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According to The Daily Mail, Southampton are preparing to launch a £10 million offer for Genk right-back Joakim Maehle.

What’s the story?

Ralph Hasenhuttl is apparently lining up Maehle as a replacement for Cedric Soares and to provide cover for impressive youngster Yan Valery, as per The Dail Mail. 

Maehle has been in fine form so far this season. According to Transfermarkt’s statistics, the 21-year-old has racked up two goals and seven assists in 36 appearances in all competitions. 

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

By contrast – as per Transfermarkt’s stats – Cedric has registered just two goals and ten assists in his 119 games as a Southampton player to date.

Maehle, then, potentially offers a great upgrade in terms of producing in the final third for the south coast club, making him an exciting potential replacement for the Euro 2016 winner.

More than a back-up option

Since Hasenhuttl’s arrival at St Mary’s Stadium, 19-year-old Valery has been entrusted with regular game time as the first team right-back. The French teenager has excelled in this role, and The Daily Mail state that Maehle’s arrival could simply be to provide cover for Valery.

However, considering the Denmark under-21 international looks set to cost Southampton £10 million, it would be surprising if Hasenhuttl only saw him as a back-up option for a teenager. Maehle himself will have designs on forcing his way into the Saints’ starting XI, and he certainly has the capacity to shine in the Premier League.

Valery will have to up his game even more in order to rise above Maehle in the pecking order.

West Ham United are in the midst of a crucial period of their season in terms of trying to win the Europa League and finish as high up the Premier League table as possible.

However, with the upcoming summer transfer window in mind, it seems as though the Hammers could be involved in a race to secure the signing of a player that will be very familiar to a number of fans at the London Stadium.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Mirror, West Ham are one of the teams mentioned with a potential summer transfer move for Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard.

The report also claims that fellow Premier League side Newcastle United, as well as Serie A trio AC Milan, Juventus and AS Roma, are interested in signing the Englishman.

Forget Lanzini

As many West Ham fans will remember, Lingard, who is currently valued at £18m according to Transfermarkt, spent the second half of last season on loan with the Hammers.

During his time at the east London club, the 29-year-old scored nine goals and provided five assists in just 16 appearances.

Things this season back at the Manchester club have been rather disheartening for the England international, as he’s only started three of the 19 games he’s played in across all competitions.

Labelled as a “hungry” player in the past by Roy Keane, this is exactly what he’ll be in terms of getting regular playing time next term, which would be easier at West Ham rather than with the Red Devils.

With the former Hammers loan star set to see his contract at Old Trafford expire in the summer, this could be a bargain transfer for David Moyes’ side and give them an experienced player that knows how to play in this team at a high level.

If the east London club were to secure Lingard’s signature once again, this time on a permanent basis, it could be bad news for Manuel Lanzini, who has been linked with a move to River Plate.

Having racked up just six goal contributions in 24 league appearances this season and earning himself a rather uninspiring overall performance rating of 6.66 from WhoScored, it could sway Moyes into getting rid of the Argentine and bringing Lingard back into the frame as his replacement.

In other news: Huge blow: West Ham dealt fresh injury setback ahead of Lyon, Moyes will be sweating

Aston Villa loanee Anwar El Ghazi faces a difficult point in his career, with Everton unlikely to sign the Dutch winger.

El Ghazi has failed to make an impression at Goodison Park, with this loan spell proving to be a stumbling block in his development.

What’s the latest?

The 26-year-old looks set to return to Aston Villa when his loan spell ends at the end of the season, the trouble is, they do not want him either and will look to seal a permanent exit for the two-time-capped Netherlands international.

The latest update surrounding El Ghazi’s future comes from a recruitment source courtesy of Football Insider and states that “Everton have no plans to sign El Ghazi permanently and will let him go when his loan expires.”

It also states that upon his return to his parent club, “Villa will look to cash in” on the forward during the summer and believe it will be easier to agree on a transfer to seal his departure – with Steven Gerrard admitting he does not see the Ajax youth product as part of his plans for next season.

Gerrard will most likely use the money made from the attacker’s transfer exit on a squad overhaul as he looks to bridge the gap towards making Aston Villa a consistent top-six Premier League club.

El Ghazi’s Transfer Nightmare

El Ghazi’s fall from grace has been rapid.

After all, the £9m-rated winger was once described as “unstoppable” by former Villa player Alan Hutton:

“I’ve played with him and I’ve played against him. In training he can be unstoppable,” he said.

“In games, I’m watching him thinking, do that, take them on, go forward. You’re urging him to do it because you know he can do it.”

In terms of confidence, El Ghazi is surely a world away from last season in which he found himself as a key player under Dean Smith.

His ten goals in 28 Premier League games ranked him as Aston Villa’s second-highest scorer last season, with his minutes per goal metric of 161 minutes making him the most consistent goalscorer in the whole squad.

It was brave of Gerrard to axe Villa’s second-highest scorer, though he did, with El Ghazi now stuck on the Everton bench with no sign of minutes coming his way anytime soon.

With just 11 minutes of game-time at Everton this year, he is clearly not rated by Lampard and will seek a permanent move away from parent-club Aston Villa in order to revive his career.

If he can’t even get in a relegation-threatened team then it’s best for all parties that he packs his bags and leaves Merseyside for good.

In other news – Forget relegation: Lampard now heading for huge Everton disaster over £72k-p/w star

Aston Villa target Joe Gomez is ‘staying at Liverpool’, Pete O’Rourke has told Give Me Sport.

The lowdown

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans wrote earlier this month that Gomez is a player Villa ‘like’.

The Englishman has found game time hard to come by at Anfield this season, with just 11 appearances (four starts) under his belt.

Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate all appear to be ahead of him in the pecking order.

Gomez is valued at £22.5million by Transfermarkt and his £75,000-per-week contract still has two and a half years to run.

The latest

O’Rourke has learned that Liverpool have absolutely no plans to offload Gomez at this stage.

“From what I’ve been told, Joe Gomez is staying at Liverpool, he won’t be going anywhere,” he told GMS when asked about the possibility of a deal by Johan Lange.

The verdict

Gomez would have been an excellent signing for Villa. In the words of Jurgen Klopp, he’s a ‘sensational’ player with ‘outstanding speed’.

He’s still only 24, so while he’s struggled for minutes this season, the Reds may well view him as part of their long-term plans. And, unless Liverpool’s stance changes, Villa need to move onto other targets.

After Axel Tuanzebe’s loan was cut short, they’ve been left with Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Kortney Hause as their only senior centre-backs.

And Konsa’s recent injury shows how perilous that situation is. All of a sudden, Steven Gerrard may find himself with no experienced back-up.

In other news, fans react to links with this forward.

Rangers have been hit with a fresh injury concern over Ibrox central midfielder Aaron Ramsey…

What’s the latest?

Gio van Bronckhorst has confirmed that the Wales international suffered a hamstring setback in the Scottish Cup win on Sunday.

The on-loan gem was forced off in the first half with the score at 0-0 as Scott Wright was pressed into action earlier than he may have expected, with the Gers going on to win 2-1 in extra time to make it to the final of the competition.

However, they could have to play in the showpiece clash without Ramsey if this knock rules him out for a number of weeks.

Journalist Phil Cadden quoted the head coach as saying: “He had a problem with his hamstring. It didn’t look really good. We will have to assess him, but of course it is a blow for us that he will be out. I don’t know for how long. We just have to assess him on Monday and see where he is.”

Van Bronckhorst will be infuriated

This is a huge blow for the Gers and van Bronckhorst will be furious with this latest injury issue for the midfielder as it has been an almost constant problem for him since arriving in January.

Ramsey has only started four matches in the Premiership and Europa League combined for the club as he has been dealing with his own fitness in recent months. The Juventus man has been unable to string a run of matches together and now looks set for another spell on the sidelines.

Until Rangers know the extent of the damage it is impossible to gauge how long he will be out for action for. Hamstring injuries can range from days to months to recover from depending on the grade of the tear and this means that he could be back next week or it could be his season over and done with.

Losing him for any number of matches will be a huge blow as he has shown that he does have the quality to make a big impact when he does play. He has scored two goals in his three Premiership starts, including one against Celtic in the Old Firm, and has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.98 in the division.

Ramsey can score from midfield and has the experience in European competition that can be vital against RB Leipzig in the semi-finals of the Europa League. He has played for Arsenal and Juventus in Europe and this means that he knows what it takes to perform at that level, making his potential absence against the German side a sizeable concern for the head coach and that is another reason why he will be furious with this injury blow.

AND in other news, Forget Arfield: “Superb” £24k-p/w Rangers machine was “out of this world” today…

Tottenham Hotspur are seeking to finalise a move for winger Adama Traore, with the completion of the deal dependent on Wolves’ decision regarding the structure of the transfer fee, according to reports by football.london’s Alasdair Gold.

The Lowdown: Traore not a regular starter

Despite having featured in 19 Premier League games this season, only 10 of these saw Traore in the starting XI, with the majority coming at the beginning of the campaign.

The Spain international has never been known for his clinical nature in the final third, yet it seems that his end product is proving to be even more of an issue this season than before. The 25-year-old has scored just once in the league this term, breaking his duck on Saturday against Southampton, and more shockingly has failed to produce a single assist from a playmaking position on the wing.

As a result, Bruno Lage seems to prefer other options on the right-hand side, opting to utilise Traore’s lightning speed in the final 20 minutes to run tired defenders ragged in search of a late goal.

The Latest: Spurs want to make Traore deal happen

According to Gold for football.london, Spurs remain keen on the signing of Traore during the January window. However, the move ‘all depends on’ whether Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici can come to an agreement with Wolves over the structure of the fee.

Tottenham would prefer a loan deal with an obligation to buy, as this would free up funds which could be used to pursue additional signings in the current window. However, Wolves were resistant to that idea last summer, as they preferred a deal where they would receive the transfer fee sooner rather than later.

The Verdict: Circumstances may make the deal more accessible

Despite the summer’s outcome, it remains to be seen whether Wolves’ stance has softened. Given that Traore is not a regular starter under Lage, and with his contract set to expire in 18 months’ time, it begs the question whether the Midlands club will choose to cash in whilst his value is high.

With Antonio Conte looking for a new right wing-back, Spurs could ramp up their pursuit of the Spaniard, with the hope that the former Inter boss may be able to spark Traore’s previous ‘unplayable’ Premier League form, as Jurgen Klopp called it.

We’re now into the final two weeks of the transfer window, so the clock is ticking if Tottenham want to secure the 25-year-old’s services this month.

In other news: Paratici now incredibly keen to sign ‘formidable talent’ for Spurs; Pochettino called him ‘wonderful’

Leeds United believe they can secure a move for Josko Gvardiol this summer, according to transfer insider Dean Jones…

What’s the word?

Football Insider recently reported on the Whites’ interest in the RB Leipzig centre-back, claiming that they had scouted him for the past two years and it’s believed that director of football Victor Orta has kept a close eye on his progress.

Now valued at around £27m, the Yorkshire giants could well make their move this time around, especially with his former manager – Jesse Marsch – now in the dugout at Elland Road.

[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!”]

And according to the Eurosport journalist, the club very much believe they can compete for his signature. He revealed to GIVEMESPORT:

“I thought at first it was a bit too ambitious, but the more I speak to people, the more I start to realise that Leeds are starting to believe that this is where they should be shopping.

“These are the sorts of players that they believe they can get. So, I’m certainly not going to rule it out.”

Marsch madness

Considering the 20-year-old is estimated to be worth around €120m (£100m) by CIES Football Observatory, landing him for a fifth of the price would certainly be quite the steal.

And the Leipzig colossus would be an absolute coup, too.

It’s no secret that Leeds have struggled defensively this campaign, ranking as the second-leakiest backline in the Premier League, so signing a talent so young and promising would go a long way in fixing that issue in the long run.

As per FBRef, Gvardiol ranks amongst the top 1% for dribbles completed, top 2% for interceptions made and top 4% for progressive passes compared to his positional peers across Europe over the last 365 days.

Meanwhile, as Leipzig’s second-highest performer in the Bundesliga, he’s not only showing he’s tough defensively and adept as a ball-playing option but also one that is remarkably consistent.

Once described as being “built like a tank,” the 6 foot 1 titan has been tipped to become “as good as Virgil” van Dijk one day by Germania Sport assistant editor Izak Ante Sucic when speaking to the BBC.

Given the Whites’ defensive struggles, it is no wonder the recruitment team are targeting an arrival in that role this summer and if they truly believe that they can contend for Gvardiol’s signature, then it would be a no-brainer to sign him.

The 20-year-old, also described as being a “top talent” by scout Jacek Kulig, could be a revolutionary signing for Marsch’s backline and surely something of a dream, having already signed him once before.

AND in other news, Orta scouting mission: Leeds eyeing 6 ft 3 titan who “fits the bill”, Marsch would love him…

Many Everton fans have been left lauding some footage that has emerged involving their Academy player Francis Okoronkwo.

As shared by Everton Academy’s official Twitter page, the winger cut inside the defender neatly before unleashing a curling effort into the opposite corner past the goalkeeper from outside of the box.

The Merseyside club’s U18 team were playing Sheffield United at Goodison Park in the FA Youth Cup on Friday night, and that goal put them 1-0 up.

The game finished 2-1 in the end, and so the U18’s went through into the round of 16, where they will now play Manchester United away from home.

Nonetheless, a lot of Toffees supporters were left in admiration of Okoronkwo’s strike in particular, and gave their reactions.

Everton fans on Okoronkwo goal

These Blues were left lauding the footage as it was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was a ‘sublime’ goal:

“The way he set himself up for that. Sublime!”

Credit: @MontagueStreet

“What a baller this kid is”

Credit: @EFCFrostyy2

“What a finish!”

Credit: @the_street_end

“Gerrrin”

Credit: @edgyt10

“This kid will go right to the top, right to the very top”

Credit: @BillEvram

“Massive massive potential this lad, could be an absolute cracker”

Credit: @danny1878c

In other news, find out what fresh injury blow EFC have suffered here!

According to reliable journalist Gianluca Di Marzio (via City Xtra), Manchester City have made a sensational offer to Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Haaland’s career

Whilst the season may not have gone exactly as the Norway international had planned due to a number of injuries which forced him to the sidelines for ten of Dortmund’s league games, the 21-year-old has remained lethal in front of goal, having scored an incredible 16 goals in 19 Bundesliga matches.

When combined with his staggering overall record of 56 goals in 62 German top-flight games, Haaland has become one of the most sought-after players across the whole of Europe.

As a result, Manchester City and Real Madrid have emerged as the frontrunners in the race for his signature.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/man-city-latest-developments-2/” title=”Man City latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: City’s offer

According to Di Marzio, as relayed by City Xtra, the Sky Blues have proposed an offer to Haaland. Taking to Twitter, City Xtra shared:

“Man City have presented an offer to Erling Haaland: An annual salary of around €30M per season for five years. The offer presented by the Man City also includes the release clause of €75M plus agent commissions equal €70M. [via @DiMarzio]”

The Verdict: Would be a magnificent signing

City boss Pep Guardiola is a keen admirer of Haaland, having hailed the 21-year-old as an “exceptional striker”.

As a result, director of football Txiki Begiristain has seemingly been doing anything he can to secure the Norwegian, given his side’s failure to secure Harry Kane last summer.

With such an efficient goalscorer in Guardiola’s side, City’s attacking threat could dominate Premier League defences.

Therefore, Haaland’s arrival at the Etihad could prove to be a magnificent bit of business if Txiki can get the deal over the line.

In other news: Manchester City: Guardiola without another player alongside Ruben Dias for Liverpool clash

Leeds United begin the first of two successive matches against Premier League rivals West Ham United with a trip to east London in the FA Cup third round proper this afternoon.

And Marcelo Bielsa has plenty of decisions to make heading into kick-off.

In his pre-game press conference, he alluded to taking the competition seriously despite their rocky form in the top-flight leaving them on the cusp of a relegation dogfight.

“We always try to win in every official game we have. There is never a need for added motivation. Every time that the group plays, the desire is always the maximum and to win,” he said (via the club’s official website).

“We’re going to try that the characteristics of our play are expressed and that will allow us to beat them. Every competition is a possibility and we take it in that way. Every game we focus on it with the intention to win it.”

The Yorkshire giants were not blessed by the draw as the top-four chasing Irons were pulled out of the hat but they will be buoyed by plenty of confidence, having defeated Burnley last time out as that created some breathing room to the drop zone.

However, with doubts still lingering over Patrick Bamford and his injury, it remains to be seen how Leeds will line up down in the capital.

At Elland Road last weekend, Bielsa opted for Wales international Tyler Roberts to lead the line but that failed to pay off as he was withdrawn after just 58 minutes.

And whilst there is now an injury concern with the 22-year-old forward, he should have little involvement going forward as he is just not good enough.

“You know what you’re doing to get with Roberts with his attitude, his dedication and his application. But there’s no end product and there hasn’t been enough end product for a long time now,” claimed ex-goalkeeper Paul Robinson to MOT Leeds News.

“He does get himself in the positions but he snatches at chances and it wasn’t his best game in a Leeds shirt.”

A 90-minute performance may be too much to ask of Bamford on his return and having already come back, only to pick up another problem, Bielsa must be careful with his star man going forward.

But turning to Roberts in this time of need must not happen again.

If nine goals in 104 appearances isn’t enough to put you off, then his display last week should be.

As per SofaScore, he failed to win any of his duels against the Clarets, nor did he have any sort of influence on the game, managing 11 passes and only 23 touches – the fewest of any Whites starter. Elsewhere, he was hugely wasteful as he failed to find the net from six shots, in which only one hit the target.

In the past, he is said to have left Bielsa “furious” for one poor performance against Arsenal, whilst Gabby Agbonlahor once deemed the £47k-per-week passenger “shocking” and “not good enough for Leeds or Premier League level” to Football Insider.

Therefore – fit or not – Bielsa must be ruthless in his decision-making. He needs to axe Roberts from Leeds’ lineup for the foreseeable future. He’s been poor for a very long time and that does not look like changing.

AND in other news, Reliable journo drops huge behind-scenes Thorp Arch update, Leeds fans will be buzzing…