Having scored just 13 times in their opening 11 Premier League games, it is little wonder to see Manchester United being linked with a whole host of players to address their issues in front of goal.
The club have been strongly touted with potential moves for strikers like Mario Mandzukic and Callum Wilson, although it appears a new number ten could also be in order too. Reports in the summer suggested the Red Devils were keen on making a late move for Tottenham star Christian Eriksen, but ended their interest after believing he was intent on securing a switch to Real Madrid.
Now, Spanish publication El Desmarque (via The Daily Mirror) claim the club are readying a £42m bid for the Denmark international, with Eriksen having grown tired of Madrid’s lack of progress over signing him.
After hearing reports linking them with a big-money swoop for the Spurs man in January, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the matter.
Many supporters of the Manchester side insisted it would be a “waste of money”, particularly given Eriksen’s contract expires at the end of the season.
Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:
Rangers are said to have held talks with a "brilliant" £3m player over a move to Ibrox, according to a new update.
Pressure on Rangers after derby defeat
The Gers had an exciting summer window overall, signing many players to make Philippe Clement's squad stronger, with the likes of Jefte, Connor Barron, Mohamed Diomande and Robin Propper all coming in, as well as a number of other new faces.
While there was plenty of positivity going into the new Scottish Premiership season, Rangers have suffered a reality check of late, not least when they faced Celtic on Sunday afternoon. Clement's men were soundly beaten 3-0 away to their biggest rivals, once again highlighting the gap in quality between the two sides.
The loss means that the Gers are already five points behind the Hoops after only four matches, which is a big concern, and significant improvements will need to be made after the international break as the new signings continue to adjust to playing alongside one another.
It looks as though Rangers' transfer business is done for this year – some countries' transfer windows are still open, so a low profile exit or two can't be completely ruled out – but a new update has now dropped regarding a potential move for one player before on day last week.
Rangers held talks to sign "brilliant" ace
According to a new report from HITC, Rangers held talks with Hearts over the signing of star man Lawrence Shankland last Friday, but their asking price proved to be too high. The Gers were willing to pay £3m for the 29-year-old's services, but his current club demanded more than that, wanting to get as much as possible for their most prized asset.
He will be out of contract in just nine months' time, perhaps why the Gers opted to walk away and save their bank balance, considering they may be able to lure him to Ibrox for free at that point.
Lawrence Shankland on international duty with Scotland.
While Clement has missed out on Shankland for the time being, there should still be hope that Rangers can get their man in the relatively near future. Assuming he fails to sign an extension at Tynecastle, his boyhood connection to Ibrox will put them front of the queue.
The Scotland international could be a fantastic signing, even though he would be turning 30 by that point, with Neil McCann heaping praise on him: "Superlatives are becoming harder to come by when talking about Lawrence.
"His goal last week was his 30th for the season including his Scotland goal but it wasn't the cleanest strike, tonight was just a typically brilliant goal from Lawrence Shankland. It shows you what type of striker he is, he's so instinctive, he scores right, left, headers, instinctive goal-scorers’ goals, brilliant goals – there's so much to speak about that is good about Lawrence Shankland."
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The fact that Shankland is a boyhood club Rangers supporter can only be an added bonus in the Gers' quest to snap him up, and he could be such a potent addition to the attack after topping the Scottish Premiership scoring charts with 24 goals last season – six more than anyone else.
Following a disappointing start to their Premier League return and a dispute behind the scenes, Russell Martin is now reportedly under increasing pressure at Southampton.
Southampton's poor start
It was always going to be a tough start for Southampton back in the Premier League or for any club, for that matter, such is the quality in England's top flight. But their most recent 3-1 defeat against Brentford once again exposed the damning problems that Martin must fix during the international break.
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As impressive as Thomas Frank's side are, Southampton should see Brentford as a realistic chance to gain at least a point. Instead, however, they were eased aside in alarming fashion, before Martin expressed his disappointment.
The Southampton boss said via BBC Sport: "We're very disappointed with the result and the goals we conceded. I feel like we're hurting ourselves a little bit. We had the best chance in the first half with Adam Armstrong.
"It's about taking a breath in that moment, that's my job to get rid of the tension. I don't think there was much in it between the two teams. We have to stop making mistakes that hurt us."
Referencing his side's play style when claiming that they're "hurting" themselves so far this season, Martin could be left regretting the way that he has set the Saints up.
According to Wayne Veysey of Football Insider, Martin's style of play may now lead to his sacking. Some higher ups at Southampton reportedly want the manager to take a more pragmatic approach to earn results rather than run the risk of playing good football at the detriment of points. Martin, however, is seemingly standing firm when it comes to his system.
As a result of both his side's poor start and that dispute, Southampton have reportedly given Martin until the end of the month to turn things around before he is potentially shown the exit door.
Why Southampton should trust Martin
In the short-term, Southampton will undoubtedly have to suffer; players will have to learn the hard way under Martin, both on and off the ball. The best of the best in Pep Guardiola made John Stones learn the hard way at the beginning of his Manchester City career and the England star is now one of the best ball-playing defenders in world football.
Of course, those at St Mary's may not have the next Stones on their hands and Martin is unlikely to follow in the footsteps of Guardiola, but he is heading in the right direction on the style front and abandoning what got him this far helps no one.
The Saints must think of the long-term plan. By adopting a more pragmatic approach now with an alternative option at the chance – not guarantee – of avoiding relegation, Southampton would just be pulling the break on the inevitable. However, by remaining patient with Martin, he could help the club follow a similar path to Frank and Brentford by becoming an established Premier League side once again.
It's going to be a big four weeks at St Mary's, either way, and one which could yet see Martin win the unwanted race to be sacked in the Premier League.
After a slow start to the season saw two draws picked up against Portsmouth and West Bromwich Albion, alongside a humbling 3-0 defeat in the EFL Cup to Middlesbrough, Leeds United finally got their 24/25 campaign underway with a 2-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday last time out.
The Championship promotion hopefuls will pray there are no more major missteps ahead, as they aim to finish near the top of the division, and secure a return to the Premier League after last season's agonising near miss.
Largie Ramazani and Manor Solomon are likely to be at Daniel Farke's disposal for upcoming second tier games, as Ramazani sat out the victory at Hillsborough and Solomon is soon to be announced, with a growing possibility that another attacker could also enter the building alongside the new duo before the close of the month.
Leeds working on signing Georginio Rutter replacement
As per an exclusive report from Football Insider, Leeds are eyeing up the services of Queens Park Rangers gem Ilias Chair, as they go about further strengthening their attacking positions.
With Solomon and Ramazani adequately bolstering the second tier side down the wings, the number ten spot is now a position of priority to add numbers to, considering Georginio Rutter's departure is yet to be addressed with any new faces in through the door.
QPR forward Ilias Chair.
That's where Chair could potentially come to the rescue, with Football Insider revealing that the West Yorkshire side are set to test QPR's resolve surrounding their Moroccan gem, with his contract now into its final year at Loftus Road.
Chair could fill the hole left behind by the Frenchman packing his bags for Brighton and Hove Albion, as he is known in Hoops quarters to be a tricky menace on the ball for Championship defences to contain, much like Rutter used to be for the Whites.
What Chair can offer Leeds
Leeds fans will be all too aware of Chair's ability to conjure up a moment of magic from nothing, having scored this sublime solo strike last season against Farke's downtrodden troops, on the way to a miserable 4-0 defeat being inflicted on the promotion chasers.
Away from that sickening sucker punch, however, Chair could soon be scoring sumptuous goals like this on a regular basis for Leeds if he is snapped up soon, with the Hoops number ten bagging 34 strikes across 217 second tier games to date in West London, alongside registering 34 assists.
Stat – per 90 mins*
Chair
Games played
44
Goals scored
7
Assists
8
Shots*
2.6
Big chances missed
2
Big chances created
11
Ball recoveries*
5.4
Total duels won*
4.0
Stats by Sofascore
As can be seen, looking at the table above, the QPR star was a lively attacker for many a Championship defence to contain last campaign, with seven goals and eight assists managed from 44 games.
Creating 11 big chances across the full season too, with Rutter creating double that remarkably, the "terrific" attacking midfielder – as he has been described by his boss Marti Cifuentes – could come into his own even more playing for a team fighting for promotion up near the top of the division, as opposed to ensuring they remain afloat in the league.
Chair could end up striking up a terrifying partnership with Manor Solomon in attack, therefore, who will be excited at the potential prospect of linking up with the EFL wizard.
Solomon needs a confidence-boosting season to come at Elland Road after having injury issues dominate his playing days of late, and might well find that he's even more devastating going forward dropping down a division with Chair next to him, having picked up four goals and two assists from only 24 games in Premier League action when fit and firing.
Bagging his own sensational screamer against Leeds in the FA Cup last year, both could make Leeds an even more stunning team to watch in attack, and would make Rutter moving on firmly a thing of the past.
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Leeds United remain in the hunt for this midfield gem.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is "pushing as he never did before" to sign Declan Rice and a deal is "close now".
What's the latest on Declan Rice to Arsenal?
Late last night, Fabrizio Romano took to Twitter to claim that Edu and Arteta are doing an "incredible job" in the battle for Rice, with the manager making a "huge effort" to sign the West Ham midfielder, who he envisages as being one of the faces of the club's long-term project.
Now, it appears as though the Spaniard's persistence has finally paid off, with Man City dropping out of the race for the England international, as they are unwilling to match the new offer that has been made by the Gunners.
Edu returned to the negotiating table last night with a bid of £100m, plus £5m in add-ons, and work has now commenced on agreeing the structure of the deal. Rice's camp reportedly believe the most recent offer is fair for all parties, having now asked West Ham to accept the proposal, paving the way for a move to the Emirates Stadium in the near future, with personal terms already being agreed for quite some time.
Is Rice joining Arsenal or Manchester City?
After a nervy few days, with Man City making their interest in the central midfielder well-known, Arsenal now appear to have won the race for his signature, news that is sure to be very exciting for the fans.
According to Jacob Steinberg, a deal is "close now", as he took to Twitter this afternoon: "Agreement between West Ham and Arsenal close now and could be done today. Rice has wanted Arsenal all along and is going to get his move."
Arteta will be relieved the transfer saga is finally approaching its conclusion, and he is set to bolster his midfield with a top-quality player, who has a range of different qualities.
The West Ham captain averaged 2.1 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game in the Premier League last season, the highest number of any player in the squad, and he has also started to impress on the front foot.
Hailed as a "very good finisher" by teammate Tomas Soucek, Rice registered five goals and four assists for West Ham last season, and Arteta will now be hoping he can continue his development in an Arsenal shirt.
An overwhelming plethora of tasks remains at hand for the incoming Mauricio Pochettino as he begins his Chelsea rebuild.
However, one of the biggest issues that the Argentine must immediately address is to find a new goalkeeper.
Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel, and Graham Potter have all dealt with a recurring issue between the sticks, as neither Edouard Mendy nor Kepa Arrizabalaga evolved into a long-term, reliable first choice.
The former is on the verge of a move to Saudi Arabia and starting the Spaniard throughout the campaign would be a risky and uncalculated decision.
Therefore, the Blues have been considering making a move for Diogo Costa.
What’s the latest on Diogo Costa to Chelsea?
According to Rudy Galetti, the 2021 Champions League winners, alongside Manchester United and Bayern Munich, are interested in the Porto man, who has a release clause of €75m (£65m).
The West Londoners appear to be at a crossroads in their search for a new shot-stopper as one target in Andre Onana is being tracked by the Red Devils, while Mike Maignan doesn’t want to join Chelsea after the club missed out on Europe and David Raya is seemingly set for a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Therefore, it seems that Costa has emerged as the most attainable option for Pochettino.
Why do Chelsea want Diogo Costa?
The 14-cap international has been at Porto since 2011 and has risen through the youth ranks and made his senior debut for the club in August 2017.
As a child, he idolised Vitor Baia and at the start of the 2020/21 campaign, he inherited the number 99 jersey, made famous by his hero and Porto legend.
But it was the 2021/22 term that the 23-year-old become the club’s first-team goalkeeper, and was part of 16-game unbeaten league run, in which he kept eight clean sheets and was named as the league’s Goalkeeper of the Month for four consecutive months from December to March 2022.
Porto would eventually win the domestic double and the Portuguese was named in the Primera Liga Team of the Year.
Diogo Costa
More recently, he played every minute of his country’s World Cup campaign in December 2022 and became the youngest Portuguese goalkeeper to play in a major international tournament.
Statistically, the 6 foot 2 titan ranks within the top 5% outside of Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for clean sheet percentage and goals against per 90, as he's proving to be ready for the next step in his career.
Also sitting in the top 25% for crosses stopped, it's clear that Costa's shot-stopping ability and his commanding nature could be game-changing for the Blues as they look to finally put their goalkeeping woes to one side.
Described as “world-class” by compatriot Diogo Dalot, Chelsea should accelerate their attempts to sign the goalkeeper, who could excel even further under Pochettino.
Arsenal seem to be closing in on their top target for the summer, with reports referencing a deal close to completion…
What's the latest on Declan Rice to Arsenal?
That's according to Football Insider, who claims that Edu has agreed terms with West Ham United's captain Declan Rice.
The Gunners are set to make an initial bid of around £92m, with £8m worth of add-ons to take the deal into a nine-figure sum.
The 24-year-old has also agreed personal terms, seemingly rendering this deal all but done. Having won the Europa Conference League with the Hammers, their chairman David Sullivan admitted that his exit was an almost certainty. This latest report seeks to confirm that.
Would Declan Rice improve Gabriel Jesus?
Whilst the acquisition of someone who was originally a defensive midfielder might have little impact on a striker on the surface, what Rice has accomplished this season alongside his growth has made him much more than someone to simply protect the back four.
His 7.19 average Sofascore rating for the term, whilst largely buoyed by defensive figures, is also married to the nine goal contributions he recorded in all competitions. This was partnered with an 88% pass accuracy, one key pass, 2.1 tackles and 1.7 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
What is set to make the England international so important in bolstering Jesus' numbers is a mix of all those statistics just mentioned, as not only will he provide the defensive foundation for the Brazilian to occupy better goalscoring areas, but this added creativity from midfield could prove crucial.
In what has been an injury-hit debut year in north London, the former Manchester City finisher still notched 11 goals with seven assists. However, his main role ended up being the spearhead of Mikel Arteta's pressing system, rather than the goalscoring monster he likely dreams of being.
By signing Rice, who boasts incredible football intelligence as well as technical proficiency, he could perhaps occupy spaces that the ageing Granit Xhaka could not, offering further fluidity and athleticism to allow his would-be 26-year-old teammate to apply more of a focus on finding the back of the net.
gabriel-jesus-arsenal
After all, he was not lauded as a "world-class" asset by manager Danny Cowley for nothing. His efforts in dictating the play could see the Gunners exert even more control over games than they have done, surely resulting in more chances for the forward.
Rice has starred in a struggling Irons team, and the step-up will likely not phase someone so confident and talented.
Arteta and Edu will hope that he can be the final piece to complete their side, arguably improving everyone around him.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was in agreement with the club not to overpay for Manuel Ugarte amid the competition from Paris Saint-Germain.
How much are PSG paying Ugarte?
The Blues endured a hugely underwhelming 2022/23 campaign which saw them finish in a disappointing 12th spot of the Premier League table.
But it is apparent Todd Boehly will not allow that to happen again with the American owner already putting plans in place to bring change ahead of next season.
Indeed, Pochettino has already been appointed as the new Chelsea manager and they have been involved in a transfer saga this early in the summer.
However, this was not a transfer saga which ended in Chelsea's favour after they bowed out of the race to sign the Uruguay midfielder, Ugarte, following the competition from the Ligue 1 champions.
Although the west London side had submitted a significant bid for the 22-year-old, they were forced to move away from the negotiations after PSG trumped their financial proposal to the player.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has provided an insight to the discussions behind the scenes at Staford Bridge amid their negotiations with the Sporting CP midfielder.
It is apparent the Blues were keen to strengthen their midfield with the addition of Ugarte, however, Pochettino was not in favour of overpaying for the 22-year-old with PSG offering a reported £2.6m more in annual salary:
"I wanted to tell you something behind the scenes about the situation that Chelsea had regarding Manuel Ugarte."
"I can tell you that Mauricio Pochettino was always involved in the conversation with the Chelsea board. Of course, Pochettino will be into the market this summer together with the board, and also Pochettino when Chelsea told him: 'We are not going to make another bid [for the] player because the idea is not to match Paris Saint-Germain's salary proposal for Ugarte'.
"Also the position of Mauricio Pochettino was like: 'Okay, Ugarte is a great player, but we don't want to enter into any crazy proposal to players, especially'."
Will Chelsea sign Moises Caicedo?
Now the Blues are expected to see N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic depart the club over the coming days, midfield reinforcement will be on the mind for Pochettino.
And with that in mind, it is believed the west London side are eyeing a potential move for the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo.
However, the Blues are not believed to be the only London side keen to potentially bring Caicedo to the capital with Arsenal all credited with interest.
Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo.
But this is a deal which will not come on the cheap with the 21-year-old having signed a new deal on the south coast following the January transfer window.
As a result, it is suggested the Seagulls will be looking for a fee in the region of £80m – all in – for their midfielder.
The Ecuadorian is believed to be earning in the region of £60k-per-week at Brighton, so if he is to make a big-money move to Stamford Bridge it would be expected his wages will increase significantly like his former teammate, Alexis Mac Allister.
Manchester United are now "monitoring" Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka for a potential summer transfer swoop, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.
Who are Man United signing?
Bringing in a new central midfielder appears to be one of Erik ten Hag's main priorities in the upcoming window, with Mason Mount emerging as a key target, and it has now been reported an offer of around £50m is in the works.
Not only are Man United interested in Mount, but they could target the 24-year-old's Chelsea teammate, Mateo Kovacic, with it being reported they have made a move to try and beat Manchester City to the Croatian's signature this summer.
The Red Devils have also registered their interest in signing West Ham United captain Declan Rice, however Arsenal remain in pole position for the 24-year-old, meaning they may have to turn their attentions towards other targets.
One such player is Goretzka, with Plettenberg recently taking to Twitter to claim that United are "monitoring" the Bayern midfielder, whose future at the Allianz Arena is uncertain, amid the German club's interest in signing Rice.
However, there has not yet been any concrete talks with the German, who "definitely" wants to stay at Bayern this summer, with club executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge also keen to keep him.
Will Man United sign Leon Goretzka?
At the moment, it appears unlikely that Man United will be able to sign the 28-year-old, given that he is committed to Bayern Munich, however if his situation changes in the future, then there is evidence he could be a quality addition to the squad.
Former Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann has hailed the £300k-per-week maestro, previously stating: "Leon is one of the best box-to-box players in Europe. He has incredible goal threat and knows when to bomb forward."
leon-goretzka-liverpool-transfer-premier-league
The Germany international is also capable of playing in a defensive role, as he did on numerous occasions last season, and he ranks highly on some key defensive metrics over the past year, including blocks per 90, averaging 2.04 per game.
That figure places the central midfielder in the 97th percentile compared to his positional peers, while he is also in the 95th percentile for assists, highlighting his ability on the front foot, so it is clear that he is a very well-rounded player.
As such, if Goretzka's situation changes at some point this summer, then Man United should definitely pursue a move.
An update has emerged on Burnley and their plans to improve their attacking options following their promotion to the Premier League…
What's the latest on Jack Clarke to Burnley?
According to Football League World, Sunderland are expected to cash in on Clarets target Jack Clarke ahead of next season amid growing competition for his signature.
The report claims that Vincent Kompany is eyeing a swoop for the attacker alongside Rangers, Crystal Palace, and Everton, among others.
It is stated that Burnley hold the strongest interest in the former Leeds United academy graduate, who joined the Black Cats from Tottenham Hotspur in a deal that could rise to £10m last summer.
How did Jack Clarke perform this season?
The English forward caught the eye with his performances in the Championship for Tony Mowbray's side and could form an exciting partnership with current Clarets star Josh Brownhill.
Clarke averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00 across 45 matches in the second tier and chipped in with nine goals from out wide and only missed five 'big chances'. He plundered those strikes from 6.92 xG and proved himself to be a reliable finisher in front of goal.
Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill.
Brownhill, meanwhile, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.27 across 41 league games and scored seven times. The former Preston North End ace outscored his xG by 0.85 and this suggests that, like his compatriot, the maestro is not wasteful with his shooting.
These statistics show that both players are effective at the top end of the pitch and could both carry a significant goal threat in the Premier League next season if they are provided with enough chances.
The Sunderland magician, whose dribbling ability was hailed as "effortless" by ex-Leeds ace Noel Whelan, also showcased his wizardry by racking up 12 assists from 11.10 xA in the division – four more assists than any Burnley player managed.
Brownhill was also a source of creativity for his side as the Englishman assisted eight goals and created 10.94 xA for his teammates, which suggests that the ace was let down by his fellow attackers as they did not make the most of the chances he was providing them with.
Kompany could now add another forward who is capable of finishing and creating opportunities in the final third by securing a swoop for Clarke.
The Black Cats whiz could form a dream partnership with Brownhill as they have both proven themselves capable of outperforming their xG and being able to consistently create openings for others from midfield and wide positions, which makes them huge threats for the opposition to deal with.