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Leeds United’s interest in Ajax left-back Nicolás Tagliafico has been handed a major boost after his price tag emerged, as reported by Leeds Live.

The Lowdown: Leeds United look to bolster the ranks ahead of 2021/22

As the Yorkshiremen gear up for their second season back in the Premier League, they have turned their attentions towards the Argentinian.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men are yet to foray into the transfer market this summer, but they have also been heavily linked with a move for Stade Brest defender Romain Perraud as they hunt an upgrade at left-back.

Ezgjan Alioski is out of contract this summer, so it is a position we will likely see some action in this summer at Thorp Arch.

The Latest: Price tag emerges; two other clubs interested

As rumours swirl, Leeds United have been handed a boost this week with reports in the Netherlands, via Leeds Live, suggesting Tagliafico could be available for just €12m (£10.3m).

Tagliafico has previously spoken of his desire to perform on a “bigger stage” [Tribal Football], and now it seems Ajax are happy to let him leave for what appears to be a very reasonable fee.

Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid are also linked with the flying full-back’s signature (Leeds Live).

The Verdict: Tagliafico would be a massive coup for Leeds United

Bringing in the Buenos Aires-born defender to Yorkshire could be one of the best signings in Leeds United’s recent history. Possessing top pedigree, Tagliafico has performed on the world stage with 28 outings for Argentina [Transfermarkt].

The 28-year-old has also enjoyed another a stellar 2020/21 season in the Dutch capital. Registering four assists and one goal from 40 appearances in all competitions [Transfermarkt], the Argentina international helped his side to an outstanding league and cup double [AFC Ajax]. He now has two league titles and three domestic cups in the last three seasons.

Advantageously, the lure of Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa being from Argentina could prove to be a positive factor in any potential negotiations.

Leeds United should attempt to push this transfer over the line, given Alioski’s contract situation and the minimal price tag placed on Tagliafico, a man with a wealth of top level experience for club and country.

In other news, a Leeds United defender is on the verge of an Elland Road exit. 

According to a report by Italian newspaper Tuttosport, via Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City are both in a race for Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi as the Premier League duo display managerial interest.

The Lowdown: Inzaghi emerges as Spurs candidate

As yet another coach becomes touted with the Tottenham vacancy, Inzaghi has only entered the fray as an option very recently.

Indeed, whispers surrounding the 45-year-old have emerged this week with odds touting him as a new favourite to replace the departed Jose Mourinho (football.london).

He joins the long list of Italians linked to Spurs alongside Maurizio Sarri, Gian Piero Gasperini, Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri (via TEAMtalk)

The Latest: Spurs and Leicester in race for Inzaghi

Now, bringing the latest, Tuttosport claim that Inzaghi is of interest to both Tottenham and Leicester as the two clubs enter a race for his possible appointment.

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Indeed, Lazio’s boss is said to be attracting the Premier League duo whilst he reflects on his future in the Italian capital – with the former Italy international still yet to make a firm decision.

It is believed by Tuttosport that Inzaghi will sit down with club president Claudio Lotito and discuss it at the end of the season.

The Verdict: The best outside candidate yet?

Inzaghi has garnered absolutely no shortage of praise since taking over at Lazio from Marcelo Bielsa back in 2016.

Being likened to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp by striker Ciro Immobile, who called Inzaghi ‘very similar’ due their motivational skills (Football Italia), he’s also been called ‘one of the best coaches in Europe’ by FIFA agent Claudio Anellucci (TUTTOmercatoWEB).

A fan favourite at Lazio, he has also clinched silverware with the club – winning one Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italianas over nearly half a decade in charge.

Arguably falling into the category of a young and dynamic coach allegedly wanted by technical performance director Steve Hitchen (The Daily Mail), he could a great option for Tottenham.

In other news: Levy in pole position to sign this powerhouse, find out more here.

Watford have been handed a huge boost in their bid to bring Lewis Ferguson to Vicarage Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claim that the 21-year-old has stunned Aberdeen by handing in a transfer request shortly after the club rejected a Watford bid for Ferguson – something which the midfielder’s agent Bill McMurdo claimed was disappointing.

McMurdo said: “I can confirm that Lewis has handed in a written transfer request to Aberdeen. When he signed the extension to his contract, he made it clear that he saw his future in the English Premier League.

“An English Premier League club has now made an offer, which has been rejected, but the club involved haven’t been given an asking price, which is disappointing.”

Xisco will be buzzing

The news that Ferguson has informed Aberdeen of his desire to move to Watford is something that will have left Cristiano Giartetta delighted, as the transfer request very much forces the Scottish Premiership side’s hand in moving the player on this summer.

Indeed, the development is also sure to have Xisco Munoz buzzing, as the Scotland U21 international would very much appear to be a fine addition to the Spaniard’s midfield ahead of their Premier League campaign next season.

Over the £2.7m-rated central midfielder’s 35 league appearances for Stephen Glass’ side this term, he scored nine goals, provided two assists and created three big chances, as well as making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 1.8 tackles and 0.9 key passes per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 7.19 – ranking him as the club’s best performer in the Scottish top flight.

However, at present, Aberdeen appear to be firmly against the idea of letting Ferguson leave Pittodrie this summer, with the club issuing a statement suggesting that Watford’s original offer for the 21-year-old was “insulting,” before going on to claim that the £3k-per-week man remains an “integral part of Stephen Glass’s squad.”

Although, as is typically the case when players demand a transfer, a move to Watford would now appear imminent for the midfielder whom Derek McInnes dubbed “outstanding,” with it simply being a matter of Giaretta negotiating a reasonable price with Aberdeen in order to get the deal over the line.

In other news: Giaretta must sanction Watford swoop for 21 y/o likened to Son with “ancient flavour” – opinion

If you believe the newspapers then Celtic’s hunt to bring a manager to Parkhead could be reaching a conclusion.

A number of coaches have been linked with the Hoops vacancy but it’s Eddie Howe who has been the hot favourite.

What’s the latest?

With a deal to bring Howe to Paradise supposedly nearing its end, Celtic will now hope to polish off a deal for a new director of football.

This has been an ongoing saga for the best part of several months now as they bid to replace Nick Hammond.

He left the club this month and thus, there is a glaring hole in their recruitment team.

It’s one that could now be filled by John Kennedy, the club’s interim manager.

That’s according to The Scottish Sun who report that the Scot is in the frame to be appointed the club’s sporting director ahead of Fergal Harkin and Richard Hughes.

The suggestion is that the top brass at Celtic want him to work closely with Howe if he’s appointed.

Big U-turn on the cards

There have been a number of twists and turns in Celtic’s hunt to find a new manager or director of football but this is perhaps the biggest of them all.

The Bhoys initially wanted Manchester City’s Harkin to be inserted into the job. In fact, a deal was reportedly 90% done to bring him to Paradise this summer.

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However, that move was put on hold due to the demands of Howe. The 43-year-old wanted his companion at Bournemouth, Hughes, to join him in Glasgow instead.

That appeared to be the major hold up in deal for the former Cherries boss but it’s now thought that Hughes isn’t as key to proceedings as first thought.

With that in mind, Dermot Desmond is clearly pondering other options.

Celtic’s interim manager had been considered for a permanent position as first-team manager but it looks as though the hierarchy have had a change of heart on that front.

Kennedy has hardly set the world alight since being made manager with the Bhoys crashing out of the Scottish Cup and conceding some particularly sloppy goals.

Supporters will have to hope he’s more qualified for matters behind the scenes because his management of the players has left plenty to be desired.

AND in other news, Move over Howe: Desmond could revive Celtic by hiring “kamikaze” 52 y/o boss instead…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 150 appearances for Newcastle United, claims the Magpies don’t have the players require to pull of Graeme Jones’ much loved split striker system.

Jones was Roberto Martinez’s assistant at Swansea City, Wigan Athletic, Everton and Belgium before taking his first managerial job at Luton Town which ended up in him being sacked before the season finished.

The split striker system is what Martinez often uses with Belgium, however, it has been strongly discussed on Tyneside by Rob Lee who saw it first hand at Luton where it also didn’t work.

Speaking on what is required to make the system work and why Newcastle won’t be able to pull it off, Howey told FFC:

“A system can work but you need to get your players to, first of all, buy into it and second of all, be capable of actually pulling it off.

“Roberto Martinez uses it at Belgium so I think that’s possibly where he’s [Jones] got it from but Newcastle haven’t got Lukaku or Kevin De Bruyne.

“You’ve got to look at your players and try to pick the best formation which suits your team and players.”

The Magpies have managed to find themselves all but safe from relegation after a recent uplift in form, sitting nine points above 18th placed Fulham with just four games of the campaign to play.

Whilst Rangers’ defence has been one of the key factors behind their impressive title triumph this season, it is worth noting that Steven Gerrard has been without one of his best centre-backs in Nikola Katic due to injury for the whole campaign, but it appears that the Croatian is nearing a return at Ibrox.

Speaking in a press conference earlier this week, assistant manager Gary McAllister delivered a promising update on the 24-year-old defender, confirming that he is now ‘back on the grass’ after his long-term injury problems.

The centre-back, who was signed from Croatian side Slaven Belupo Koprivnica in the summer of 2018, quickly established himself as a regular and a fan favourite at Ibrox and has now made 59 appearances for the Light Blues, in which he has contributed six goals and three assists.

It was a massive blow for Gerrard ahead of this campaign when Katic ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in training last summer and it would be great to see him make even one appearance before the end of the campaign.

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Gerrard is undoubtedly a massive fan of the centre-back, as in 2019 he explained why the Croatian was keeping Filip Helander out of the team, saying: “Nikola is a player we love and admire and want to help grow and develop and that is happening.”

The centre-back also earned a lot of praise from Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic after he suffered his injury last year and assured the defender that he will reclaim his place in the national side, saying: “Niko is young and he has lots of time on his side to come back from this. He is a player I rate highly. He is playing at a very high level.”

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Therefore, it is a massive boost for Rangers and Gerrard that the £1.44m-rated Croatian has made a big step towards his recovery, and even if he doesn’t make his return this season, he will undoubtedly have a big part to play next season when the Light Blues look to retain their Premiership title.

In other news… Gerrard should axe £7.5k-p/w Rangers outcast this summer, he’s nowhere near Champions League level

Liam Kennedy has dropped an inside claim from sources on James Pallotta and a potential takeover of Newcastle United, revealing that those inside the Toon are ‘surprised’ by the talk from the former Roma chief.

Writing in his latest piece for The Shields Gazette, the football journalist has claimed that Pallotta has ‘yet to contact’ the St. James’ Park faithful following an exclusive interview that he did with The Athletic, in which former chairman and co-owner of AS Roma expressed an interest in buying a club in the Premier League, namechecking Steve Bruce’s side in the midst of it.

However, Kennedy has since squashed down any potential chances of him taking over in the North East, adding that any approach made by the businessman currently would ‘not be welcomed’ by the Tyneside club.

Mike Ashley continues to ‘only have eyes’ for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group, and the news about Pallotta’s potential interest has ‘come as a surprise’ to the Magpies.

Sources believe that the links are nothing more than a ‘publicity stunt’ at this stage, as Ashley remains ‘100% committed’ to selling to the KSA consortium, per Kennedy’s report.

Only one chance for potential Newcastle takeover

With the rumours of Pallotta potentially actively looking to buy the Toon being firmly played down, it seems that there is only one chance of a takeover at NUFC, and that still lies with the KSA group.

However, the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) will have to come back to the table to have any hope of the original deal with Ashley to be revived, and Newcastle likely need to ensure that they are playing football in the Premier League come the start of the 2021/22 term for that to happen.

Last week, pundit Danny Mills claimed the Magpies’ hopes of a takeover will ‘without a shadow of a doubt’ disappear if they are relegated.

In other news, find out what claim on the potential takeover has been dropped involving Steve Bruce here!

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Wolves striker Steve Bull has heaped praise on Rui Patricio, hailing the Portugal international as a great goalkeeper.

Patricio, who joined Wolves from Sporting Lisbon back in 2018, has made himself the team’s No.1, rarely disappointing manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

Last season, the 33-year-old kept 13 clean sheets in the Premier League, helping the Midlands club to build a solid foundation from the back.

Bearing that in mind, Wolves will be desperate to have Patricio available after the international break, with the ex-Sporting Lisbon shot-stopper picking up a horrific head injury in the recent 1-0 defeat to Liverpool.

Discussing Patricio in an exclusive interview with FFC, Bull said:

“He’s a great goalkeeper. A Portuguese international goalkeeper coming to Wolves, that’s class and just shows the ambition. And when you see him, he’s like a cat flying left, right and centre.

“He’s a big pillar as well, he’s demanding in the box, he knows what he wants. He was unfortunate [against Liverpool] because he was being brave to try and get the ball, which you want a ‘keeper to do. He’s a world-class goalkeeper and I’m glad Wolves have got him.”

Last season, Wolves recorded one of the best defensive records in the Premier League as they went on to finish seventh in English football’s top division. Across the 38 games played that term, Nuno’s men conceded 40 goals, with the Portugal No.1 playing his part.

Should he recover in time, next up for Patricio is a tough game against in-form West Ham. David Moyes has the Hammers flying high this term, guiding them to fifth place and just two points behind Chelsea and that final Champions League spot.

Liverpool are closing in on a move for RB Leipzig centre-back Ibrahima Konate, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

Jurgen Klopp is likely to be eyeing up a new defender this summer, having experienced all sort of problems in that area throughout the season.

Liverpool are without injured trio Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip for the remainder of the season, with Nathaniel Phillips forced to become a regular and Ozan Kabak joining on loan from Schalke.

Konate is a player with whom the Reds have been linked numerous times in the past and it now looks as though he will be heading to Anfield in the summer.

Liverpool look set to sign Konate

According to Ornstein, significant progress has been made with regards to a deal for the 21-year-old , with talks now at an advanced stage.

Konate has been limited to just four Bundesliga starts this season, due to injuries of his own, but he is considered a player of big potential. His former coach Ralf Rangnick has said of the Frenchman: “He’s so good that he could play for Real Madrid or Barcelona one day.”

Transfer Tavern take

It is apparent that Klopp sees the importance of bringing in a centre-back this summer, with Matip particularly unreliable when it comes to staying fit consistently.

Konate is a player who could not only come in and do a job straight away, boasting ample Bundesliga and Champions League experience, but could also represent the long-term future at Anfield.

In other news, one Liverpool star has been tipped to stay put this summer – find out who it is here.

Over the last few seasons, the stats have well and truly been in Liverpool’s favour. A Premier League triumph and Champions League coronation was enough to testify to that.

However, 2020/21 has been a campaign to forget for Jurgen Klopp and his players. They have looked considerably off the pace and their numbers are nothing short of diabolical.

The Reds have lost five games in a row at Anfield for the first time in their history whilst they’ve now gone more than ten hours at home without scoring from open play. Liverpool’s xG of 0.3 versus Chelsea, meanwhile, was their lowest tally at Anfield since they faced Manchester City in 2016.

This, therefore, was a torrid night. Liverpool had just one shot on target and failed to ever trouble a rejuvenated Chelsea side. Thomas Tuchel got the better of his fellow countryman which means the Merseyside outfit now sit in seventh.

Their players look beaten, fatigued and lost for words. No one typifies that more than Sadio Mane.

The forward has been sensational for Liverpool in recent years on his way to finding the net on 92 occasions in 204 matches. Yet, this season, he has been a shadow of his former self.

Mane has scored just seven times in the Premier League this term, a tally that is some way off the normal number we’re used to seeing him produce.

He lacks a cutting edge in front of goal, something we saw at Anfield on Thursday in their 1-0 defeat. He had a wonderful chance to score in the first half when Mo Salah played a ball over the top. As it came towards Mane inside the area he got his feet in a mess and the chance went begging.

It summed up his campaign and indeed an arduous night. So often Liverpool’s go-to man in recent years, he had fewer touches (47) of the ball than goalkeeper Alisson (50).

On top of that, Mane made just 19 passes, the lowest tally of any player to start the game for the Reds. Liverpool’s number 10 failed to have a single shot or provide a key pass either.

It was a surprise that he wasn’t one of the players withdrawn, especially with Salah going off after an hour. If anyone was going to make something happen, it was their dazzling Egyptian. Unlike Mane, he still looks capable of producing magic moments.

The Senegalese seems to be running on empty and should be fearful with Diogo Jota now back from injury. Mane simply hasn’t been good enough.

AND in other news, Great decision: Jurgen Klopp’s gamble with £99m-rated star is paying off for Liverpool…