Leeds United would be making a massive statement by signing Weston McKennie in the coming days amid their battle against the drop.

What’s the latest?

Leeds now look on course to secure the signing after Fabrizio Romano officially gave it a ‘here we go’.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Pete O’Rourke has hailed the potential signing of the 24-year-old midfielder as a massive statement from the Yorkshire club:

“It would be a big signing for Leeds. There’s been a number of top clubs linked with McKennie over the years as well and I think he’s shown at Juventus and also for the USA at the World Cup that is a top performer.

“So I think it’d be a huge boost and a huge statement signing if Leeds can get a deal done for McKennie.”

Statement of intent

It has been a difficult start to the campaign for the Whites who are currently sat just one point above Bournemouth in the relegation zone.

However, Victor Orta has not messed about this month having brought in two new faces already with Maximilian Wober and Georginio Rutter.

And having already spent £35m, the addition of someone like McKennie would be a big statement from the club when their relegation rivals such as Everton have barely made a splash in the market.

In McKennie, Leeds could potentially be adding a 24-year-old who already has 24 in the Champions League.

So putting a player of that ilk into a side who are battling the drop would surely provide Leeds with a boost in the second half of the campaign as they look to pull away from the drop zone.

After all, this is a player who was not so long ago linked with a potential move to north London with Tottenham Hotspur believed to have monitored his situation.

Not only would adding a player like McKennie hopefully see Leeds rise above the relegation scrap, but there will be the hope these additions over January will help Leeds get back to their ninth-placed finish of the 2020/21 campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte is expected to return to London ahead of their upcoming fixture in the Premier League against Leicester City.

What’s the latest?

The Italian was not on the sidelines during the impressive win on the weekend against Manchester City as he remained at his Italian home recovering from his recent illness.

Indeed, the 53-year-old was advised to take it easy and stay at home for the game on Sunday after undergoing surgery which saw his gallbladder removed last week.

But speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Alasdair Gold has admitted it was a close call as to whether Conte would have been able to return for the game on Sunday.

And with this in mind, Gold believes the Italian will return at some stage this week for the game on Saturday against the Foxes but he may choose to avoid the pre-game press conference at Hotspur Way:

(24:00) “We don’t know when he’ll return from Italy now. You’d think he’ll be back for the Leicester game. You would think that [given] it was a close enough call, I think for yesterday’s [Sunday’s] game, I think it was on a Saturday night quite late, the decision was made that he wasn’t going to come.

“So you’d think that that would put in place for him to be back for the Leicester game. I don’t know whether we’ll get him for the press conference on Thursday.”

Set to return

It has certainly been a difficult season for the Italian off the field having lost a number of close friends – including Tottenham’s Gian Piero Ventrone.

And now he has been hit by illness himself which has seen him forced out of action at Hotspur Way and resting back in his home in Italy.

However, the Lilywhites more than faired without the 53-year-old on the sideline over the weekend after Cristian Stellini guided them to an impressive victory over Manchester City.

But his absence may have been a big factor in the decision not to give the club’s deadline day signing, Pedro Porro, his debut against his former side.

Since making the move to north London, the Spanish right wing-back has not taken part in a training session led by Conte after his illness was announced the day after Porro signed.

So it may have been decided the safer option was to play Emerson Royal until Conte can have his first look at Porro with plenty of games coming up in the next few weeks for Spurs.

Although Stellini and the other coaching staff have clearly done an excellent job leading up to the game against City, it will likely be a huge boost to have Conte back at Hotspur Way.

The victory on the weekend has narrowed the gap to the top four and they have a massive Champions League trip to face AC Milan to consider next week so his experience could prove vital over the coming days.

Aston Villa could look to make a move for Athletic Bilbao attacker Nico Williams during the summer transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Williams linked with Villa move

The January transfer window is now closed and one player who the Villans missed out on signing was Williams, having been linked with a move during the hectic winter window.

The Spaniard has ended up remaining at the San Mamés Stadium for the rest of the season, committing his future to the La Liga side for the time being.

But while the Villa transfer ship has hailed for the time being, it still looks as though there could be life in the saga yet.

The Latest: Summer transfer could happen

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Romano claimed that Williams could still become a Villa player this summer, at which point he could decide to leave Bilbao:

“The expectation of those close to Nico Williams is for the player to leave, possibly in the summer. So at the moment, the situation is still complicated.”

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The Verdict: Good summer option

While it would have been nice to see Villa snap up the Williams in January, they are decently stocked in the wide areas and shouldn’t suffer too much from not signing a young player who is really more of one for the future.

Williams sits in the bottom third of attacking midfielders/wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for every single attack-based metric on FBRef’s database, so is far from a finished product.

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The 20-year-old would instead be a shrewd summer addition, having matured even more as a player by that point, as he looks to add to his three La Liga goals and assists apiece this season.

Williams has been hailed as an ‘incredible’ talent by his brother and teammate Inaki, and he could be an exciting part of the long-term rebuild at Villa Park, but given his inexperience would surely not have become an immediate sure-fire starter had he joined last month.

Liverpool remain in a strong position to seal the signing of Borussia Dortmund superstar Jude Bellingham this summer, according to journalist Christian Falk.

The Lowdown: Bellingham the primary target

It has been fairly clear for a while now that the Reds see the 19-year-old as arguably their biggest summer transfer target, as they look to seal a potentially game-changing new midfielder.

Bellingham looks likely to leave Dortmund at the end of the season and Liverpool have been endlessly linked with snapping him up, in what is sure to be a hotly contested race for his signature.

The Reds’ current struggles may not be helping their efforts, especially if they miss out on the top four, but a new update certainly offers plenty of encouragement regarding their pursuit of him.

The Latest: Falk drops update

Speaking to Caught Offside, Falk claimed that Liverpool are still very much in the picture for Bellingham, although he is keeping his options open:

“The Premier League remains the first target for Jude Bellingham. I’ve always said Liverpool would be his preferred target but, of course, everyone knows that they’re not doing too well at the moment.

“It’s also a hope for Dortmund still that, if Liverpool aren’t playing in Europe, there’s the possibility of extending Bellingham’s stay by a year. Dortmund has a good chance of winning the Bundesliga, it’s very close. So there could be a chance that Bellingham waits for Liverpool.

“He seems very clear in his plans. I heard that, before Enzo Fernandez’s move to London, Bellingham was looking at what was going on at Chelsea. Chelsea were interested but Bellingham saw there wasn’t a clear plan at the club, so there wasn’t a massive amount of interest in going there.

“Newcastle were interested, that’s for sure, but they’re not in the range of clubs Bellingham’s seriously considering joining in the summer, despite their good form this term.

“If he’s going to leave Dortmund, it will be for a top club, so he’s still keeping an eye on circumstances at Liverpool.”

The Verdict: Still feels likely

In truth, Liverpool would feel in a far stronger position with Bellingham if they were looking nailed-on for a top-four finish, but instead, Champions League football now looks highly unlikely next season.

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That could clearly be something that puts the 22-time capped England international off moving to Anfield, but Falk’s update suggests that that may not be an issue.

Liverpool simply have to do all they can to sign Bellingham, with the teenager a genuinely special talent who has already racked up 116 appearances for Dortmund, not to mention scoring four goals in this season’s Champions League, showing his class on the biggest stage.

He won’t solve the Reds’ current midfield woes on his own – two or three signings are possibly needed in that area this summer – but he is a player with the potential to be one of the best in the world for the next decade, being called a ‘superstar’ by Roy Keane.

Pundit and former Premier League footballer Robbie Mustoe believes that Liverpool’s uncertainty off the pitch may see Jurgen Klopp walk away and take a break from football.

The Lowdown: Takeover talk continues

Since the back end of last year, Liverpool have been up for sale, although it remains to be seen whether FSG will sanction a complete sale of the club or just look for partial investment from elsewhere.

That uncertainty will be doing nobody any favours either on or off the pitch, which may well be impacting Liverpool’s performances this season, as some may not know where their futures will lie in the near future.

It had been claimed previously that American groups may well be interested in investing in Liverpool, although that may not be welcomed given the fractious relationship between Liverpool fans and their current American owners in light of the European Super League fiasco.

The Latest: Klopp’s future uncertain

If FSG fail to get a takeover secured soon, the idea of spending big money in the summer arguably becomes rather farcical, as they would essentially be throwing money away for new owners to enjoy the potential benefits of. This lack of cohesion behind the scenes may be what leads to Klopp to consider what his own future looks like in the short term, as Mustoe highlighted on The 2 Robbies podcast.

He said: “He needs three or four players. So for that level, that’s a lot of money. I don’t think that Fenway Sports Group would have the appetite to spend £200m to rebuild the team when they’re trying to sell it.

“And if that’s the case, if Jurgen Klopp gets a sense that’s going to happen, would he continue to struggle on with Liverpool and try to make better of what they’ve already got, maybe bring in one or two players?

“Or,  as has happened before, he’s wanted a break from the game, I think it’s his eighth season now with Liverpool, seven years at Dortmund, seven years at Mainz – the same kind of time period.

“Could he say, ‘listen, if you’re not going to go [in terms of transfers] again, I’m not going to go again’?

The Verdict: FSG must continue to back Klopp

Despite the ongoing murmurings around Liverpool’s potential takeover and how FSG are looking to sell the club, they must still act like responsible owners, or they could lose one of their top assets in Klopp.

If Klopp heads into the summer window and – once again – isn’t handed at least one new central midfielder, he may well think the owners are having a laugh and not taking him seriously anymore – and decide it’s time to leave.

The value of Liverpool and the likelihood of significant investment would surely drop by a decent amount if Klopp was to leave, as he would surely be part of the attraction to would-be investors. The German is one of the best managers around given how he’s competed with Manchester City for several years and also brought about domestic and European success at Anfield.

A claim has emerged on Arsenal and their attempts to bolster their squad before the deadline for the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Fabrizio Romano revealed this morning that Arsenal were not actively working on a deal for Ibrahima Bamba but as deadline day rumbles on, a claim contrary to those original reports has been provided by journalist Chris Wheatley.

He reacted to a cryptic Instagram post from Ibrahima Bamba, which read “He who laughs best laughs last. Life is made up of choices.”, by Tweeting:

“Chelsea and Arsenal among the clubs who have shown interest in the Vitória de Guimarães midfielder.”

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Portuguese side value the central midfielder at a fee of £26.5m and it remains to be seen whether or not the Gunners are willing to match that.

Quick reaction

Arsenal have confirmed, on deadline day, that Egypt international Mohamed Elneny has suffered a knee injury and is set for a significant spell on the sidelines heading into the second half of the campaign.

Edu could now react to this latest injury blow by acting on his interest in Bamba and securing a deal ahead of their Premier League rivals Chelsea before the end of play today.

The Vitoria midfielder has been in fine form in Portugal this season and his statistics in the Portuguese top-flight suggest that he could be a good long-term prospect for the Gunners, whilst also replacing Elneny in the short-term.

He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.99 and made 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game in 17 appearances in the division, whilst winning an eye-catching 70% of his individual duels.

The gem, who was once dubbed one of Vitoria’s “intriguing” pieces by writer Zach Lowe, has showcased his defensive quality and ability to dominate opposition players on the deck in spite of his young age and this indicates that the youngster could be a powerful addition to Mikel Arteta’s team.

Elneny has won 67% of his ground duels in the Premier League this term, after winning 60% of his battles in 2021/22, and this suggests that Bamba, who is also an accomplished passer with a success rate of 85% this season, could be an ideal replacement for the Egyptian.

The 20-year-old could replace Elneny’s calm passing and dominant defensive play on the deck, whilst also offering a long-term future at The Emirates as he is a youngster with the scope to develop in the years to come.

Manchester City are ‘starting talks’ with Borussia Dortmund about signing midfielder Jude Bellingham, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

The Lowdown: Man City eyeing Bellingham

City are said to be one of several clubs interested in signing the 19-year-old this summer, with the Premier League champions also facing competition for his signature from the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid.

It has previously been reported that the Sky Blues would need to fork out £100m up front if they want to win the race for the England international, and they are now said to be in the initial stages of negotiations.

The Latest: Man City ‘starting talks’ over Bellingham

Galetti spoke to GIVEMESPORT about the progress that the Sky Blues have made in their pursuit of the Dortmund youngster.

The journalist stated: “We have to pay attention to Manchester City, who are in the race. They are starting talks with Borussia to go deeper into the situation of Bellingham. Everything is still to be decided and at the moment we are only just at the beginning of the race for Bellingham.”

The Verdict: Get it done

Hailed as ‘sensational’ by Gary Lineker during the World Cup, the England midfielder has hit the ground running upon his return to club action, weighing in with a goal and three assists in his last four games.

One of the teenager’s most impressive attributes is his dribbling, completing 1.75 successful take-ons per 90 over the past year, which ranks him in the 97th percentile compared to other midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues.

Chelsea spent £323m in the January transfer window and since Todd Boehly’s ownership takeover in May 2022 have spent £553.95m in total which has prompted concern about their Financial Fair Play obligations.

It is reported that the Blues could find themselves in hot water as early as next season due to their frivolous spending, especially if they don’t qualify for the Champions League next season.

Graham Potter’s side are currently ninth in the Premier League table and ten points adrift of a Champions League qualifying spot inside the top four due to a string of poor performances that has seen them struggle to compete at the highest level.

Indeed, there is no doubt that the new additions should make a valuable impact on the club with the likes of World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez joining the ambitious project at Stamford Bridge, however, despite the excessive spending and signing of high-quality players, the club are yet to address one of their most obvious issues.

Chelsea have struggled to find a striker who can be a consistent and reliable threat in front of goal with Romelu Lukaku shipped off on a season-long loan to Inter Milan after re-signing in 2021, whilst three-goal outcast, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, has failed to hit the ground running since arriving at the club in the summer and Armando Broja is out with a long term injury.

As a result, Potter could save Boehly a massive financial fair paly headache and millions of pounds by unleashing a rising star from the famous Cobham academy with young centre-forward Mason Burstow making a name for himself already.

The 19-year-old earned a nomination for Premier League 2’s Player of the Month this week after an impressive run of form – scoring three goals and registering two assists over the first calendar month.

Since arriving from Charlton Athletic in January 2022, Burstow has established himself as a regular in the U21s with 20 appearances, seven goals and four assists so far and has already been rewarded with a first-team opportunity when he came on against Aston Villa in a friendly.

Judging by a lack of goals from Chelsea’s centre-forwards this term then the “remarkable” Burstow – as dubbed by Liam Twomey – certainly deserves more opportunities to shine judging by his ruthless record to date.

Should the 6 foot 2 ace get that chance, then he would well prove himself as the rightful Lukaku heir in the seasons to club, thus potentially saving Boehly and co millions when considering their options and targets in the summer.

With that being said, the future is looking bright for Burstow at Chelsea and with a deep concern mounting on the club’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League next season, Potter has nothing to lose in giving the young talent an opportunity to shine in the first team. After all, he is already a goal-scorer in the Football League at his tender age.

Southampton managerial front-runner Jesse Marsch is desperate to prove himself in the Premier League, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Marsch close?

In the wake of Nathan Jones’ dismissal, The Athletic claimed that Marsch was under consideration for the manager’s job, given that he has recently lost his job at fellow Premier League side Leeds United.

The Southampton board look to have taken that initial interest one step further, with The Telegraph reporting that the former Leeds boss has already been interviewed and The Athletic even saying a deal is practically done on Tuesday morning.

The Latest: Jones reacts

In an interview with GiveMeSport, Jones claims that the 49-year-old has been a subject of interest from the Saints for a substantial period of time, also revealing the manager ‘fits’ what the club wants and has a ‘passion’ to test his mettle in England.

“We know Jesse Marsch has long been admired. He fits the criteria that they look for in a manager and they’ve considered him before.

“I think Jesse Marsch still, more than ever, has a passion to show that he can succeed in European football and particularly in the Premier League.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

The American was lauded as ‘brilliant’ by the media at the back end of the 2021/22 campaign, and although he may have been sacked from his last job, there are indications that he would still be a good appointment for Southampton.

Given that the former Red Bull Salzburg boss has so recently managed in the Premier League, he will possess a good knowledge of the opponents that the Saints are set to come up against, and a deal may not be difficult to orchestrate, as he is said to have remained in England.

While things did not work out on a long-term basis for Marsch in west Yorkshire, he did manage to keep Leeds in the top flight last season, so he has the experience and know-how required in a relegation dogfight.

Whoever Southampton choose to bring in, they should look to complete the deal as soon as possible, with a tough fixture away at Chelsea to contend with next weekend, which could leave them cut adrift if they suffer another defeat.

BBC pundit Chris Sutton has laughed off the idea that Mauricio Pochettino could make a return to Southampton as manager this season.What’s the latest on Pochettino to Saints?After losing to ten-man Wolves in front of their own fans despite taking the lead and having an extra man for most of the game after Mario Lemina was sent off, Nathan Jones was unsurprisingly sacked at the weekend.He leaves Southampton stuck down at the very bottom of the Premier League and in need of a top manager coming in and saving them from the drop.Pochettino certainly is an interesting prospect seeing as he spent time in charge of the south coast club before and is currently a free agent.However, while talking on BBC 606, Sutton claimed that this sort of appointment had no chance of happening any time soon.He explained: “I’ve seen Pochettino linked. That’s never going to happen in a million years.”What does the news on Pochettino mean for Southampton?Pochettino was in charge of Southampton for 60 games, helping them finish 14th and then eighth during his time on the south coast.Seeing as he went on to impress elsewhere in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur, having them push for the title, before then winning Ligue 1 with PSG, it’s not hard to see why fans might be excited about the 50-year-old returning.However, it does feel unlikely that he would be keen on swapping Champions League clubs for a side that might be dropping into the Championship next season.Seeing as Pochettino has already rejected fellow managerless strugglers Leeds United, he may have already made his position clear. Still, having been without a job all season, perhaps the Argentine will feel sentimental enough to make a shock return to Southampton.In all honesty, though, that does seem a little fanciful.