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It should become clear in the next week whether or not Leeds are willing to pay Nahitan Nandez’s release clause, according to a report from Italian newspaper La Nuova Sardegna (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

The 25-year-old midfielder made 34 appearances in all competitions for Cagliari last season, averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.5 clearances, 1.2 dribbles and one key pass per Serie A match (via WhoScored).

A couple of months ago, Italian football expert Mina Rzouki hailed Nandez as ‘one of the most underrated players’ in the league after a string of ‘amazing’ performances.

The midfielder was called up by Uruguay for the Copa America, but only made one appearance at the tournament prior to their quarter-final exit.

The latest

La Nuova Sardegna stated (via Sport Witness) that Leeds are an option for Nandez, but a ‘decisive’ period awaits ahead of his return to Italy for pre-season training. Cagliari, who finished 16th in Serie A last season, are waiting to see if they will need to recruit a new midfielder to replace him.

His release clause stands at €36m (£30.8m), which would break Leeds’ transfer record if they agree to meet it.

The verdict

Nandez appears to be an exceptionally well-rounded midfielder who could make a big impact at Leeds, but the price tag is a little prohibitive.

Marcelo Bielsa could do with more competition in the middle of the park, as demonstrated by the drop-off in Mateusz Klich’s form during the middle of last season, but does that really demand a record outlay?

Perhaps a club like Cagliari who only narrowly staved off relegation would be willing to negotiate if it still meant a major influx of cash, so maybe Leeds could try to negotiate a more cost-effective deal for Nandez if they are determined to sign him.

In other news, this Leeds ace has been earmarked for a lengthy Elland Road stay.

Leeds United look set to miss out on signing Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson, according to Mike McGrath of The Telegraph.

The Lowdown: Leeds links

The Whites were credited with a ‘serious interest’ in the USA international last week by journalist Tom Bogert, with Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta thought to be after both a defensive and attacking midfielder in the New Year.

Aaronson is an attacking midfielder who can also play on the wing and has made 52 appearances for Salzburg – 26 of which have come during the current campaign. [Transfermarkt]

However, it doesn’t appear as if the Whites will be able to sign him in January, even despite the American link – the San Francisco 49ers recently increased their stake at Elland Road to 37%.

The Latest: McGrath’s claim

Reliable reporter McGrath shared his transfer notebook on Tuesday, with an update on Aaronson included.

He suggested that Leeds ‘are set to miss out’ on the 21-year-old after Salzburg’s qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League, the first blow in the upcoming winter window as the Whites search for midfield reinforcements.

The Verdict: All eyes on Swift?

John Swift is another winter window target for Leeds, so they may well place more eggs in the Reading man’s basket following the latest update on Aaronson.

The Englishman has been on fire for The Royals in the second tier this season, contributing to 17 goals in 21 games, scoring eight and providing nine assists.

He’s also out of contract at the end of the season, so you’d expect a January transfer would be in Leeds’ price range, with Reading possibly cautious they could lose their star man for nothing in the summer.

On the other hand, Reading will know that midfielders are needed at Elland Road, so Leeds may even have to bite the bullet and pay slightly over the odds for Swift despite his contract situation.

In other news: Leeds ‘set’ to sign attacker in January who has the same agent as Forshaw – journalist. 

According to the Daily Mail, Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite is a transfer target for Manchester United. 

The lowdown: Star in the making

Flourishing as part of the set-up at Finch Farm since 2020, the 19-year-old has burst onto the scene in the last 12 months having made the switch from League Two side Carlisle United.

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Since arriving on Merseyside the teenager has represented England at Under-20 level and has made 11 first-team appearances for the Toffees.

However, the Blues could now face a battle to keep one of their most precocious talents.

The latest: Man United interested

As per the report from the Daily Mail, Manchester United are ‘keen’ on the talented centre-back and could look to make a move should Erik ten Hag be appointed as expected at Old Trafford.

It’s claimed that the Premier League giants are ‘monitoring’ the one-cap youth starlet who is under a fresh contract at Goodison Park until 2025 (Transfermarkt).

The report also states that Everton would be ‘reluctant’ to lose the powerful 6ft 5in ace who was described as being a ‘really skilful’ defender by former Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti.

The verdict: No deal

This is yet another case of the club needing to pull out all the stops in order to keep its brightest prospects.

Albeit Branthwaite is yet to earn a regular place in Frank Lampard’s side, the English teenager has certainly shown glimpses of an ability that has clearly caught the eye elsewhere in the Premier League.

So far this season, Branthwaite has made just six senior appearances, but was a star performer with the goal, two tackles and one interception (SofaScore), as a young Everton side held on for an unlikely 1-1 draw against Chelsea back in December.

In other news, Everton linked with Bundesliga midfielder. Find out more here!

While Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side endured a rather shaky start to their 2021/22 Scottish Premiership campaign, things have undoubtedly started to click under the leadership of the 56-year-old Hoops boss in recent months.

Indeed, a number of the Greek-Australian manager’s summer signings have hit a run of excellent form, with Kyogo Furuhashi having scored 13 goals and registered three assists over his 18 appearances for the club, Benfica loanee Jota having bagged six goals and six assists over his 14 fixtures in green and white and Liel Abada having netted seven goals and provided five assists over 22 appearances for the Hoops.

However, while the argument could be made that any one of these three players have been Celtic’s signing of the season, there is perhaps one summer addition who could be classified as something of an unsung hero at Parkhead – in the shape of Joe Hart.

Indeed, having arrived at Parkhead following two seasons in which the 34-year-old had played just 13 games of football, Hart has slotted into the role of Postecoglou’s number one seamlessly, with the former England international’s experience in the game bringing with it a sense of calmness and stability between the Celtic sticks that was desperately lacking last season.

This is an opinion that Chris Sutton clearly agrees with, as the former Bhoys centre-forward recently said of the shot-stopper: “I think he’s done really really well. What he had strongly in his favour was [Vasilis] Barkas and [Scott] Bain have just been so poor in the Celtic goal and it was a low bar. But he’s come in and it’s been a massive boost.

“I think that he’s brought a calmness and an authority at the back. You watched Celtic [last season], and with the greatest of respect to Barkas and Bain, every time they were in goal you thought Celtic are going to concede the goal. I don’t feel the same with Joe Hart and I think that’s an enormous deal. I think his experience has been important. I think he’s been an enormous signing and a massive plus for Celtic.”

Indeed, this is something that is reflected in the £1.8m-rated man’s statistics, as, over his 12 Scottish Premiership appearances, Hart has kept six clean sheets, won 85% of his duels and made an average of 1.8 saves per game – with these returns seeing the 34-year-old average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.91.

As such, while Kyogo, Jota and Abada may well steal the headlines for Celtic, the veteran goalkeeper has undoubtedly been just as important for the Bhoys this season, as the £15k-per-week shot-stopper has been the rock which Postecoglou is building his side upon.

In other news: Major boost: Ange drops key update on Celtic duo which should leave Bhoys fans buzzing

Having been one of the rising talents of Leeds United’s academy, it no doubt would have hurt the club’s fans to see Jack Clarke being prised away by Tottenham.

Reports back in the summer of 2019 claimed that Spurs paid a £10m fee to Leeds to sign Clarke, with further payments scheduled based on whether certain conditions are met.

Sadly for both the north Londoners and more so the player himself, things just haven’t quite panned out for him, with Transfermarkt now citing his value at less than half of that amount at just £4.5m.

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That’s a real indication of just how much of a step backwards his career has taken since Spurs signed him, with the now 21-year-old having made just four senior appearances for the Lilywhites.

Having been unable to break into the senior setup at Spurs, Clarke was shipped out on loan to QPR, who were keen to see him rediscover his potential and help him find his form.

The club’s director of football Les Ferdinand said: “You can see that Jack is quality as we played against him last year when he was at Leeds. He’s a young boy but he has undoubtable talent and I think once he goes back they’ll probably look at him through pre-season, see how he does and then make a judgement on whether it’s another loan or (Jose Mourinho) may see a benefit to the Tottenham team now and the way he wants to play.”

However, Clarke would play just seven times for QPR before returning to Spurs, and it’s safe to say that things haven’t kicked on from then.

Along with spell with the Hoops, Clarke also spent time out on loan at fellow Championship outfit Stoke, and in January he moved to League One side Sunderland.

While he has featured more regularly for the Wearside club – he has played 13 consecutive times in the third tier – he has scored just one goal and provided one assist.

It was no surprise that Sunderland boss Alex Neil admitted that the versatile midfielder’s end product has let him down in his short spell with the club thus far, saying: “He can take people on one-for-one, which is obviously a good strength to have, and he’s been a threat for us. He’s missed a few key chances, and I think that’s the next stage for him. He just needs to be that bit more clinical in front of goal.

“I think there’s been a few games recently – Lincoln, in particular, is one that sticks in the mind – where he had a golden opportunity, and they’re the moments we’ve got to capitalise on. But, in the main, I think his appetite for the work that he needs to do and his willingness to be a threat for us and take us up the pitch, he’s done well.”

For Clarke’s sake, a good end to the season would do him the world of good and help him to find his groove again, but in Leeds’ case, they played an absolute blinder by letting go of the £25k-a-week earner for an eight-figure fee three years ago.

AND in other news – Leeds could strike gold with £42m teenage sensation, he follows Raphinha on Instagram

Out of sorts, out of the team and still out of England reckoning. Dele Alli could be feeling a sense of deja vu at Tottenham Hotspur this season.

Had Jose Mourinho remained in charge in north London, then there was always going to be a chance that the 25-year-old had moved onto pastures new but after the Portuguese’s sacking, he was given a new lease of life under new manager Nuno Santo.

And after starting their opening six league games, it certainly looked as if the England midfielder was going to be an influential figure under the 47-year-old.

However, he was a half-time casualty during their embarrassing defeat to arch-rivals Arsenal in the north London derby several weeks ago and has not featured since.

In his absence, Spurs have won back-to-back matches, ending a run of three straight heavy defeats with him in the side.

The £27m-rated star was restricted to only 1,355 minutes across all competitions last season, in which just 617 were in the Premier League as Mourinho did not favour him whatsoever – hardly a surprise after dubbing him “lazy” in more colourful terms during training, as seen in their ‘All or Nothing’ docuseries.

Football Insider even reported in September that Spurs were considering selling him, with sources claiming that he is ‘difficult to manage behind the scenes’ and is an ‘inconsistent trainer.’

Alli was a player known for bringing goals and creativity from midfield and at just 25, he should be continuing to elevate his game heading into the peak years of his career.

Back in 2016/17, the 6 foot 2 dynamo provided 18 goals and seven assists in one Premier League season alone. By comparison, he has delivered only nine goals and five assists since the start of the 2019/20 season, as per WhoScored.

His old form earned serious comparisons to the likes of Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard but after clinching 37 caps, he has not been called up by Gareth Southgate in over two years – his last appearance coming in the UEFA Nations League third-placed playoff in June 2019.

Lilywhites legend Darren Anderton described Alli as a “freak of a talent” who is “a real joy to watch” after that lucrative goalscoring campaign, yet we’ve not seen such returns in a long, long time.

Nuno’s recent decision to axe him from his regular starting XI must be a major cause for concern for Alli, even more so as the side appear to be winning without him and Tanguy Ndombele’s recent form certainly makes his chances of breaking back in even more difficult.

Heading into the winter transfer window and beyond, the 25-year-old star may well be fighting for his future in N17.

AND in other news, Paratici could land Nuno’s next Neves in Spurs swoop for £18.9m-rated “special player”…

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge insists that Tottenham Hotspur were looking to sell Davinson Sanchez at the beginning of the summer.

Spurs have been attempting to restructure their playing squad this summer and have seen a number of players leave the club.

The club have sold Juan Foyth to Villarreal, Toby Alderweireld to Qatari side Al-Duhail SC, and Joe Hart to Celtic, while Erik Lamela moved to Sevilla in a part-exchange deal that has seen Bryan Gil join Spurs. Danny Rose and Paulo Gazzaniga have also left on free transfers.

Bridge now reports that Sanchez was seen as an expendable asset at the beginning of the summer but there may now be some reticence to move him on after the way he has begun the season.

Indeed, he played exceptionally well in the friendly against Arsenal, while he has also played in the first two Premier League games of the season, against Manchester City and Wolves, with Spurs keeping two consecutive clean sheets in a pair of 1-0 wins.

Bridge said: “Sanchez was probably the one they were going to look at to offload. However, he played very, very well against Arsenal, he was really good against City.

“I think the problem with Davinson Sanchez, though, is that we know he’s good but he has a real rocket in him.”

Tottenham have been handed a major boost in their bid to bring Dusan Vlahovic to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by The Express, The Athletic’s Italian football correspondent James Horncastle revealed that, despite being heavily linked with a move to Juventus, Fiorentina would much rather sell the centre-forward to a Premier League club, with Tottenham believed to be the most likely option for the 21-year-old, for whom La Viola are demanding around £70m.

Speaking about the interest in the Serbia international, the journalist said: “Juventus have been linked with Dusan Vlahovic, the Fiorentina striker, who is the top scorer at the moment with Ciro Immobile. But the kind of money that would take, I think that’s beyond them.

“[His contract is up at the] end of 2023 but Juventus, as we’ve seen, they have been able to do business with Fiorentina. In recent years, Federico Chiesa and Federico Bernardeschi for example. Fiorentina’s preference is always not to sell to Juventus because of the rivalry between them. Ultimately, if Vlahovic is to go, Fiorentina would prefer to sell to the Premier League.”

He’d revolutionise Spurs

Considering just how impressive Vlahovic has been in Italy so far this season, coupled with the fact that Harry Kane has scored just one Premier League goal over his 13 league appearances this term, Horncastle’s claim regarding the striker’s potential move will undoubtedly come as major boost to Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici.

Indeed, over his 16 Serie A appearances in the current campaign, the £45m-rated man has already scored a whopping 13 goals, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking 3.3 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player dubbed a “machine” average a rather astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.39, ranking him as the seventh-best performer in the Italian top flight.

As such, considering the fact that Tottenham have scored significantly fewer goals than the remainder of the top six in the league, the signing of the £26k-per-week centre-forward would undoubtedly help to revolutionise Spurs’ attack, as well as providing the club with a major boost to their chances of securing a top-four finish. We believe Levy simply must splash the cash on the 21-year-old in January.

In other news: Paratici heading for Spurs disaster on “colossal” £17m-rated gem who “100%” wants move

Many West Ham United fans were critical of the “non-existent” Said Benrahma during their Premier League clash with Burnley on Sunday afternoon. 

The Irons were looking to move three points clear of Manchester United in the race for the top four by following up their 3-2 victory over Chelsea with another win today.

David Moyes made two changes from the side which beat the title-chasing Blues, with two injured players dropping out. Ben Johnson gave way to Arthur Masuaku, scorer of the winning goal last weekend, and Kurt Zouma was replaced by Benrahma as Moyes moved away from a 3-4-2-1 and to a 4-2-3-1.

The Algerian had started every league game in 2021/22 before being benched against Chelsea after a four game run without a goal or assist (via Transfermarkt).

The numbers behind Benrahma’s struggles

Benrahma’s SofaScore rating of 6.3/10 was among the lowest in the West Ham ranks. He lost four of his seven duels, completed only one of his four dribbles and was also guilty of missing a ‘big chance’.

Indeed, Sky Sports’ live commentary on the match pointed out how he got into some fantastic positions in the final third against the Clarets but let himself down with some wayward finishing before being substituted for Nikola Vlasic in the 70th minute with the teams still tied at 0-0.

These West Ham fans rip into Benrahma

“Benrahma has been so poor yet again”

Credit: @TheHammers_

“Antonio and Benrahma are embarrassing themselves tonight”

Credit: @_danieluker

“Benrahma has been pants recently, doesn’t seem to want to beat anyone”

Credit: @danwestham1

“Benrahma makes me sick”

Credit: @poshboyh

“Benrahma loves to take an extra 16 touches before trying to play a pass”

Credit: @DanJames9121

“Benrahma been non-existent”

Credit: @Irons_Stuff

In other news, West Ham are willing to meet the asking price for this transfer target

An update has emerged on Leeds target Arnaut Danjuma, regarding Leeds’ interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Marca, via the Daily Star, Liverpool have joined Leeds in the race to sign Bournemouth forward Arnaut Danjuma this summer.

Leeds and West Ham were both touted with interest in the Dutchman earlier this window and could now be competing against the Reds for his signature.

Raphinha 2.0

Victor Orta must react to this news by swooping in to secure a deal for Danjuma as quickly as possible. With more clubs joining the race for his services, it could make it more difficult for Leeds to snap him up.

If the Whites can bring him in then it could be a terrific signing for the club. Marcelo Bielsa would love to coach him next season as he has shown incredible promise with his form in the Championship for Bournemouth. He provided 17 goals and seven assists in 31 starts for the Cherries, averaging an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.21 in the second tier.

Bielsa would be delighted to add another talented attacker to his squad as it would give him more options in the final third.

Last year, Clinton Morrison hailed him as an exceptional talent whilst speaking about him on Quest, via Football League World:

“Danjuma is an excellent player. Whatever happens, he will be playing Premier League football next year, whether it’s with Bournemouth or without them. He’s an exceptional talent.”

Bielsa already has Raphinha on the right-hand side of his attack, but he could have ‘Raphinha 2.0’ on the left by bringing Danjuma in. Whilst the Brazilian is a left-footed attacker who plays out on the right and likes to cut in, Danjuma is a right-footed player who starts on the left and can drift inside or go down to the byline.

Raphinha averaged 1.9 dribbles, 2.1 key passes and 2.2 shots per game last term, compared to the Bournemouth man’s 1.8 dribbles, 1.5 key passes and 2.1 shots per game. This, along with their positional awareness, suggests that they both have a similar style of play and, therefore, Danjuma could be Leeds’ next wing wizard if they are able to secure a deal for him ahead of the likes of Liverpool.

Bielsa would love having two dribble kings on the wings as it could strike fear into opposition defenders. Both Raphinha and Danjuma are capable of taking players on and either creating a chance for a teammate or a shooting opportunity for themselves, which could also excite the fans watching on from the stands.

Leeds need to push ahead and get a deal done.

AND in other news, Orta must complete Leeds United deal for “magical” £30m wizard, Bielsa would adore him…