from the American heavyweights, that task could be even more difficult.

As such, supporters will surely be hugely concerned to read this latest claim from Cross, who effectively says that the 49ers group will not put in more than they have to.

If Leeds were challenging in the top half of the table, you’d imagine their backing could elevate the club into European reckoning but that’s nothing more than a pipe dream right now.

AND in other news, Jesse Marsch dealt fresh blow in relegation fight…

Frank Lampard has reportedly now personally requested to sign Bright Osayi-Samuel for Everton.

The Lowdown: Solid season

The 24-year-old is having a solid season at Fenerbahce, where he has scored two goals and supplied a further five assists playing as a right-back at times, and he has generally been a mainstay in a team who have played in the Europa League and Conference League (Transfermarkt).

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In the Turkish Super Lig, he ranks as their sixth-best performer, averaging more dribbles per game (2.3) than any of his team-mates (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, he could well be an exciting arrival at Goodison Park in the summer.

The Latest: Lampard requests

As per En Son Haber, Lampard has now made a personal request to add Osayi-Samuel to Everton’s transfer list for the summer.

The 24-year-old currently holds a market value of €6m (£5.1m), and the Toffees will ‘knock on Fenerbahce’s door’ after the campaign has ended.

The Verdict: Bargain

Signing a player for just £5.1m in today’s market holds real value, and the Blues could be getting a bargain on their hands if they were to snap up Osayi-Samuel for that amount.

Described as a player with ‘blistering pace’ and who ‘terrifies defenders’ by his former QPR manager Mark Warburton (Kilburn Times), he could offer Everton another dimension in attack and possibly give defenders in the Premier League a few problems.

Also, at only 24 years of age, he could be an ideal replacement for the 33-year-old Seamus Coleman at right-back.

In other news, find out who EFC are now fighting Liverpool to sign here!

Ex-BBC pundit Noel Whelan has claimed that Steven Gerrard has ‘hit the jackpot’ by creating the strike partnership of Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins at Aston Villa.

The Lowdown: Formidable duo

The 41-year-old boss named the attacking duo in his starting line-up for his side’s recent comfortable 3-1 victory over relegation-battling Burnley, and his decision to play the 4-4-2 diamond formation clearly paid off, with both of the forwards getting their name on the scoresheet.

According to a report from a Football Insider transfer source back in April, the Villans are thought to be preparing a brand new bumper deal for Watkins, amid receiving interest for the player from Premier League rivals Arsenal, whilst Ings is believed to be catching the eye of Brighton as they search for a new centre-forward this summer.

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The Latest: Gerrard has hit the jackpot

Reacting to the news of Watkins’ potential new deal, Whelan has urged Gerrard to keep hold of his men and persist with this new-found successful formation. He told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury: “Ings and Watkins are not bad Premier League strikers.

“They seem to thrive from playing with one another, and both are pretty well-rounded forwards. They can do almost everything in that final third.

“I think right now that a diamond system is a brilliant option for Steven Gerrard. He’s hit the jackpot.

“They don’t lose any creativity by having two centre forwards. They can both drop in and play in between the lines if they have to.

“The goals at the weekend just prove that they can be a really potent strike force when they are given the opportunity to play together.”

The Verdict: The perfect formula

Ings first arrived at Villa Park from Southampton last summer and has enjoyed a decent albeit slightly underwhelming first season in the Midlands, providing seven goal contributions in as many appearances in an excellent recent run of form.

Watkins joined a year before his teammate from Brentford for what was a club-record fee of £28m, and so far this campaign, the pair have netted a combined total of 17 top-flight goals between them.

If the pair of poachers continue their impressive returns between now and the end of the term, there is a definite chance that Gerrard’s boys could be set for a top ten finish before aiming even higher from next season.

In other news… The Daily Mail have reported that one Villa star wants to leave the club this summer.

Manchester City are expected to announce the signing of Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland by Friday, according to The Athletic’s ever-reliable transfer guru David Ornstein.

The Lowdown: City win the race

The 21-year-old first joined the Bundesliga outfit in a £17m move from Red Bull Salzburg back in 2020, where he has since gone on to make 88 appearances for the club during that time.

The forward still has two years remaining on his current contract with the German side, but in recent months, has been attracting plenty of interest from several clubs across Europe, with the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United being linked with a potential move for Haaland in the summer.

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Despite this though, it appears that the Sky Blues are the team to have won the race for the Norwegian’s signature, after reports have claimed that City are prepared to active his £63m release clause, with the striker agreeing a deal to make the switch to the Etihad ahead of the start of next season.

The Latest: Haaland move ‘a done deal’

The reliable Ornstein has basically confirmed this development by taking to Twitter on Monday to share the huge news:

“Erling Haaland to Man City a done deal + confirmation expected this week, according to sources in Germany. Personal terms complete & Dortmund anticipate City informing them in coming days of intention to activate release clause.”

The Verdict: Perfect Aguero replacement

If the Premier League giants do manage to pull off the Haaland signing, it would be absolutely huge for Pep Guardiola, especially considering that the highly sought-after attacker already has previous connections to the club, with his dad Alf-Inge having a two-year spell with City many moons ago.

The £135m-rated talisman has been in prolific form in the final third this term, having scored 28 goals and registered eight assists in just 29 outings across all competitions for Dortmund, as per Transfermarkt.

After missing out on Tottenham captain Harry Kane last summer, it’s about time that the hierarchy invested in a new centre-forward having not yet signed a replacement since the departure of Sergio Aguero, and it looks like Haaland could be about to follow in his father’s footsteps by making the move to the top-flight.

In other news… Guardiola has delivered a huge injury update on a first-team trio.

Newcastle United are currently enjoying a solid start to the new season with five draws and one win from their opening seven league games, with manager Eddie Howe having impressively stabilised the club following his appointment last year.

After the turbulence and doom and gloom that surrounded his predecessor Steve Bruce’s stint in charge, the former Bournemouth boss – as well as a change of ownership – has renewed belief among both the club and its supporters, with the Magpies no longer merely looking over their shoulder.

For all the plaudits that the 44-year-old has been receiving of late – having been praised for the “top-class job” he has done by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola – there is still a long way to go before the newly-ambitious Tynesiders can truly begin to threaten at the top half of the table.

Despite having only recently signed Alexander Isak for a club-record fee to help bolster their attack, the northeast side still appear somewhat light on attacking options, with far too much responsibility still on the shoulders of the mercurial, Allan Saint-Maximin, who led the way last term for the club with ten goal contributions in all competitions.

The Frenchman had enjoyed a fine start to the season prior to his recent injury absence, with one goal and two assists from his opening four league games, with his average match rating thus far of 7.53, as per Sofascore, the highest among the Newcastle squad, as well as the eighth-best record in the Premier League.

The former Nice man offers a real potent threat down the left flank as a result of his devastating speed and sheer unrivalled trickery, with his innate quality in possession seeing him rank in the top 1% among those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues for dribbles completed.

The £36m-rated ace could well benefit from having another figure to also chip in creatively, however, with Miguel Almiron seemingly not a natural fit on the right flank, with a potential icon from the past in Hatem Ben Arfa one man that may well have been a possible solution in his prime.

Although it may appear something of a creative overload to have two maverick talents in the side in the form of the former France international and his compatriot Saint-Maximin, the latter man’s importance to Howe’s side would seemingly illustrate that the Magpies boss would also allow Ben Arfa to flourish.

The now-veteran playmaker had originally been signed by the St James’ Park outfit on an initial loan deal back in August 2010, with manager Chris Hughton bringing him to England from Ligue 1 side Marseille.

While the “majestic” fleet-footed star – as dubbed by journalist Liam Canning – was not able to remain consistent during his time at the club, for a brief time he was simply a true genius, notably registering 11 goal contributions in just 26 league games during the 2011/12 season.

The former Lyon man – who had been snapped up permanently by Alan Pardew in January 2011 – notably netted a stunning solo goal in a win over Bolton Wanderers in April 2012, picking the ball up from inside his own half before expertly weaving his way through the opposition.

With the club already having a figure such as Saint-Maximin who can produce such moments of quality, it would pure, joyful attacking carnage to also see Ben Arfa terrorising defences with his sheer brilliance, with it a mouthwatering thought as to having both men lining up on either wing.

Of course, the latter man’s time at the club ultimately ended in frustration as he struggled for form and fitness, before departing in 2015, although supporters would likely jump at the chance to have a peak version of the now-35-year-old back at Newcastle.