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Journalist Pete O’Rourke has said that it would be a ‘massive coup’ if Leeds United were able to bring PSV Eindhoven’s Cody Gakpo to Elland Road.

The Lowdown: Leeds still keen?

The Whites have announced two new signings in the last 48 hours in midfielder Tyler Adams and winger Luis Sinisterra.

That has taken their summer spending to £95m, with six arrivals through the door, but it looks as if there could still be one more in the 23-year-old from PSV.

Reports have claimed that Leeds may still look to sign another forward despite bringing in Sinisterra, with Gakpo – who was  called a ‘sensational player’ by Football Oranje editor and Dutch football expert Michael Bell – one of three players mentioned.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s comments

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke said that it ‘would be a massive coup’ if Leeds were able to bring Gakpo to Elland Road, given the number of English giants also being linked with him recently.

The reporter outlined:

“If Leeds were able to win the race for Gakpo, I think it would be a massive coup for them considering some of the biggest clubs in Europe have been linked. The likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United have all been mentioned with Gakpo in the not too distant past as well.”

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The Verdict: Centre-forward instead?

Gakpo can play anywhere across the front three, scoring 44 senior goals for club and country, although the majority of his appearances have come as a left winger.

Leeds are now well-stocked with wide options in a potential 4-2-2-2 system under Jesse Marsch, so it could make sense to look at a more central attacking target.

Patrick Bamford missed the majority of last season through injury, so bolstering the club’s centre-forward ranks could be a wiser move instead of another versatile wide forward in what appears to be the final piece of the summer jigsaw at Elland Road.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) are reportedly now ‘confident’ of signing Armando Broja for Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: ‘Active interest’

It has been reported that the St James’ Park club have an ‘active interest’ in the 20-year-old, but they are waiting to see if Chelsea would be willing to let him go this summer.

West Ham United are also thought to be interested in signing the Albania international, while Southampton could return for him following his loan spell at St Mary’s last season.

The Latest: Newcastle ‘confident’

Taking to Twitter, Scott Wilson has revealed that Newcastle are now ‘confident’ of beating the Hammers to Broja’s signature, but Thomas Tuchel has not decided whether the youngster will join up with Chelsea for their pre-season tour of the United States.

The Magpies journalist tweeted: “#NUFC confident of being able to beat West Ham for Armando Broja – but waiting for Chelsea to make a decision on striker. Broja returns to training at Chelsea this week – with Tuchel then deciding whether he’ll go to US for tour…”

Expanding in his latest piece for The Northern Echo, Wilson added that it remains to be seen whether it would be another loan deal for Broja or a permanent move, as he would cost in the region of £20m-£25m.

The Verdict: Get it done

With West Ham seemingly breathing down Newcastle’s necks, signing Broja is a deal that the Tynesiders needs to get done as soon as possible.

Hailed as a “dangerous” player by Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, and with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp commending his “incredible pace and strength”, the 6 foot 3 colossus has already shown how much of a handful he is for defenders, scoring nine goals in a Southampton shirt last term.

Also, he is still only 20 years of age, so he has plenty of time to develop into an elite striker at Premier League level.

Celtic need to have at least three strong strikers next season if they want to make an impact in the Champions League, according to journalist Anthony Joseph.

The Lowdown: Lacking a true target man

The Hoops enjoyed a superb 2021/22 season, regaining the Premiership title, but that’s not to say that everything was perfect at Parkhead.

Ange Postecoglou didn’t possess a truly ruthless marksman in his ranks, with the goals shared out among the squad and Kyogo Furuhashi leading the way with 20 in all competitions.

It is an area which could be improved upon in the coming weeks, especially with a return to the Champions League group stage next season for the first time since 2017/18.

The Latest: Joseph makes transfer claim

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Joseph highlighted attack as a key area of focus for Celtic in the transfer market this summer.

He claimed:

“If Celtic want to really make a mark in Europe and do well, whether that’s finishing third in the Champions League and getting into the Europa League and having a run there, then they will need at least three solid number nines.”

The Verdict: Attacking firepower required

Joseph is quite right in his assessment, with the addition of a couple of bona fide penalty box predators having the potential to take this Celtic squad up another level next season.

The Scottish champions could certainly do with signing at least one such player, in order for Postecoglou to have a genuine target man as an option, with Champions League defences unlikely to be too scared of the Hoops’ current attack.

It would be a huge shame if Celtic’s hard work comes undone after such a great season, once again exiting Europe’s premier club competition at the first hurdle, and possibly even suffering in the Premiership because of a lack of firepower, too.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their attempts to sign Hugo Ekitike in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope has revealed that the Magpies are now set to abandon their pursuit of the centre-forward as Ligue 1 giants PSG enter the race for his signature.

He tweeted: “Sven Botman due on Tyneside ahead of £32m move but I’m told deal for Hugo Ekitike is all but dead. Sources say agent demands were “ridiculous” & it appears PSG interest is now genuine. Newcastle ready to move on to other targets.”

This comes after Keith Downie recently told GIVEMESPORT: “I mean, it was described to me yesterday as Newcastle are getting frustrated because the whole transfer has been difficult. And I think that’s putting it lightly, to be honest. I think they are getting frustrated.”

Eddie Howe will be gutted

The Toon boss will be gutted by this news as it means that he will not – as it stands – be able to select Ekitike in the Premier League next season.

Howe would surely love to help the young striker develop and fulfil his potential in the years to come as the gem has shown extraordinary promise at such a young age.

The Frenchman recently turned 20 and enjoyed a stellar campaign in his first full season in the French top-flight as he scored 10 goals and provided three assists in 15 Ligue 1 starts for Reims.

He has shown that he has the quality to score goals on a regular basis at senior level, despite his lack of experience in the professional game. Now, imagine what he could do with more game time under his belt and, potentially, better players around him…

Howe will be frustrated that he is not going to be the manager to work with Ekitike to help him grow, as this latest update suggests, and will be gutted because his arrival would have been a much-needed boost to the squad.

In the Premier League last season, no Newcastle player scored more than eight goals and only one player managed more than five in the division. The Magpies did not have a go-to marksman over the course of the entire campaign and Ekitike’s statistics in France indicate that he has the potential to be that player.

Therefore, he would give Howe’s team a lift at the top end of the pitch with his ability to find the back of the net on a regular basis.

The club must now source alternative targets and ensure that they are able to bring in a new number nine before the end of the window.

AND in other news: “My understanding…”: Keith Downie drops NUFC claim that’ll leave supporters gutted

Leeds United have been linked with a summer move for Burnley defender Nathan Collins.

What’s the news?

According to a recent transfer report from talkSPORT by Alex Crook, the Whites are joined by fellow Premier League clubs Wolves and Aston Villa in monitoring the Irishman’s situation at Turf Moor following the Clarets’ relegation.

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Having worked his way through Stoke City’s youth ranks, the centre-back joined Burnley last summer in a deal worth a reported fee of around £12m.

Throughout his debut season at Turf Moor, the 21-year-old only made 19 league appearances but was still able to show how capable a defender he can be in the top flight. In those 19 games, Collins won 23 tackles and made 48 blocks, 37 interceptions and 102 clearances, as per FBRef.

His overall performances in the league earned him a season rating of 6.89/10 from WhoScored, making him the fourth-highest rated player at Burnley. By the same metric, this rating would have made him the second-highest rated outfield player in Leeds’ squad for 2021/22.

Labelled an “incredible talent” by Irish journalist John Balfe on Twitter, Collins was praised for a “sublime” goal that he scored for the Republic of Ireland earlier this week by his national team boss Stephen Kenny, which shows that he can be just as formidable in front of the opponent’s goal as he is in his own penalty area.

Marsch badly needs him

Taking into account how Leeds conceded 79 goals throughout their latest Premier League campaign, leaving only rock-bottom Norwich City (84) with a worse record, it’s safe to say that the Whites and Jesse Marsch could do with adding some defensive reinforcements to their ranks this summer.

With that in mind, Collins could be the perfect fit for Leeds given his young age and clear ability to be a solid defender in the Premier League.

In fact, no other club in the top flight faced more shots on target (219) than Leeds last season, highlighting their need to bring in someone who can snuff out any danger or prevent the goalkeeper from having to make as many saves.

Burnley presumably won’t want to see another defender leave the club this summer following the recent departures of Ben Mee and James Tarkowski, but if an opportunity to sign the £9m-rated Irishman crops up, the Whites should be all over it ahead of their Premier League rivals.

In other news: Leeds now eyeing “complete” £25m “Rolls-Royce”, he’s the perfect Phillips replacement

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing attacking midfielder Lucas Paqueta from Lyon, according to football.london. 

The lowdown: Top talent

Formerly of Flamengo’s youth system, the 24-year-old made the move to Europe in 2019 for €35m (£30m) when AC Milan snapped up the talented Brazilian (ESPN).

Having directly contributed to just four goals in 44 appearances in Italy, he was sold to Lyon in 2020, where he has recaptured his best form with 34 goal involvements in 78 outings.

Following strong interest from Newcastle United in recent months, it now appears as though Tottenham are also pursuing the Brazil international…

The latest: Spurs interest in Paqueta

As per football.london, Tottenham are said to have been ‘tracking’ Paqueta for some time.

Along with the Brazilian, who was hailed as a ‘special footballer’ by journalist Jacob Schneider during a Europa League clash with Sparta Prague, the report takes an in-depth look at the targets for Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte this summer as the Italian duo attempt to strengthen the squad at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It’s also claimed that the north Londoners have shown an interest in Leicester City star James Maddison, soon-to-be free agent Jesse Lingard and newly-promoted Nottingham Forest ace Brennan Johnson as candidates to bolster the attacking midfield department.

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The verdict: Make it happen

With the wantaway Steven Bergwijn looking increasingly likely to move on this summer and Bryan Gil’s future still undecided, adding another attack-minded midfield option to Conte’s ranks would be a worthwhile venture.

Last season, Paqueta scored 11 times and provided seven assists in 44 appearances across all competitions, earning a superb 7.13 Sofascore rating whilst winning 7.3 duels, making 1.2 key passes and taking 2.5 shots per Ligue 1 match in the process.

Holding a strong stylistic likeness to illustrious names such as Hakim Ziyech, Marco Reus and Thomas Müller (FBRef), the 33-cap Brazilian would offer supreme versatility, with an ability to play on either flank, as a number 10, centre-forward and as a more conventional central midfielder.

Valued at £31.5m and under contract in France until 2025 (Transfermarkt), this would be an expensive deal for ENIC, but one which would make a lot of sense.

In other news: ‘Very recently’ – Tottenham hold talks over signing ‘one of the top strikers in England’! Find out more here.

Sunderland boss Alex Neil and chief Kristjaan Speakman will currently be hard at work as they plot deals to improve the squad for the upcoming Championship campaign.

A development recently emerged on their pursuit of Nathan Broadhead as they head into the summer transfer window…

The Northern Echo reported that the Black Cats are now in talks with Everton over a deal to re-sign the centre-forward.

He spent the season just gone on loan from the Toffees and has one year left on his contract at Goodison Park, with Sunderland now hoping to snap him up again.

Forget Ross Stewart

The report also claims that Stewart is in line for a new contract at the club but the deal that will really get the Stadium of Light rocking is for Broadhead.

In the 2021/22 campaign, the Welshman enjoyed an excellent time with the club as he proved that he can score goals on a regular basis when fit. He managed to find the back of the net ten times in just 15 League One outings and this shows that he is clinical in front of goal.

The attacker only missed five ‘big chances’ in 22 appearances, whilst Stewart missed 23 ‘big chances’ in 49 games for the club. These statistics suggest that Broadhead produced a higher standard of finishing than the Scot, which bodes well for his prospects in the Championship – where chances may be harder to come by.

Wigan have been linked with a swoop for the attacker, but journalist Josh Bunting has backed the player to pick the Black Cats, Tweeting:

“I’d like to think if it came to it Nathan Broadhead would choose Sunderland, he’s loved by the fans, he plays in front of a big crowd each week, he experienced that atmosphere at Wembley. Playing with a big club and one that is moving in the right direction, easy choice.”

Speakman must now ensure that he can get a permanent deal over the line for the Wales international ahead of Wigan. The stadium would be rocking with excitement over the move because of his impressive performances throughout his loan spell.

Supporters would also look forward to what he can do in the future. At the age of 24, he is still in the early stages of his career and has plenty of time left on his hands to develop into a top player, at Championship level and potentially higher.

AND in other news, Offer incoming: Sunderland transfer development emerges that’ll delight supporters…

West Bromwich Albion got their summer transfer business off to a solid start last month when they announced they had secured a deal to sign John Swift on a free transfer from fellow Championship side Reading.

Having only scored 52 league goals in the most recent campaign, it was clear that the Baggies needed some creativity and extra attacking power in their side.

With Swift racking up 11 goals and 13 assists in 38 league games for Reading this term, it’s easy to see why Albion were so keen to add him to their ranks.

Looking ahead to when the summer transfer window opens, West Brom might add another player to their squad who could potentially make them an even deadlier team and possibly form a deadly duo with Swift.

Last month, the Baggies were named as one of the clubs reportedly interested in signing MK Dons’ £3m-rated attacking midfielder Scott Twine.

Imagine him and Swift

After leaving his boyhood club Swindon Town last summer, the 22-year-old went on to have a storming debut season with his current club in League One.

In 44 league appearances before getting to the play-offs, the Englishman found the net 20 times and delivered 13 assists in the process.

To further highlight the youngster’s attacking talents, no other player at MK Dons got close to the number of shots at goal that Twine racked up (146). The 22-year-old also ended the season with the joint-highest number of shots on target (62) in the entire division.

To put that into perspective, Karlan Grant was the only player at West Brom to have over 100 shots at goal with 108, which is still significantly lower than Twine’s total.

Labelled a “human highlight reel” by podcaster Ryan Dilks, the MK Dons supremo could be a great prospective midfield partner for Swift at The Hawthorns next season, given the duo’s ability to score and provide goals on a regular basis.

Having also been just as deadly playing on the wings as he has been in midfield, this sort of versatility could make Twine a valuable asset for Bruce should any future injury issues crop up in his squad.

If the MK Dons starlet can make the step up to the Championship and deliver the same sort of numbers with the Baggies as he did during the 2021/22 season, he could be a great second summer signing for Albion if they are able to entice him to The Hawthorns.

In other news: Bruce can unearth WBA’s next Robinson by unleashing “confident” rarely-seen 22 y/o gem

Aston Villa are expected to sign Rangers teenager Rory Wilson in the coming weeks, according to The Athletic. 

The Lowdown: Finally!

Wilson, a 16-year-old striker labelled as ‘clinical’ by Brian McLaughlin, has been on Villa’s radar for some time.

Villa were linked with the forward at the end of March and again at the beginning of May, with reports suggesting that Gerrard wanted Villa to pip Liverpool in the race for Wilson’s services.

It looks as if the Villa manager is finally set to get his way when it comes to the teenager regarded as one of the best young players in the United Kingdom.

The Latest: Set to leave Ibrox

The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell provided a Rangers transfer update on Friday, looking at the club’s summer plans.

When it came to youngsters at Ibrox, Campbell stated that Wilson ‘is expected to leave for Aston Villa in the coming weeks’.

The Verdict: Shrewd move

Wilson appears to be a future star and has already been snapped up by Adidas in a boot deal and CAA Base agency, who represent the likes of Heung-min Son and Raphael Varane.

You’d expect that the striker, who scored more than 40 goals at youth level last season, will go into the club’s academy ranks to start with. However, it wouldn’t come as a shock if the Scot impresses at Bodymoor Heath, which could see him make the odd first-team match-day squad from time to time, as we saw with Tim Iroegbunam last season.

In other news: Sky Sports man now drops ‘crazy’ Luis Suarez to AVFC claim after what he’s heard from Villa Park. 

Leeds United are one of the clubs ‘most interested’ in signing RB Leipzig midfielder Tyler Adams this summer.

The Lowdown: Adams profiled

Adams, who Jesse Marsch hailed as ‘special talent’, is primarily a defensive midfielder who can also play on the right-hand side.

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The 23-year-old has worked under Marsch at New York Red Bulls and Leipzig, making 71 appearances under the Leeds boss, contributing to ten goals in the process.

Adams, a USA international, is valued at £15.3m by Transfermarkt and is under contract until 2025, but it looks as if a move to Elland Road for a third spell under Marsch could now be on the cards.

The Latest: Leeds keen

MLS Transfers posted an update regarding Adams on Twitter over the weekend, stating that the midfielder ‘is ready to leave the Bundesliga’.

Leipzig want a ‘big transfer fee’, with Leeds and Benfica ‘currently the most interested’ in Adams, who has a €40m (£34m) release clause.

The Verdict: Phillips partner?

Leeds appear to be on the hunt for another defensive midfielder ahead of Marsch’s first full season, even if Kalvin Phillips remains at the club.

Phillips has been heavily linked with an exit, but should he pen new terms with his boyhood club, the Whites may still need reinforcements, especially if Marsch looks to implement a narrow 4-2-2-2 system.

Midfield options are extremely limited at this moment in time, so bringing in Adams, who already has experience at the highest level, could be a smart piece of business both in the short and long run as Marsch knows how to get the best out of him.

In other news: Orta now working on bizarre transfer for ‘magnificent’ ace; he has history with Leeds supporters.