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Manchester City are edging closer to the signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa, but a recent report has suggested that would make any move for Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane very difficult this summer.

What’s the word?

Grealish and Kane have emerged as Pep Guardiola’s two top targets for the Citizens this summer and the former looks close to completing a move to the Etihad in a deal worth around £100m.

However, Manchester Evening News journalist Liam Corless has claimed that the deal for the Villa captain could see City end their interest in Kane, unless they are able to raise a significant amount of money through player sales between now and the end of the window.

As Spurs will likely demand well in excess of £100m for their talismanic striker, with chairman Daniel Levy clearly keen to keep him in North London, it simply isn’t financially viable for Manchester City to bring him in as well as Grealish in the same transfer window without significant sales.

A blow for Guardiola?

It seems baffling that City are seemingly prioritising a move for Grealish over the £108m-rated Kane when you consider the options that Guardiola currently has in their respective positions.

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Whilst the Spanish manager can boast talents such as Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez on the wing, he has just Gabriel Jesus available as a senior striker in his squad following Sergio Aguero’s exit earlier in the summer.

Although the Citizens were sensational at times last season, they lacked a clinical striker on a number of occasions towards the end of the season and were punished by Chelsea in the FA Cup and Champions League, so signing a world-class talent such as Kane should really have been City’s priority ahead of the new season.

The 28-year-old striker is clearly keen on a move , with reports earlier today claiming that he has failed to turn up for training at Tottenham Hotspur but if City do complete a move for Grealish, it seems as if they will have to sell a number of first-team options before even considering a bid for the England captain.

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City fans certainly won’t be happy with this update, as they too will surely have been hoping to sign a clinical striker this summer, and now it seems as if a deal for Kane is going to be very difficult for the Citizens to complete and if they are to sign him, they may need to cash in on another star player.

And, in other news… Imagine him and Foden: Txiki can secure City’s future with swoop for “very strong” 18 y/o

Leeds United could clinch an exciting signing in Club Brugge starlet Noa Lang amid glowing comments from his teammate.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from The Telegraph, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been watching the 21-year-old, and there have even been suggestions from the Dutch media that the Whites’ interest in him is concrete.

And now, his teammate at Brugge, Cyriel Dessers, has insisted that Lang is ready to shine in English football, even backing Leeds’ interest in him.

He said: “He is absolutely ready for the Premier League. He was fantastic last season. Then it is logical that there is a next step.  I would love to see him in the Champions League with Club Brugge, but he has shown that he is one of the best footballers in Belgium.

“He is a graceful footballer, but he also works very hard. I often sat on the bench, so I could keep an eye on him there. But the way he works, I didn’t know he had that in him. He has really taken a step. The interest does not come out of nowhere. I know how Leeds work.”

Could blossom under Bielsa

Given that he only recently turned 22, Lang could be the kind of long-term project who thrives under Bielsa and blossoms into a real star at both club and international level.

Able to play anywhere across the frontline, Lang has shown he has a real eye for goal in his loan spell at Brugge last season, bagging 17 goals and providing a further 11 assists in just 37 games, including netting in the Champions League.

With the volume of goals and assists that Lang delivered last season, and with him still being very much in the infancy of his career, a move for the youngster would surely be the kind of exciting one that has both the fans and Bielsa buzzing.

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The £19.8m-rated Lang looks to be the kind of player who makes a real impact in the final third and is someone who produces a genuine end product, rather than just flashes of promise.

Given his teammate’s own words about how he could do in the Premier League were Leeds to get him, the Whites must turn their interest into a signing. He seems like the type of young player who Bielsa can develop even further and given the impressive season he had last year, he could turn into something very special under the excellent Leeds manager.

Meanwhile, this star could be incredible alongside Raphinha…

Leeds United are closing in on a deal to bring Nahitan Nandez to Elland Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claim that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are very close to completing a deal for the Cagliari Calcio central midfielder, with the Whites having only a few details to sort out before the 25-year-old makes a move to the Premier League club.

The report goes on to state that, despite both Inter Milan and ACF Fiorentina believed to be keen on the Uruguay international, neither side have made a concrete offer for Nandez, leaving Leeds with something of a clear run at the £19.8m-rated man, who is thought to have a €36m (£31m) release clause in his Cagliari contract.

Bielsa will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Nandez was for Cagliari last season, in addition to how important the midfielder has been for Uruguay at this summer’s Copa America, the news that Leeds appear close to getting a deal over the line for the 25-year-old is sure to have left Bielsa buzzing.

Indeed, over his 32 Serie A appearances for Leonardo Semplici’s side last term, the industrious midfielder made an average of 0.7 interceptions, 1.8 tackles, 1.5 clearances and won 6.1 duels per game.

The £42k-per-week man also impressed for his side in an attacking capacity, scoring two goals, registering two assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of one key pass per league fixture.

These returns saw Nandez earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.80, ranking him as Cagliari’s 11th-best performer in the Italian top flight, playing a huge role in ensuring the Sardinian side retained their status as a Serie A team.

The 25-year-old has also featured in every game for Oscar Tabarez’s Uruguay side at the Copa America this summer, making an average of 1.7 tackles and winning an average of 5.7 duels over his three appearances in the competition, averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.77, helping his side progress to the knockout stages with one group game to spare.

Aside from his impressive displays for club and country, another reason as to why Nandez would be a smart signing for Leeds is the fact that Bielsa currently has no real backup for Kalvin Phillips in the middle of the park, an issue which must be addressed this summer if the Whites wish to push on from their impressive ninth-place finish last season.

As such, if Leeds are indeed close to getting a deal over the line for the man whom Serie A expert Conor Clancy dubbed a “powerful” midfielder and a “machine” this summer, he would appear to be a brilliant first signing of the window for Victor Orta to bring into the club.

In other news: Leeds could strike gold with powerful £17m-rated beast tipped to be “one of the best”

Everton were shocked to the core when it emerged that Carlo Ancelotti would be leaving Goodison Park after just one season at the helm and football finance expert, Kieran Maguire believes that they must sell a lot of players before they even think of signing anyone.

Since Farhad Moshiri entered the frame at Goodison Park back in 2016, the Toffees have spent an astonishing £526.38 million on players but have still failed to get anywhere near the European qualification spots.

In the last financial year Everton reported mesmerizing losses of £139.9 million so with talk of Richarlison being wanted by Ancelotti at Real Madrid, they may do worse than to sell one of their top assets.

The Toffees will want to back their new manager in the transfer market as they once again, look to break into the top six, however, that may not be possible his summer, according to Maguire who spoke exclusively to Transfer Tavern:

“I think Everton have got a financial fair play challenge to deal with but they’ve already got rid of Walcott and there’ll still be some other players who are out of contract so on the back of that they’re going to have to recruit.

“However, to a certain extent, they need to either sell or loan out players to get some money in to absorb some of the wages before they can start to spend big.”

Everton have long wanted to be challenging at the top of the Premier League however, poor recruitment has cost them massively with the likes of Yannick Bolasie, Davy Klaassen, Alex Iwobi and Jean-Philippe Gbamin all costing over £20 million.

It appeared that this season may have been the one for them as they started strongly in September and October, however their form fell off a cliff from January as they ultimately finished 10th.

Helder Costa will depart Leeds United during the summer transfer window if the prediction of former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips plays out.

The Lowdown: Peripheral figure for Leeds

The Whites has an exceptional season back in the Premier League, with numerous individuals playing big roles for Marcelo Bielsa, whether it be Illan Meslier, Kalvin Phillips or Patrick Bamford, to name just a few.

Someone who rarely played a starring role was Costa, however, with the Portuguese only making a total of 13 starts in the league.

He invariably found himself kept out of the team by the likes of Raphinha and Jack Harrison, having to make do with a squad role instead.

The Latest: Costa tipped to leave

Costa has been linked with a summer exit, and speaking to Football Insider, Phillips claimed it was time for the winger to find a new club:

“They have already got a lot of wingers. I would say that it makes it very likely that Costa will move on because he didn’t play a lot last season.

“It’s an area that they have plenty of cover in, those wide areas. So I think maybe his time at Leeds is up. He can go somewhere now and go and play regularly. Whether that means that you’ve got to drop down a league, who knows?”

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The Verdict: Time to move on

It makes perfect sense for Costa to leave, despite him being described as an ‘immense’ footballer by former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

His current deal doesn’t expire until 2024, meaning Leeds could receive a decent amount for him and new signings could push him even further down the pecking order.

Costa is a talented player who has still contributed for the Whites, but it feels as though the team is moving on without him and a sale makes sense for all parties.

In other news, Leeds have been tipped to sign a player from under the noses of a fellow Premier League side. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United could send exciting young attacker Sam Greenwood out on loan next season, according to journalist Graham Smyth.

The Lowdown: Exciting young player

Greenwood made the move to Elland Road last summer, with the Whites snapping him up from fellow Premier League club Arsenal.

The 19-year-old scored 12 goals in just 19 appearances for Leeds’ Under-23s in 2020/21 and he has been compared to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.

The Latest: Greenwood could be loaned out

Despite Greenwood’s undoubted potential, it seems unlikely that he is going to break into Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team any time soon.

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Smyth, Leeds will consider loaning out the youngster, claiming there has been ‘Championship interest’ in him.

Greenwood has made one appearance for the senior side, coming in the FA Cup defeat away to Crawley Town in January.

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The Verdict: Sensible decision

It makes perfect sense to send Greenwood out on loan, allowing him to develop and not grow stagnant in the academy setup.

Liverpool youngster Harvey Elliott could be a good comparison, with the teenager spending last season at Blackburn Rovers and excelling, scoring seven goals and registering 11 assists in the league.

If Greenwood went and had similar success at that level, Bielsa may then feel he could be a key part of his plans moving forward.

In other news, a pundit has been left ‘really disappointed’ by an update regarding a key Leeds figure. Read more here.

Celtic target Milan van Ewijk is set to leave ADO Den Haag in the summer, and the right-back looks set to be available in a cut-price deal as details have now emerged about his price tag.

The Lowdown: Hoops on the hunt for a new right-back?

The Hoops appear to be in desperate need of a right-back this summer. They’ve lost both Jeremie Frimpong and Hatem Elhamed in 2021 and had to bring in Jonjoe Kenny from Everton on loan.

Kenny proved to be Neil Lennon’s final signing as Celtic boss, but it doesn’t appear as if a permanent Parkhead move for the Toffees man is on the cards.

Therefore, the Hoops could do with bolstering their right-back ranks in the summer window and expressed their interest in van Ewijk back in March.

The Latest: van Ewijk available in cut-price deal

According to a recent report from Dutch outlet AD, ADO Den Haag see the summer as a good time to part ways with van Ewijk and want around €750,000 (£650,000) for his services.

Van Ewijk is valued at £675,000 by Transfermarkt and has just over 12 months remaining on his current contract, so it seems as if the Hoops can swoop in a touch under his valuation by submitting a £650,000 bid.

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The Verdict: McKay may have to act fast

New Celtic CEO Dominic McKay may have to act fast, should he wish to solve the club’s right-back woes ahead of the 2021/22 season with the signing of van Ewijk.

That’s because in AD’s latest report, SC Heerenveen have been given permission to enter talks with the 20-year-old.

They’ve offered ADO Den Haag around €500,000, so Celtic may well have to gazump Heerenveen by offering a figure closer to the asking price.

It seems as if a deal is doable for the Hoops, but time could be crucial to avoid missing out on their man with other sides now lurking.

In other news: Celtic’s off-field mess could scupper Hoops’ first summer signing, find out more here. 

Ever since that 3-0 defeat to Brighton, something appears to have just clicked with Newcastle United in the Premier League, with the Magpies picking up another win against Sheffield United on Wednesday night.

Steve Bruce’s side have now lost just twice since the 20th March, and have picked up 14 points in that process, including some really notable results against the likes of Liverpool, Leicester and West Ham.

Against the Blades yesterday, it was Joe Willock once again who proved to be the match-winner, meaning that the Arsenal loanee has now bagged in the last six Premier League games where he has been on the pitch.

And while his signing will no doubt be a priority this summer – Bruce himself has said as much in recent weeks – it was Allan Saint-Maximin’s display that showed why the Frenchman has got to be the man the Magpies continue to build around.

The mercurial winger was almost back to his bamboozling best against Sheffield United, twisting this way and that, and always looking like he could cut open the Blades defence like a knife through butter.

As per Sofascore, his 8.1 match rating was the highest of any player on the pitch, and when you look at some of the underlying numbers it’s easy to see why.

He completed a whopping 15 of his 16 dribbles on the night – yes, you read that correctly – and also won a monstrous 19 of his 24 duels – again, your eyes do not deceive you.

To put that into context about just how ridiculous that is, Adama Traore who leads the way this season in the Premier League in terms of average dribbles per game, is at 4.2 per game.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for The Chronicle, Lee Ryder gave him an eight, saying: “The crowd pleaser looked capable of slicing the Blades open time after time. Always creative before knock forced him off. Had 63 touches in total and big hand in opener.”

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Those sentiments were echoed by The Shields Gazette’s Liam Kennedy, who also gave him an eight, adding: “What a player. He’s turned up with the want to entertain. Some unbelievable runs from all over the park. Quiet in the last two games – not this time around. Shame he picked up an injury to end his night.”

The £75k-a-week earning Saint-Maximin was outstanding, and he no doubt had the St James’ Park faithful off their seat time and time again.

Queens Park Rangers have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Chuks Aneke to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by London News Online, who claim that the 27-year-old Charlton Athletic forward has not turned down the offer of a new contract from Nigel Adkins’ side.

This latest development comes following a recent report by TEAMtalk, who claimed the £360k-rated attacker – who is said to have received offers from the likes of Queens Park Rangers, Middlesbrough, Reading, Coventry City and Bristol City – had indeed rejected a new deal at The Valley.

The former England U19 international’s current deal at the League One side is set to expire at the end of this month, meaning that if a new contract is not agreed with Charlton, he will become available on a free transfer.

Fans will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Aneke has been for the Addicks this season, the fact the striker has not rejected a new deal with his current side is likely to come as a huge blow to Mark Warburton’s side, as well as leaving fans of the club gutted.

Over his 38 League One appearances for Nigel Adkins’ side this year, the £5.4k-per-week striker bagged 15 goals, provided two assists and created three big chances, as well as winning an average of 4.9 duels and taking 2.3 shots per game.

These metrics saw the 27-year-old earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Charlton’s fifth-best performer in the league – something that is no mean feat when taking into account he started only 11 of his 38 fixtures in the third tier.

As such, it would very much appear as if the former Arsenal man – whom Lee Bowyer dubbed an “immense” player – would have been a fantastic addition to Warburton’s attacking arsenal at QPR ahead of next season, with the 58-year-old looking to build a side capable of mounting a push for a top-six finish in the league.

However, with it not being confirmed that Aneke has put pen to paper on a new deal at The Valley just yet, the Rs’ hopes of landing the forward do not appear to be completely dead in the water, for now.

In other news: Get him gone: Bhatia must ruthlessly axe £13k-p/w QPR dud who’s “trouble” this summer

Peterborough Director of Football Barry Fry has exclusively told Football FanCast that Dele Alli would have been left disappointed that he wasn’t allowed to leave on loan in January – especially following a similar situation involving Jesse Lingard.

Alli, who reportedly earns £100,000-a-week, and Lingard, who were regulars for England at the World Cup, had been frozen out at Tottenham and Man United, although the latter joined West Ham on loan in January, with his outstanding form leading to an England recall.

But Alli has started just one Premier League game since the opening day of the season and hasn’t played a single minute since Spurs’ Europa League exit last month, appearing just twice in the league since starting against Fulham, with one of those outings being for a single minute against Everton.

Alli was strongly linked with PSG in January, although with Tottenham unable to sign a replacement, the north London outfit blocked his move to the French capital at the last minute.

And Fry told Football FanCast that Alli staying at Tottenham in January was a mistake.

“Well, he’ll be so disappointed and I think Daniel will as well. I think everyone in the Tottenham camp rates Dele Alli so highly.

“He’s proved for Tottenham and England what a great player he is. I don’t think he was given a fair chance under Mourinho.

“If he played him he’s the first one to be taken off. So what’s happened behind the scenes?

“All I know is it’s a terrible waste of talent for Tottenham and England that Dele Alli isn’t playing regularly.”