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Rangers may be under new management now but the Ibrox side have shown no let-up in their bid to take home another league title with Giovanni van Bronckhorst at the Gers helm in Glasgow.

It will be interesting to see how he negotiates the upcoming transfer window, however, as he aims to make his new surroundings feel more like his team, rather than Steven Gerrard’s.

What’s the word?

It could be an incredibly testing winter market for van Bronckhorst who is staring down the barrel of a mass exodus if the club’s former manager has any say.

It’s already thought that Aston Villa, Gerrard’s new employers, want to sign the likes of Ryan Kent and Borna Barisic.

However, there is another budding player in the form of Leon King who could move south of the border.

According to the Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece, a switch to Villa Park is very much on the cards. He reported: “Aston Villa are considering a move for Rangers youngster Leon King – who they could get for just over £200k. The Ibrox side are in talks with their talented 17-year-old over a new contract.”

Howler on the cards?

King may only be a teenager but the fact of the matter is that losing him this winter would be a pretty hefty blow to their ambitions in the future.

After all, the last thing van Bronckhorst wants in the early days of his stewardship is to see young and hungry players walk out the exit door for a bargain price.

The young centre-back has already earned his debut for the Gers first-team, is capped at international youth level by Scotland, making a huge impression at Ibrox.

Commenting earlier this year, Gerrard said of the defender: “Leon has been superb in training. The biggest compliment I can pay him for his age and where he is at is he hasn’t looked out of place in training, so that wasn’t a sentimental substitution tonight – he has earned it by training really well among his peers at first-team level.”

With that in mind, it’s evident that King is blessed with plenty of potential and watching him depart would reek of the scenario that played out with Billy Gilmour.

Once of the Ibrox academy, Rangers lost the talented central midfielder to England as he eventually joined Chelsea.

Gilmour has since thrived, staking his claim for a Scotland place and now earning minutes under Dean Smith in the Premier League on loan at Norwich.

It’s not just that situation that can draw parallels between the two, however, as King is equally as comfortable on the ball as the ex-Rangers starlet.

Although he plays deeper on the field, the ability to drive forward while in possession is something that makes Gilmour’s style of play so striking and popular amongst supporters.

So, although the teenager could be taking his leave in the not too distant future, supporters should still get excited about him if they can pen him down to new terms. Whether King departs or stays, he could be van Bronckhorst’s very own Gilmour.

AND in other news, Forget Roofe: £5.4m-rated Rangers gem with 70% duels won ran the show vs Hibernian…

Liverpool are interested in making a move for highly-rated Leeds United winger Raphinha this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari the Brazilian has two release clauses in his contract. He will be allowed to leave for £63m but that will be reduced to £21m if Leeds were to be relegated.

Liverpool are interested in the player but face competition from both Barcelona and Manchester United.

Perfect replacement for Salah

With Mohamed Salah considering his future at Anfield, signing Raphinha could be the perfect way for Jurgen Klopp to replace one of Liverpool’s star players.

The 25-year old has been key for Leeds this season and is their top goalscorer with nine goals and three assists. He joined the club in 2020 moving from Stade Rennais for £16.7m, so if he is sold, then Leeds will be making a healthy profit.

However, Salah’s shoes would be big to fill.

The Egyptian’s record is outstanding, scoring 153 goals in 240 appearances, and this season he is looking to pick up his third Premier League golden boot.

Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema along with Salah are the only players to score 20 or more as well as assisting ten or more goals in Europe’s top five leagues this season.

But reports have emerged that he desires a £500k-per-week contract which is more than double some of his teammates. And with Liverpool reluctant to change their wage structure he may not sign a new contract.

He will also turn 30 this summer and many including Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler say that if Salah does want to leave then the Reds should ‘cash in’.

Selling him could fetch a fee of around £90m, his Transfermarkt rating, which means there would be some money left over to spend after buying Raphinia.

When it comes to comparing their form this season, whilst it’s hard to match Salah’s goal tally, there are other areas where the Leeds man comes out on top.

On average he makes 2.1 key passes per game which betters Salah’s 1.9 whilst also making more dribbles per game on average than the Egyptian.

Last year he was described as a “wizard” after excelling for both club and country with The Athletics’ Patrick Boyland calling him “magic”, he certainly looks like a pretty perfect Salah heir.

IN other news: Liverpool plot bid to sign £22.5m-rated ace who “has everything”, he’s their next Mane…

The January transfer window is just days away from being over and Rangers have completed three signings so far this month.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has brought in James Sands and Amad Diallo on loan from New York City FC and Manchester United respectively, whilst John Souttar has been signed on a pre-contract agreement and will officially arrive in the summer.

It remains to be seen whether or not they will make further additions to the squad before Monday’s deadline, but one player with whom they have been linked this month is Peterborough forward Siriki Dembele.

Reignition

Rangers must now reignite their interest in the attacker, who could come in and be a replacement for underperforming winger Scott Wright.

The ex-Aberdeen man has so far failed to make his mark at Ibrox, and his latest performance for the club was extremely worrying. He started on the right wing in the 1-0 win over Livingston in midweek and delivered a frustrating display, as he completed 0% of his attempted dribbles and just 25% of his crosses and lost possession of the ball 13 times in 76 minutes, as per SofaScore.

Wright has two goals and zero assists in 14 Premiership outings this season, and the arrival of Dembele could allow Van Bronckhorst to axe him from the team.

Dembele has five goals and two assists in 24 games for a struggling Peterborough side in the Championship, having managed 11 goals and 14 assists in League One the previous campaign. He is a constant threat to opposition defenders with his ability to score and create goals, and he could be an exciting option for Van Bronckhorst to call upon.

This suggests that he could be a far better player than Wright, as he is able to regularly deliver quality in the final third, instead of failing to make a sizeable impact for the team.

He could also get the fans excited, with Peterborough chief Barry Fry previously lauding his ability on the ball. The 76-year-old told Football FanCast: “Siriki can get the ball in his own half and with dazzling dribbling ability, he can beat four or five players and score a wonder goal or cross it for somebody else to score.

“He’s very, very exciting. He’s got the best stats outside the [English] Premier League, I think. We’ll try to keep hold of him if we go up, and we’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse! So watch this space.”

The 25-year-old is out of contract in the summer and Rangers could either snap him up on a pre-contract ahead of next season or look to secure a cut-price deal to bring him in immediately. Either way, Van Bronckhorst could land a big upgrade on Wright by sanctioning this move, and he must reignite his interest in the Peterborough winger in the coming days.

AND in other news, “Monitoring”: Journalist delivers key Rangers transfer update which Van Bronckhorst will love…

Club-record signing Daniel James delivered his worst performance in a Leeds United shirt as the Yorkshire giants were beaten by a struggling Newcastle United side at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.

Having cost a whopping £30m from Manchester United in the summer, the Wales international – who had long been a target of manager Marcelo Bielsa, having gone close to signing him for a third of the price in January 2019 – has struggled to make his mark at Elland Road.

And Saturday’s disaster was another reminder that he’s just not been good enough.

Jonjo Shelvey fired in a 20-yard freekick to seal a 1-0 victory for the Magpies after Javier Manquillo was brought down on the edge of the box in the 75th minute.

Perhaps goalkeeper Illan Meslier could have done better with it seeing as it flew in on his side of the goal but by no means was he at fault for their overall display.

Toothless in the final third yet again, Leeds have been pulled back into the relegation mire and now sit just seven points above the bottom three, with a couple of sides below them holding games in hand.

Bielsa was once again without his star striker Patrick Bamford, leaving James to play upfront on his own.

In 71 minutes of action, the 5 foot 7 dynamo registered only 15 touches of the ball, comfortably the fewest of any starter on the pitch for either side. For further context, Meslier managed 39 touches, whilst visiting striker Chris Wood had 50 touches, as per SofaScore.

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It shows how the former United man was more involved in the game than James, despite playing the same role.

With those few touches, the Welshman managed only four accurate passes from nine attempts (44%), which would have done last weekend’s hat-trick hero Jack Harrison, top goalscorer Raphinha and others no favours whatsoever in the attack.

Whilst he also won just one of his six duels (16.6%), lost possession with nearly 50% of his touches (seven times) and to make matters worse, he fluffed two big chances – so despite barely being involved, he could’ve been the man to win it for Leeds.

LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross graded the £16.2m-rated star amongst the worst performers in his post-match ratings column and highlighted how ineffective he was at leading the line for Bielsa.

Indeed, in the past, James has been lambasted as “headless” with his decision making in the final third, so it’s a really baffling decision to see him trusted as a centre-forward, especially over someone like Rodrigo, who has bundles of experience playing that very role over in Spain.

Not only did he badly fail Bielsa on Saturday afternoon but also the Yorkshire outfit as a whole. Once again, the £52k-per-week-earning 24-year-old was a sheer disappointment and he ought to have no place in the starting XI going forward.

AND in other news, Leeds suffer transfer blow over “playmaker” who “Bielsa really wants”, he’ll be livid…

Fulham youngster Fabio Carvalho could still join Liverpool in the summer transfer window, with the midfielder desperate to work alongside Jurgen Klopp.

The Lowdown: Liverpool miss out on January move for Carvalho

The 19-year-old looked set to move to the Reds in the dying hours of deadline day but the transfer failed to be completed in time. That was due to the Football League not having deal sheets for a loan-back agreement to be sorted, causing frustration at the 11th hour.

However, it appears as though all hope is not lost regarding the possibility of Carvalho heading to Anfield.

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The Latest: Pearce makes positive Carvalho claim

According to journalist James Pearce on Twitter, a summer move is still on the cards, with the player himself very eager to work with Klopp.

The journalist tweeted: “Not the end of the world. Wouldn’t have arrived at #LFC until the summer anyway. Still a good chance he moves to #LFC in July. Player very keen on the chance to work with Klopp.”

Pearce subsequently added: “The two clubs could agree that the fee they belatedly agreed today will now be the compensation this summer when Carvalho is out of contract. That would mean a tribunal isn’t required. Either way the player wants to join LFC.”

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The Verdict: Snap him up, Reds

While it may initially have seemed a killer blow when the deal collapsed on Monday night, there does seem to be a genuine chance that Carvalho still becomes a Liverpool player, which is a huge positive.

The teenager looks like a player of immense potential, not only scoring seven goals in 15 Championship starts for Fulham this season but also registering three assists.

Carvalho has been compared to both Philippe Coutinho and Jude Bellingham in terms of his playing style, which speaks volumes about the impact he could make at Liverpool if the Reds can grant him his wish of working under Klopp.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have reacted to a positive Reds update. Read more here.

Aston Villa could make a move for Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico during the January transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano. 

Interested clubs may have the ‘opportunity’ to land the 29-year-old this month as ‘he could leave Ajax’. Villa have approached the player’s camp but have yet to open talks with the Amsterdam club, and Steven Gerrard’s side could face competition for the Argentine’s signature.

His name has been ‘discussed internally’ at Chelsea after Ben Chilwell suffered a potentially season-ending injury. Newcastle United could also be in the frame, with the Magpies set to make a call on their left-back situation ‘soon’.

Nicolas Tagliafico to Villa?

Tagliafico, who is valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt and has 18 months left on his contract, would compete with Matt Targett for the left-back berth at Villa Park.

He has been capped 36 times by his country and was part of the Ajax team which reached the semi-finals of the 2018/19 Champions League, only to fall dramatically to Tottenham Hotspur at that stage. He has also drawn comparisons with legendary compatriot Javier Zanetti, an indicator of his vast quality.

Fan feed Villa Report relayed Romano’s claim, and here’s how some fans reacted.

These Villa fans buzzing over Tagliafico link

“Yesss please”

Credit: @stefan__19

“omg”

Credit: @catrinavfc

“Agent @emimartinez strikes again”

Credit: @GW_94

“OMG, IMAGINE IF WE GET HIM”

Credit: @avfck8

“Yum”

Credit: @billazor

“Game changer”

Credit: @elrondgoesup

In other news, lots of Villa fans have reacted to this news on a potential departure

Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch will be working with Victor Orta in the hope of enjoying a successful first transfer window at Elland Road this summer.

The former RB Leipzig boss has not yet had the opportunity to bring in his own players since arriving to replace Marcelo Bielsa in February and will now be plotting possible moves ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Leeds Live recently published an article stating that bringing in a central midfielder will be the club’s main priority as they look to bolster their options in that area of the pitch, with Manchester United’s James Garner and Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara named as potential options.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

Long-lasting issue

The Whites have not signed a player on a permanent basis in that position in more than four years, with Adam Forshaw being the last one to come through the door, way back in January 2018.

This shows that the club have neglected that part of the squad in recent years. Mateusz Klich and Forshaw have averaged underwhelming SofaScore ratings of 6.69 and 6.73 respectively this term and have been unable to consistently deliver in the top-flight in the middle of the park.

Therefore, it is now time for Orta to solve that long-lasting issue by snapping up Garner from the Red Devils on a permanent deal.

The 21-year-old has been picking up acclaim throughout the season for his impressive form on loan at Nottingham Forest. He has been dubbed “different class” by teammate Jack Colback, while former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson showered him with praise, saying: “Garner has been exceptional at Forest. He is an example of why players get sent out on loan.

“He can play at the top level and I think he has proven that at Forest. I don’t think he’s one that will go straight into the Man United side but I think there is a first-team role there for him and he will feature next season.”

In the Championship, Garner has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.23 across 34 appearances. He has chipped in with four goals and five assists from midfield, whilst making 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game as he has caught the eye in a box-to-box role.

This suggests that the 21-year-old has the potential to make the step up to the Premier League as he has been outstanding in the second tier, and he has the scope to develop even further at his young age.

He has time left ahead of him to improve and grow as a player to produce consistent performances in the top flight, in the same way that he has been able to do in the Championship, which is why Leeds simply must sign him this summer.

Orta must snap him up to make him a key part of Marsch’s Leeds midfield next season and for many years to come, in the process solving their long-standing issue in that position.

AND in other news, Huge boost: Adam Pope drops 6-word Leeds injury update, Jesse Marsch will be delighted…

A worrying Rangers transfer claim has been made regarding Glen Kamara amid speculation over his Ibrox future…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has dropped an ominous update ahead of the January transfer window by stating that Steven Gerrard is a ‘big, big fan’ of the Gers gem.

When asked about the potential of Villa swooping for a Rangers player, he told GIVEMESPORT:

“He’s a big fan of Kamara, a big, big fan of Kamara.”

Concern

Aston Villa have been linked with a deal for the Finland international in recent weeks and this claim from Bridge could leave fans feeling concerned about what could be to come next month.

His comment appears to imply that Gerrard, out of the players currently at Ibrox, would like to sign Kamara for his new team, although it remains to be seen whether or not they will come in with a firm offer for his services.

At this point, though, supporters may begin to worry about whether or not the ex-Gers chief will want to swoop for one of his former players and offer them the chance to play Premier League football.

They are facing the prospect of losing one of their best players midway through the season, which could be a brutal blow to Gio van Bronckhorst’s side. Kamara has been in fine form this term and his departure could weaken the side on paper.

He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.00 in the Premiership, with Joe Aribo (7.18) the only central midfielder with a higher average rating than the ex-Arsenal man. Kamara has chipped in with one goal and three assists in the league, whilst completing an impressive 90% of his attempted passes and winning 52% of his duels.

This shows that he has been able to perform to a high standard consistently throughout the campaign, starting 15 of the 17 games. Therefore, his departure would leave a sizeable hole to be filled in the middle of the park, with Kamara a proven talent who can run games from midfield with his accurate passing and ability to dictate the tempo of matches.

Rangers fans would surely not want to see a player of his calibre depart midway through the season and that is why this claim from Bridge will leave them feeling worried. Hopefully, Ross Wilson will be able to keep any interested parties at bay and hold onto Kamara for the rest of the season, at least.

AND in other news, “Will be speaking” – Big Rangers claim made on Sky Sports that’ll leave fans delighted…

A big update has emerged on Rangers and Gio van Bronckhorst’s transfer plans at Ibrox for the remainder of the January window…

What’s the talk?

A transfer has claimed that the Gers are working hard to source a new signing in attack before the end of the month.

Pete O’Rourke told GIVEMESPORT: “They’re actively looking for options on the right flank, and it just seems they’ve been linked with a lot of players right now. So, it’ll all depend on who Van Bronckhorst sees as the best fit for his side going forward.”

Excitement

This news will surely leave Rangers fans feeling excited for several reasons.

Firstly, it shows that the club are still putting the work in behind the scenes and actively looking to add to their squad despite already making two signings in the form of James Sands and John Souttar.

Ross Wilson is seemingly keen to give van Bronckhorst as many tools as possible to ensure that they are able to secure a second Premiership title in a row. The Gers are also still in the Europa League and could be eyeing further progression in that competition as they prepare to face Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund next month in the first knockout round.

Therefore, supporters will be buzzing to read that they are not resting on their laurels and willing to go with what they have for the rest of the campaign. Continual improvement appears to be the way they want to go about it and it will be interesting to see if they have any more targets beyond a right winger for the current window.

The position in which Rangers want to make a signing will also get fans excited as it means that they can look forward to an attacking player coming in.

Bringing in a right-winger suggests that they want someone who can come in to score and create goals from out wide, which would surely get fans off their seats in excitement as they watch a new wing wizard causing havoc down the flanks.

Of course, there is no guarantee that they will be able to sign an effective forward who is able to deliver in the final third but, for now, fans can be buzzing with the prospect of a new attacker coming in to bolster the squad before the deadline next week.

AND in other news, Rangers could finally axe “really poor” lightweight by landing £2.8m-rated playmaker…

Manchester United have been reportedly getting closer to sealing the deal with Erik ten Hag to become the next manager to take on the tough challenge at Old Trafford, and a source has revealed more details about the current progress at the club.

What’s the word?

Stretty News have claimed that a close senior source at Manchester United has revealed that the next meeting between the directors of the club and representatives of Ten Hag are due to take place later this week in London.

The report also claimed that they now understand that United’s search has been whittled down to just two candidates – Ten Hag and Paris Saint Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Great news!

The manager situation at United has been an ongoing issue all season, so it will be a relief to fans, the squad and the owners that it appears close to being settled, with one of the ideal targets set to become the new manager at Old Trafford.

Everyone involved in the club will be hoping that this is the last phase of transition they will face after going through four permanent and three interim managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired from management and left United in 2013, with a rollercoaster ride along the way and a lengthy trophy drought set to enter a sixth year.

Since Fergie’s departure, the Red Devils have won just three trophies in almost nine years, with their most recent success in the EFL Cup and Europa League with Jose Mourinho back in 2017. They have not lifted a trophy since then despite getting close to winning the Europa League again last year, falling at the last hurdle in a penalty shoot-out against Villareal in Gdansk.

Now in their longest trophy drought since 1989, United will be hoping that the appointment of Ten Hag or Pochettino will bring the winning ways back to Old Trafford, and that real progress will finally be made at the club following Fergie’s exit nine years ago.

For now, Ralf Rangnick must focus on catching up with Arsenal and Tottenham in the pursuit of a top four finish to secure Champions League football with their new manager next season. As they lie three points behind both London clubs, though, the interim coach will need the others to drop points for the Red Devils to get back into Europe’s premier club competition, and that’s without suffering any more setbacks of their own.

In other news: Man Utd now dealt huge new manager setback, supporters will be furious