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According to an exclusive report from the Sun, Leicester City have joined the race to sign Brighton defender Ben White – with Man United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City, Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United all battling for his signature. 

As per this report, Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League champions are showing the ‘strongest interest of all’, with Leeds already making a £25 million bid plus add-ons to take back their 2019/2020 loanee on a permanent deal.

Leeds’ offer, however, was rejected – leaving the door open for other clubs to pay his £50 million valuation.

The Foxes, spearheaded by sporting director Jon Rudkin, have reportedly enquired over a price for White alongside the other interested parties – but as it stands, it looks as if Leicester are behind other suitors given Liverpool and Leeds appear first in line for the player who is also being targeted by both Manchester clubs.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men have already had two bids rejected, despite White not playing a single minute in the top flight yet Brighton are reportedly unwilling to let him leave for less than the £50m asking price.

White helped guide Leeds to promotion after 16 years of waiting, but their failure to tie him down permanently could open the door for Leicester to make a move despite their unknown stance on his price tag.

Pundit Noel Whelan once described the 22-year-old as ‘the next [Harry] Maguire’ and ‘outstanding’ to Football Insider – tags that could entice Brendan Rodgers given the interest in star defender Caglar Soyuncu.

If Soyuncu does opt for a move away from the King Power, White could be a great alternative.

Foxes, should Leicester City try to sign Ben White for £50m? Join the discussion by commenting below…

It goes without saying that this summer transfer window has been quite hectic for Barcelona. The Catalans were on the verge of losing none other than Lionel Messi but the Argentine will indeed stay at the club for a while longer.

And while this is certainly brilliant news for Barcelona faithful, it might spell doom and gloom for some of the other players in their squad. One such player is Antoine Griezmann and according to the Daily Mail, Messi’s U-turn now means the Frenchman could suddenly become a surplus to requirements at the Camp Nou.

Ronald Koeman, the new coach, had promised him the ‘Messi role’, as the same source explains, but with the Argentine now staying, a huge question mark suddenly looms over Griezmann’s future. This, as Daily Mail note, has prompted interest from the Premier League.

The likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool might go head to head for the Frenchman’s signature but Barcelona will surely have to accept huge losses from their initial £107m investment.

Mikel Arteta could be looking to snatch him up but needless to say, no one can actually afford to match that price tag.

If Barcelona really want to sell Griezmann, they will have to settle for much less than that. Man United are still preoccupied with Jadon Sancho, Liverpool are not exactly adamant on spending big (or at all) this summer and Arsenal would struggle to offer huge sums of money.

For that reason, the Blaugrana outcast could have problems finding potential suitors this summer.

Verdict

Griezmann’s quality is not to be questioned but with Messi still in the team, it’s likely he’ll continue to struggle as the two have still not found a way to co-exist on the pitch.

This is obviously good news for any potential buyers but it doesn’t mean the Frenchman would come cheap. And that is a serious obstacle for Arsenal.

According to an update courtesy of Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo via Sport Witness, Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho ‘would be delighted’ to welcome back superstar Gareth Bale – but chairman Daniel Levy is only eyeing a bargain swoop and will not invest heavily in a dream reunion. 

Bale, who has been repeatedly linked with a return to north London this summer, especially following his well known unrest at Real Madrid, is now at the centre of Tottenham reports once again as Mundo Deportivo claim there is an interest.

Indeed, manager Mourinho allegedly wants him at Spurs, but the Portuguese boss faces a stumbling block when it comes to finances as the Tottenham board will not pay over the odds for his signature.

The 31-year-old, who is reportedly paid £350,000-per-week after tax, would have to take a wage cut to re-join the Lilywhites given Levy and co do not want to pay ‘anywhere near’ those figures in terms of salary.

Tottenham also want a cheap deal in terms of the actual fee, and Mundo Deportivo claim that they could be confident over making that happen.

Ex-Galacticos president Ramon Calderon recently claimed, in an exclusive with talkSPORT, that Real Madrid could very well let him go for free this summer in an attempt to remove him from the wage bill.

Currently valued at around £25.2 million by Transfermarkt, the termination of his contract could allow Spurs to open negotiations for free, but even then, Bale’s wages remain an obstacle.

Once hailed as ‘phenomenal’ by Zinedine Zidane, the Welshman faces an uncertain future over the twilight stages of his career, but only time will tell whether he does opt to make a Premier League return.

Lilywhites, are you keen on Gareth Bale returning to Spurs? Give us your thoughts in the comment section below…

Manchester City have a big job on their hands as they aim to wrestle back the Premier League trophy from Liverpool.

Pep Guardiola’s side were off the pace last season, finishing on just 81 points, 18 behind Liverpool and 19 short of their record-breaking 100 point haul from the 2017/18 season.

In order to make up the gap on Liverpool, City will have to improve, and one way to do that is to recruit well.

City haven’t spent the hundreds of millions we’ve grown accustomed to them spending so far this summer, but they have made a couple of big additions, and we’ve ranked their new arrivals so far…

Ferran Torres 3/5

A score of 3/5 isn’t a knock on Torres’ talent, because he seems like an exceptional young player who has a high ceiling, but the fact is that he’s not going to improve City’s squad from last season.

Losing Leroy Sane and getting Torres doesn’t feel like a solid trade-off, with Sane being a former PFA Young Player of the Year winner and Torres having just six senior league goals to his name.

Of course, this is one for the future, Torres is just 20 years old and City have a number of solid wide players ahead of him in the pecking order such as Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva.

It will be best to judge this transfer in four or five years, but right now this doesn’t look like a player who will make a huge impact in City’s title charge.

Yan Couto 2/5

Brazilian right-back Yan Couto is certainly one of the future at City.

This deal was agreed back in January, but Couto will finally link-up with his new side ahead of the 2020/21 season.

The teenager has already been compared to Dani Alves and if he does become as good as the former Barcelona man, this rating will go up.

But, with the full-back already costing City £12.5m, this can’t be a highly rated signing due to the amount of money spent.

Of course, £12.5m is a small amount for a team like City, but for a similar price, they could’ve gotten Matt Doherty, a proven Premier League player who could actually play a part in their title charge.

Nathan Ake 2/5

Every year you get players who go from relegated clubs to top teams and show what they’re made of.

Andy Robertson, Harry Maguire and Idrissa Gueye have found a lot of success in England and Europe after being relegated with Hull and Aston Villa respectively, and City will be wanting Ake to do the same thing here.

However, these are only good signings if they’re available for a small fee due to relegated clubs having to raise funds, but it seems as though Pep Guardiola’s side have been ripped off here.

£41m for a relegated centre-half is preposterous no matter which way you look at it, and when you consider that he may not even be a starter, with Kalidou Koulibaly strongly linked with a move to the Etihad, this begins to already look like money down the drain.

Liverpool are ready to face off against League Two side Lincoln City in this evening’s Carabao Cup clash.

The Reds have a 100% win rate so far this term after emerging victorious from their opening two Premier League games. Now, they shift attention to their first cup run of the new season and there’s a high chance some key players will be rested.

Jurgen Klopp left yesterday’s press conference duties to Pep Lijnders, which could indicate the assistant manager will be running the show today.

With that being said, Transfer Tavern has predicted how Liverpool could lineup to take on the Imps, including six changes from the Chelsea game.

The Merseyside outfit will likely see this fixture as one they can win comfortably, and therefore will take the opportunity to rest important personnel ahead of Arsenal on Monday. However, Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Jordan Henderson could make up a senior spine to keep things in order and ensure a win.

We could see full debuts handed to the trio of new signings Kostas Tsimikas, Thiago and Diogo Jota. The Spanish midfielder played well in his substitute appearance against Chelsea, maintaining a 90% passing rate and completing 10/12 long balls (via Sofascore).

With Fabinho perhaps starting alongside van Dijk in defence again, Henderson could support the backline, leaving room for youngster Curtis Jones further up the pitch.

The teenage midfielder has already proved he loves a cup match, after scoring Liverpool’s winning goal against Everton in the FA Cup fourth round last season.

In order to keep Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah rested up for Arsenal, Jota and Takumi Minamino could feature on the wings. The former Wolves man will want to grab the opportunity with both hands to show Klopp exactly what he is capable of.

His tally of 16 goals and six assists last season paints a very promising picture for his potential Liverpool debut. Roberto Firmino should keep his place up front.

How do you think Liverpool will line-up against Blackpool? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

If Dean Smith was watching Norway’s clash against Serbia on Thursday night, then he would have left with some serious doubts about a rumoured transfer target for Aston Villa.

Reports in recent weeks have claimed that Bournemouth striker Josh King remains of interest to the Midlands club, and with Premier League clubs able to do deals with those in the EFL until the deadline of October 16, a transfer for the 28-year-old is a big possibility.

Whilst the Cherries ace has plenty of Premier League experience and could absolutely offer Ollie Watkins some competition up front, Smith may have been developing second thoughts after Thursday.

One performance certainly doesn’t make a bad player – or good for that instance – but in a crunch game for his country, with hopes of qualification for next summer’s European Championship on the line, he completely fluffed his lines.

King was brought on mid-way through the second-half of the tie, and with the game going all the way to extra-time, he had plenty of minutes to really inspire his side to victory.

Instead, he was more of a hindrance for Norway, delivering the kind of anonymous display that ended up seeing Serbia nick a 2-1 win by the end of the match.

As per SofaScore, he made just 11 successful passes after coming on, registering only 28 touches in his time on the pitch – to put that into context, Norway goalkeeper Rune Jarstein managed 46 touches.

King had just one shot on goal, missed his target with both of his attempted crosses, and lost possession 12 times too.

With just days left before the transfer deadline, the Bournemouth striker had the perfect chance to really showcase his talents. Instead, he failed his Villa audition miserably, and his disappearance in a crucial game for his country, may have sent Smith running.

In other news, Villa may have a hidden gem on their hands in this academy starlet…

Wolves and super-agent Jorge Mendes is an interesting relationship.

On the one hand, the Midlands outfit can thank the controversial GestiFute guru for bringing the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and even manager Nuno Santo to Molineux but on the contrary, he’s only looking out for himself and his clients.

That much would have been displayed if they went ahead with a move for Atletico Madrid’s expensive flop, Thomas Lemar.

According to Le10 Sport last month, Wolves had opened talks with the 24-year-old winger with Mendes holding all the keys over a potential transfer.

They can count their lucky stars that it didn’t come to fruition.

Lemar started his first game of the season last week, playing just 64 minutes before being pulled by Diego Simeone, which is hardly a surprise as he failed to contribute with a goal or assists and only managed to record only one shot and one key pass, also committing two fouls. per WhoScored.

The France World Cup winner cost the La Liga outfit a whopping £62m and is raking in around €100k-per-week (£90k-per-week), finances which just haven’t been justified whatsoever.

He has only scored three goals from 75 appearances throughout his entire Atletico career. That is shocking.

Especially when you consider his potential – he was once likened Barcelona great Andres Iniesta and Spurs skipper Hugo Lloris has previously lauded him as “extremely talented, very fast and lethal in front of goal.”

Lemar certainly would have been an underwhelming replacement for Diogo Jota, one that would have dented the promising hopes of both Daniel Podence and Pedro Neto.

Therefore, Wolves and Nuno’s decision to not follow through with a swoop for the Mendes flop has turned out to be an absolute stroke of genius. It is plenty of cash and even careers saved by avoiding him this summer.

AND in other news, Wolves make plans for the future with new fresh contract decision…

With Thomas Partey making his full debut for Arsenal, you would have forgiven fans of the north London side to have been fully focused on what the Ghana international did during Thursday night’s Europa League win over Rapid Vienna.

And it’s fair to say the former Atletico Madrid midfielder didn’t disappoint. He looked comfortable in possession and strong in the tackle, but whilst the 27-year-old already looks like a cracking piece of business by the Gunners, it was another summer signing who arguably stole the show: Gabriel.

The centre-back, signed from Ligue 1 side Lille, has already established himself as a key part of Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad at the Emirates, and after being tasked with being the man in the middle of a back-three, looked the coolest player on the pitch.

The Brazilian never looked rushed or ruffled by Vienna’s high-pressing and physicality. Instead, he seemed to embrace it, and using his tall frame, often came away from those 50/50s the winner.

In fact, as per Sofascore, he won an impressive ten of his 14 total duels, which was the joint-highest along with Partey, whilst he also made a mammoth four interceptions too. To put that last stat into context, the rest of his Arsenal teammates combined for exactly four between them.

He was also the initiator of most Arsenal attacks, finishing the game with a whopping 119 touches – a whole 17 more than the man in second – yes you guessed it – Partey.

Whether it was defensively or with the ball at his feet, Gabriel looked supreme at the back for the Gunners, and Arteta would surely have been left purring at his new signing’s display.

The north Londoners look to have found themselves an absolute gem in the towering Brazilian.

Wolves a planning a January swoop for another one of Jorge Mendes’ clients, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

Having endured a tough ride whilst on loan at Swansea City in 2017/18, Lille midfielder Renato Sanches could be gifted another opportunity in the Premier League with the Midlands targeting a move for him in the next window.

That’s what has been reported by Calciomercato, who claim Wolves want to sign the 21-cap international, who only joined the Ligue 1 outfit in a €25m (£22m) deal last summer.

Wolves have as many as nine Portuguese players at the club on top of being managed by one too, Nuno Santo, so the 23-year-old would feel right at home at Molineux.

Moutinho heir?

Despite failing to make the cut at Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, Sanches has started to make a name for himself in France.

Last season in the league, the young midfielder averaged 2.6 dribbles, 1.8 key passes and 1.6 shots per game, via WhoScored. These are figures that Nuno’s current options, namely Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho have struggled to match in the top-flight this term.

Neither player has even recorded a dribble during the 2020/21 campaign whilst Sanches is managing way more attempts at goal than Moutinho (0.3), and he’s supposed to be the creative outlet in the engine room.

Perhaps Nuno is eyeing up his long-term heir already, especially as the veteran has recently turned 34. It’s not often players can keep up with the demands of the Premier League past this age – only stars like David Silva are an exception and you could argue that the Spaniard is on a different level to Moutinho.

Once a nominee of the Golden Boy award in 2016, Sanches has been compared to both Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf in terms of playing style.

Former Bayern teammate Niklas Sule once claimed that he was always “the best player in training” and that he is someone “who can make the difference” whilst Lille skipper Jose Fonte believes he’s “huge” and can go onto have very very great career at the highest level.”

Now valued at just £18m by Transfermarkt, Sanches could be a bargain upgrade to a Wolves midfield that is in dire need of some fresh impetus.

AND in other news, Wolves could’ve signed Jimenez’s perfect partner in £36m-rated next Mbappe…

Glasgow Rangers defender Nikola Katic could replace Filip Helander sooner rather than later as he is close to returning from his horror knee injury.

What’s the word?

The 23-year-old underwent surgery in the summer as Steven Gerrard was forced to dip into the transfer market to sign Leon Balogun – who has turned out to be an absolute gem since his arrival at Ibrox.

It’s hard to imagine Gerrard making many changes to the back four, as Balogun, Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson and James Tavernier have excelled in recent months, but they could be boosted by Katic’s return as recent reports have revealed that he could be back after a busy festive period.

Speaking to the Daily Record, his agent Ives Cakarun said: “All is going well.

“We hope Nikola will be ready for January. It was a big operation, cruciate ligaments and both meniscus.”

So, Helander could be in danger of being the odd man out as it’s becoming increasingly apparent how much competition there will be in Gerrard’s defence in the coming weeks and months ahead.

Massive Rangers injury boost

The 27-year-old was expected to become a first-team regular starter as he said he wanted “to win trophies” with the Gers after signing from Bologna but it’s fair to say that this hasn’t been the case so far – just 8 games in the Premiership during his debut campaign at Ibrox is proof of that – although it’s worth remembering that he missed a large chunk of last season due to a foot injury.

It looks like it could be a different story now though, as Helander has already made 10 appearances in the top flight so far this season. However, the 13-cap Sweden international has arguably been overshadowed by the arrival of Balogun in the summer, who has been a consistent performer for Gerrard’s side in recent weeks.

Another reason why he could become the odd man out is that his performances in the Europa League this season have left a lot to be desired so far, as he was at fault for two goals in the 3-3 draw with Benfica in Lisbon earlier this month, as he was dribbled past three times and only won two out of eight ground duels, via SofaScore.

In two appearances in the European competition last term, Katic made two tackles and one clearance per game, whilst he was only dribbled past 1.5 times per game, as per SofaScore, whilst he also managed one shot per game, which shows that he can be a useful attacking threat as well.

Gerrard has heaped praise on the Croatian defender in the past, paying tribute to the matchwinner after he scored against Celtic to secure 2-1 win at Celtic Park last season, saying: “The kid is a winner and a warrior. We know what he gives. Anyone his age, after giving the penalty away, might have gone into their shell. It might have affected their performance.

“But if you knock Niko Katic down, he’s gonna get back up and come again. That’s the man, that’s the player.”

It’s no surprise former Aberdeen striker Noel Whelan has described the news as a “massive boost” as the £1.4m-rated centre-back could usurp Helander in the not too distant future if he returns from his ACL injury in January.

There’s no doubt that he will be nervously looking over his shoulder when Katic does indeed reunite with his teammates in the end, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Bongani Zungu’s injury blow could give Glasgow Rangers star Ryan Jack big chance…