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Leeds could reach a new level in the Premier League by signing Manchester City star Sergio Aguero this summer.

What’s the story?

The Argentine has recently been confirmed to leaving Pep Guardiola’s side when the season is over, and will be allowed to sign on a free transfer given his contract expiring.

90min have claimed that Leeds are the latest side to throw their name into the hat, and that the 32-year-old has been pinpointed as a summer target for Marcelo Bielsa’s club.

The report revealed that “the prospect of moving to a club where he wouldn’t be required to relocate from his current home in the north west could prove an attractive option”. It was also added that Leeds hope “their plans for development and the passion of the fans could play a huge part in Aguero’s decision this summer.”

Reaching a new level at Elland Road

While Aguero may now be 32 and past the peak of his powers, there’s no questioning that his arrival at Elland Road would make the Premier League sit up and take notice.

The Argentine is a star-studded name who has achieved everything in the domestic game at City, and it’s no surprise that Pep Guardiola has raved about the career the striker has carved out on these shores.

The City manager said: “Aguero has conquered England. His numbers speak for themselves. Aguero is an extraordinary person, and we still have a month and a half to win more things and help him to score goals.”

The £22.5m-rated marksman has scored an incredible 257 goals in 385 games for the Citizens, and he would bring the kind of star power and reputation which would elevate Leeds’ standing across the European game.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

It would send a message across Europe that Leeds mean business, and it’s the kind of move that Radrizzani should make not just for what he could bring on the pitch, but off it too.

Meanwhile, Leeds should move for this Premier League powerhouse this summer…

Southampton are ready to do battle with Leicester City to sign Sweden international Mattias Svanberg, according to Calciomercato.

Saints in Svanberg transfer battle

The Saints have been linked with a move for the Bologna midfielder, while Champions League chasers Leicester City are also in pursuit.

The Serie A outfit are believed to be looking for €20m (£17.2m) to part ways with Svanberg.

Above budget

Svanberg has impressed in Italy with Bologna, scoring five times and providing two assists in 28 matches in the top flight this season (Transfermarkt). With seven caps to his name and at just 22 years of age, he clearly seems to have a big future ahead of him.

At Southampton, only Danny Ings exceeds his average of 1.8 shots per game, while James Ward-Prowse is the only midfielder to better his goal tally – and the Saints captain depends almost entirely on set pieces to find the net.

However, the issue is whether the St Mary’s outfit can actually afford him. Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said recently that they will only be able to pay transfer fees of up to £10m (Sky Sports), meaning that Svanberg would be considerably over budget. There are going to be exceptions to every rule, but is the Bologna man really to be the man for whom they break the bank?

After all, they are likely to be able to sign more established players for a lower price. It remains to be seen whether Southampton stick to that transfer policy, but if they do, they will be priced out of a move for the Swedish midfielder.

In other news, many Southampton fans slammed this man’s performance against Leicester.

Numerous fans of West Ham United have been reacting to a post on Twitter in which Declan Rice looked back on the Hammers’ weekend draw with Arsenal.

Despite having raced into a 3-0 first half lead against Mikel Arteta’s side on Sunday, own goals from both Tomas Soucek and Craig Dawson, as well as an 82nd-minute Alexandre Lacazette strike, saw West Ham take just one point from the fixture, with the match ending 3-3.

Following the result, Rice took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the stalemate, claiming that it was a “disappointing end to such a bright performance”, before turning his attention to the remainder of West Ham’s Premier League campaign, calling for fans to “stay positive” and reassuring them that he and his team will “keep giving our all for the end goal”.

However, in reaction to Rice’s post on Twitter, plenty of West Ham fans flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing to ignore the England international’s advice on staying positive as they lambasted West Ham’s capitulation against the Gunners.

So, what exactly did these West Ham United fans have to say in reaction to Declan Rice’s post on Twitter?

“Playing well Dec but have a word with Moyes and get him to actually analyse a game before it happens. All this sitting in just invites pressure and hasn’t worked for quite a few games now. Need results against Chelsea and Leicester now.”

@westhamhour

“Embarrassing but 3 points against Wolves.”

@willearle_

“You need to get into the game more and settle it down somehow when we can’t get the ball, like the last 60 minutes. Not sure what the answer is just yet but it needs a discussion with David Moyes. We need you on the ball, not being bypassed. Games can’t keep going like this.”

@wasntme23

“Not good enough.”

@con_whu

“Need to keep more offence and stop trying to protect a slim lead – never works for us.”

@ClaretnBlueLife

“Very. Let’s hope we can step up in the remaining games.”

@Deal770M

“I’m gutted Dec.”

@WHUFC_Dan78

“Don’t let us bottle this I beg man.”

@finley_mclellan

“Rubbish.”

@Drj751

In other news: these West Ham fans flocked to a claim from ExWHUEmployee – find out more here!

While Leeds United remain in the hunt for a surprise European place for next season, attentions already seem to be turning towards how the Premier League side can strengthen ahead of the new campaign.

Reports in recent days have suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side have earmarked Torino centre-back Nicolas Nkoulou as a possible new addition, with the Cameroon international’s contract at the Serie A club coming to an end this summer and thus being available to join on a free transfer.

Bielsa may feel that Nkoulou could form a centre-back partnership alongside summer signing Diego Llorente, whose debut campaign in English football at Elland Road has been severely restricted by injuries – he’s only managed a measly three appearances in the Premier League.

Given the money they spent on Llorente, there’s no questioning that if he does get his fitness back, Bielsa will be keen to get him into the starting line-up.

And in Nkoulou, he could find him the perfect partner. The 6 foot powerhouse has got a tonne of experience playing for the likes of Torino, Monaco and Lyon, whilst it was at Marseille that he played under Bielsa himself.

He played 26 games in all competitions for the Argentine back in the one season that the duo were at the Stade Veledrome, with Nkoulou a permanent fixture in the starting line-up when fit – the only games he missed were as a result of suspension, injury and being involved at the African Cup of Nations.

In that 2014/2015 season, Nkoulou proved he’s the ultimate Bielsa centre-back, being superb at reading the game and being aggressive, and having a fine ability to play out from the back.

The Cameroonian arguably played the best football of his career under Bielsa, with his defensive numbers from that campaign really telling the full story.

As per Whoscored, he managed a career-high 3.3 interceptions per game in Ligue 1, while in only his first two seasons of professional football did he make more than the 2.1 tackles per match that he recorded in that 2014/2015 campaign – to compare that to Leeds’ players right now, no-one can match those interception numbers, while only four others have made more tackles.

But, not only was he a defensive stalwart, but Nkoulou also looked assured with the ball at his feet. He averaged a 90.8% pass accuracy and 48 total passes per game, which are both significantly higher than his career average.

The defender played his best football under Bielsa, and so the Leeds boss will be fairly confident that he could get the best out of him once again at Elland Road. And that could see him partner Llorente come the start of next season.

Rangers took another huge step towards title glory with a comfortable 3-0 win against St Mirren at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon, with Steven Gerrard’s side superb once again to extend their unbeaten run.

Goals from Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos and Ianis Hagi secured the win for the Gers, who were rarely troubled by Jim Goodwin’s side.

The result means that, should Rangers’ Old Firm rivals drop points away at Dundee United on Sunday, Gerrard’s side will be crowned champions for the first time in 10 years.

Whilst there were plenty of standout performers at Ibrox, including Kent for his superb goal and overall display, Connor Goldson produced another near-perfect performance.

As per SofaScore, the former Brighton man earned an impressive 8.3 rating for his display, with only Kent earning higher and getting the man of the match award as he was rated 8.7/10 for his performance.

Goldson was superb from a defensive point of view, as he contributed three tackles, three interceptions, two clearances and one blocked shot during the 90 minutes, as per SofaScore.

For context, the centre-back has averaged 1.2 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 2.9 clearances and 0.5 blocked shots per game in the Premiership this season, which emphasises that he really raised his game on Saturday to help bring Gerrard’s side one step closer.

It was not just his defending which was excellent on Saturday however, as he also completed 72 of his 80 passes during his time on the pitch, resulting in an impressive 90% pass accuracy – which again is an improvement on the 84.1% he has averaged in the Scottish top-flight so far this season.

One of those passes found Kent for the opening goal, as the 28-year-old earned his second assist of the campaign at Ibrox.

Goldson also won nine of his 13 duels during the game, resulting in a 70% success rate, whilst St Mirren striker Colin Quaner failed to win any of his aerial duels during the game, which demonstrates just how well the Rangers defence were able to shackle the Buddies target man.

Therefore, whilst Kent might have stolen the show for his goal, it was arguably Goldson who was the star performer at Ibrox for Gerrard’s side.

And, in other news… Rangers’ “big talent” is proving he can challenge in Gerrard’s side next season

Marcel Brands can look to save Everton millions of pounds in the summer transfer market by urging Carlo Ancelotti to use Joao Virginia over signing SSC Napoli’s Alex Meret.

The Toffees have been linked with a potential move to sign Meret at the end of the season amid doubt in his future at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Meret is thought to have grown somewhat unsettled in southern Italy as Gennaro Gattuso has shown a preference in ex-Arsenal shot-stopper David Ospina.

Ancelotti was claimed to be showing a strong interest in being reunited with Meret following his time in Naples as Everton are likely to be in the market for a new goalkeeper this summer, with doubt in AS Roma loanee Robin Olsen sealing a permanent move from the Serie A side after his home was recently broken into by machete-wielding burglars.

Ancelotti had been keen to agree on a deal with Roma to sign Olsen permanently, as the Sweden international has kept Jordan Pickford on his toes by offering the Italian an option to rotate his choice between the sticks.

That choice may soon be unavailable and in his place could sit Meret, with Il Romanista claiming that the Italian wants out but that a move to Roma – where he sits atop of Paulo Fonseca’s shopping list – is challenging as Napoli would demand no less than €20m (£17m).

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis had been behind Meret’s move to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in 2018 when he paid SPAL €22m (£19m) and in doing so, went against Ancelotti’s wishes as he wanted the signing of Alphonse Areola instead.

Everton’s Director of Football, Brands, should now do the opposite of De Laurentiis and overlook a deal for Meret, and urge Ancelotti to use Virginia as Pickford’s understudy if a deal for Olsen cannot be agreed.

Virginia delivered an impressive performance against Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final last weekend, with the Portugal U21 international producing a number of pivotal saves to keep Everton in the tie until the closing stages.

It was a remarkable showing from the 21-year-old who had only played 137 minutes of first-team football for Everton previously, having been given an unscheduled Premier League debut against Burnley a week prior following an abdominal injury for Pickford.

Virginia was undoubtedly one of Everton’s stars of the day, having pulled off a fantastic fingertip save to push Raheem Sterling’s effort around the post. He smothered most of what the Citizens threw at him, in fact, until Ilkay Gundogan headed home in the 84th minute.

Ancelotti was pleased with Virginia’s efforts, telling BT Sport via quotes by The Guardian after the game: “Virginia did really well. He has no experience, but he is quality. I think he deserves the compliments.”

And the compliments kept coming, with Ben Godfrey telling EvertonTV: “I was massively impressed by his performance. He works hard every day in training.

“Some of the saves he made to keep us in the game were outstanding. I’m over the moon for him and, as long as he keeps working hard and trying to improve, then there will be plenty more appearances to come.”

Brands should urge Ancelotti to ensure Godfrey’s prophesy comes true, as Virginia is surely now a no-brainer that could emerge as the Italian’s Olsen replacement and save Everton millions of pounds.

AND in other news, an “exceptional” Everton figure is being eyed by a Premier League rival…

When Sunderland travel away from the northeast under Lee Johnson, they appear to be a formidable force.

Their 1-0 win over Ipswich means that Lee Johnson is yet to taste defeat on the road since taking over The Mackems.

Although they need to improve at the Stadium of Light, it will bring them enormous confidence that they can go away and defeat fellow promotion hopefuls. Their 4-0 win over Lincoln was eye-catching but their ability to grind out a 1-0 victory at Ipswich should also be applauded.

Of course, they were helped by the red card to Ipswich’s Kayden Jackson who was given his marching orders after an appalling challenge on Bailey Wright, but they were good value for their win despite that.

Charlie Wyke was once again in the right place at the right time as he took his League One tally for the campaign to 12 strikes as he got the only goal of the game. The tall striker has been indomitable in recent weeks and is finding the net with superb regularity.

Though, it was arguably his supplier that was Johnson’s true hero on Tuesday night. Max Power delivered an inch-perfect cross that Wyke was able to get on the end of to prod the ball home.

Since moving to right-back, Power has defined his own surname. He is a force on the flanks and uses tremendous energy to get up and down. He linked well with Aiden O’Brien, particularly for the goal.

The winger beat his man and then put the ball into the path of the rampaging Power who provided the cross.

Coincidentally, that was just one of four balls into the area – two of which were successful. For context, his completion rate was better than anyone in the entire Mackems squad.

He was also keen to get on the ball and the very fact he touched it on 122 occasions goes to show what a threat the right-back was. Power had 66 more touches than the highest haul registered by an Ipswich player and managed 31 more touches than the next best for the Black Cats.

His influence was mighty, winning more aerial duels (3) than anyone besides Bailey Wright and Jordan Willis for Sunderland. Josh Scowen, meanwhile, was the only person to win more ground duels (4) than Power (3).

This was an all-action display but we shouldn’t be surprised. After all, he delivered a similar showing against Port Vale in the Papa John’s Trophy a few weeks ago.

This, however, was a far more important game with promotion aspirations on the line and Power delivered the goods.

AND in other news, Sunderland must swoop for 20 y/o gem who terrorised £44m worth of talent last month…

Despite Steven Gerrard’s phenomenal work in Glasgow this season, Rangers are looking at some ugly news. They may have one hand on this Premiership trophy, but according to The Telegraph, Stewart Robinson has admitted that the club will have to shed some of their most important players at the end of the campaign.

The Gers are absolutely flying in the Scottish league this season, thanks to stellar performances from the likes of James Tavernier and Kemar Roofe. But the Glaswegian outfit is reportedly hurting from more than £15million in losses from their annual accounts.

They are now forced to find a way to raise funds before next summer, and this will involve offloading some vital personnel. It also spells an extremely quiet summer transfer window for the league winners-elect.

Major boost for Lennon and Celtic

Whilst this is a nightmare situation for Gerrard and the Gers, it’s a dream for their bitter neighbours and rivals.

Celtic have looked a shadow of their former selves this season after struggling to assert themselves in both the Premiership and Europa League. As the weeks tick by, it looks more and more likely that the Hoops will finish second to their arch enemies. A disappointing run of form has seen the gap between the two stretch to a hefty 13 points.

Because of their lacklustre season, Neil Lennon’s future as manager hangs in the balance. However, he could resolve this with a positive January transfer window. The news of Rangers being forced to sell key players could also give Celtic a major boost.

Not only could this mean the Bhoys will have the stronger roster next campaign, but Lennon could once again scrape together a title-winning side and bank himself another year at the hilt of such a successful club.

In other news, Scott Brown axing could be huge boost for Ismaila Soro…

Southampton are reportedly taking an interest in Brazilian midfielder Wellington, who is currently a free agent, and he could prove to be a strong addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

What’s the word?

According to South American outlet UOL, via Sport Witness, the Saints have made an approach to sign the 29-year-old and it is expected that he and his agent will make a decision soon.

It is suggested that Southampton have been in contact with the player’s entourage, although he is also attracting interest from Brazilian clubs Cruzeiro, Fluminense and Grêmio.

Walcott repeat?

Under Hasenhuttl, Southampton have had a very set transfer structure of bringing in young players who can be moulded to fit the Austrian’s style of play, as we have seen with the likes of Mohammed Salisu, Kyle Walker-Peters and Ibrahima Diallo being brought in during the most recent transfer window.

However, the South Coast club bucked that trend when signing 31-year-old Theo Walcott on loan from Everton and that decision has certainly paid off, with the former Arsenal man having contributed two goals and two assists in 12 top-flight appearances for the Saints, averaging a solid 6.77 rating.

Therefore, whilst signing 29-year-old Wellington wouldn’t really fit with their usual transfer philosophy, if he could have a similar impact to Walcott it would surely prove to be an excellent decision by Martin Semmens and the rest of the Southampton board.

During his career, the former Brazil U20 international has played 124 times for Sau Paulo and although he’s never played outside of Brazil, he could add some experience in the Southampton midfield.

Hasenhuttl is perhaps lacking depth outside of James Ward-Prowse, Oriol Romeu and Diallo, with just 20-year-old Will Smallbone available as another central-midfielder in his squad, especially with Stuart Armstrong featuring more predominantly as a No.10.

Therefore, if Southampton can agree a deal for the 29-year-old, whilst also securing a work permit, then it could prove to be an excellent decision by the South Coast club from both a footballing and a financial perspective.

And, in other news, Hasenhuttl must consider transfer U-turn with 21 y/o with “a lot of potential” amid exit link…

Rangers-linked John Lundstram has refused to be drawn on his future, saying that “it’s the same situation, everything’s still on the table.”

What’s the word?

Reports in recent months have suggested Rangers are one of several clubs across Europe keen on landing Lundstram from Sheffield United as Steven Gerrard seeks to bolster his midfield options, with The Athletic claiming that the Ibrox side are “admirers” and are “waiting in the wings” with the midfielder’s contract coming to an end this season.

It is understood the Ibrox boss was interested in signing a central midfielder as well as a playmaker last year, with Bongani Zungu and Lewis Ferguson being identified as the club’s main targets.

However, Rangers did manage to sign Zungu on loan during the extended summer transfer window, but it seems Gerrard is still keen on Lundstram as he looks to complete an overhaul in midfield.

The in-form midfielder, 26, made the remarks before Sunday’s clash with Chelsea at Bramall Lane.

He said: “It’s the same situation, everything’s still on the table. We’ll see what happens.”Of course, (speculation) is bound to happen but I’m here and while I am here I’m committed, as you’ve seen in my performances.”I’m 110 per cent and no-one can question that. Who knows what will happen but while I’m here, I’ll give everything.” Better than Bongani Zungu?

With Steven Davis’ contract coming to an end in the summer, the 36-year-old’s long-term future at Ibrox still remains uncertain, despite Gerrard’s insistence that the board should offer him a new deal.

Meanwhile Zungu has done very little to suggest that he deserves to stay at Ibrox on a permanent basis, with the Rangers boss giving him just 149 minutes of football in the Scottish Premiership.

In the £4k-a-week earning Lundstram, however, Gerrard could find the perfect replacement for the 124-cap Northern Irish international.

He really burst onto the scene last season, making 34 top-flight appearances for the club predominantly from the midfield, with five goals and three assists to show for his 26 starts. By comparison, Zungu has scored just twice in the past four seasons alone across all competitions, which suggests that he’d offer a far greater attacking threat than the Bafana-Bafana midfielder.

His captain at Bramall Lane, Billy Sharp, has spoken highly about his teammate’s physicality, athleticism and technique. He said:

“He gives us a lot of energy and he got an assist as well, which is important.“He’s got all the attributes. He runs so much in a game, he provides assists and goals. He’s a real menace to other teams and a great player to have.”

Ross Wilson, therefore, should capitalise Lundstram’s uncertain future and contract status at Sheffield United by bringing the soon-to-be free agent to Ibrox when his contract runs out at the end of this season.

AND in other news, Rangers will regret letting Nathan Young-Coombes leave as he ‘closes in’ on Ibrox exit…