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Leicester City are expected to receive a bid from Arsenal for their key midfielder James Maddison over the coming weeks as the transfer window starts to take shape.

What’s the story?

According to a reliable transfer source on the Gunners, AFC Bell, the north London outfit will offer the 24-year-old a four-year contract with the option of a fifth and a salary of £200,000, doubling what he currently earns at Leicester.

A report in the Daily Star claims Arsenal’s interest has been well received by Maddison and his representatives, with Mikel Arteta viewing the England international as his primary transfer target this summer.

Brendan Rodgers will be gutted

News that Arsenal are set to follow up their interest in Maddison with a concrete offer and lucrative contract will surely leave Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers feeling gutted.

The former Norwich City ace has grown into a crucial player for the Foxes over the last couple of campaigns, and his departure would be a huge setback in their development.

Despite injuries significantly limiting Maddison’s playing time throughout 2020/21, the creative force still recorded some very respectable numbers while on the pitch.

In 42 appearances across all competitions, he bagged 11 goals and provided a further 10 assists to his teammates as the Midlands outfit finished in fifth place in the Premier League standings.

A poor run of form at the end of the season saw Maddison miss out on a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2020, though, but that seemingly wasn’t enough to deter Arteta.

The Spanish tactician has identified the technically gifted Englishman as the perfect replacement for Martin Odegaard following his return to Real Madrid, although he’s reportedly aware any deal will be difficult to pull off.

Maddison still has three years remaining on his contract with Leicester, meaning Arsenal will have to pay a premium price to prize him away from the King Power Stadium.

However, with the likes of David Luiz and Matteo Guendouzi already departing and Granit Xhaka expected to follow suit, Arteta may be able to raise the required funds to secure his man, potentially leaving Rodgers without one of his prized assets next season.

And, in other news…Fabrizio Romano drops major Leicester transfer claim that’ll surely leave fans buzzing 

West Ham have set their sights on a January move for Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: El Ghazi’s forgettable 2021/22 so far

The 26-year-old has struggled to become a regular under both Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard this season, starting just four Premier League fixtures.

His only league goal came against Newcastle back in August, with reports suggesting that Villa could look to offload the Dutchman in January in an £18m transfer to Roma. However, it seems as if El Ghazi is now a wanted man at the London Stadium.

The Latest: Source shares news

Football Insider shared a story on Saturday morning regarding El Ghazi.

They were informed by a Hammers source that the 6 foot 2 winger is back on their radar, with David Moyes viewing the Netherlands international as a versatile attacking option.

Villa would prefer to listen to permanent offers, although they would also entertain any loan bids.

The Verdict: Time to go?

Reports at the end of November suggested that two of El Ghazi, Bertrand Traore and Trezeguet were set to move on this month, so now could be the time to cash in on the former.

Villa podcaster Cole Pettem said last year that ‘a lot of people are complaining that he looked like he put on a lot of weight’, and he hasn’t been as effective as he was in 2020/21, when he plundered 10 league goals.

It doesn’t look like Gerrard fancies El Ghazi as he is yet to hand him a start, so a permanent move away over the coming weeks could be best for all involved.

In other news: ‘Exciting’ – Many Villa fans react to big transfer update on ‘quality’ Gerrard target

Rangers have a mountain to climb at Ibrox next week after they lost 1-0 in the first leg of their European quarter-final on Thursday night.

The Gers were unable to fly out of the traps in the same way that they did in their last two Europa League ties as Gio van Bronckhorst’s men were caught out by the quality of their opponents.

Braga thought they had taken the lead in the opening half an hour when Horta’s shot deflected in off James Tavernier, but a VAR check allowed the referee to spot a foul on Ryan Jack and the goal was swiftly disallowed.

It was second time lucky for the hosts 10 minutes later, though, as Leon Balogun failed to clear his lines and Abel Ruiz pounced to fire past Allan McGregor. Rangers could not find a way back into the game and will now need to turn it around in Glasgow in the second leg.

In the absence of the injured Alfredo Morelos, Fashion Sakala was handed the opportunity to start through the middle as Van Bronckhorst’s number nine. He had the chance to make the position his own for the rest of the season with a strong showing in Portugal but failed to make the most of it as he struggled badly throughout the night.

The attacker was dreadful and surely left the Dutchman scratching his head over what to do in that role with Morelos out for the foreseeable future. Kemar Roofe was disappointing against Celtic last weekend and now Sakala has let him down against Braga, with no other recognised strikers in the squad on Thursday night.

Off the ball, the Zambian was unable to cause any real problems for the opposition. As per SofaScore, he lost 100% of his duels as he came out second-best in all seven of his aerial battles and also his three on the ground, which shows that he was physically dominated throughout the game.

Sakala was also abysmal in possession. As per SofaScore, he only completed three passes at a success rate of 43%, whilst giving the ball every once every 1.8 touches (11/20). He did not create a single chance for his team-mates and missed both of his attempted shots, with one of them going down as a ‘big chance’.

Therefore, the 25-year-old failed Van Bronckhorst’s big test as he was unable to prove that he is capable of effectively leading the line for the Gers in Europe, struggling in and out of possession all night.

AND in other news, Smith endured big Rangers howler over “world-class” £7.5m gem who was “admired by all”…

Newcastle United have been sent a clear message by Philippe Coutinho’s entourage ahead of the transfer window. 

The lowdown: Record breaker

Coutinho still holds the record for the biggest transfer involving a Premier League club, having left Liverpool to join Barcelona in January 2018 for a fee of £121.5million.

He’s started five La Liga matches so far this season, making a further six substitute appearances. The 29-year-old has scored two goals from 22 shots and also recorded 16 shot-creating actions (via FBRef).

Coutinho is under contract until June 2023 and is valued at £18million by Transfermarkt. His £380,000-per-week salary makes him the highest earner at the Camp Nou.

New Barca manager Xavi adores the playmaker, saying Coutinho is a player he ‘likes personally’ and stressing that he possesses an ‘innate talent’ (via ESPN).

The latest: Fresh update emerges

Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness) have again named Newcastle in connection with Coutinho, perhaps unsurprising given his uninspiring time since leaving England and the Magpies’ new-found riches.

However, the position of the Brazilian’s camp ‘to this day’ is that ‘he will not move from Barca in January’.

The verdict: Assist machine, but too risky

Coutinho has racked up a series of honours in his career. He’s won the Champions League and Copa America, whilst at an individual level, he’s been named in the PFA Team of the Year and even led the way for assists at a World Cup.

But according to Xavi, he’s now facing ‘psychological’ obstacles, preventing him from demonstrating that ‘innate talent’.

When you also consider his eye-watering salary, perhaps it would ultimately be for the best if Newcastle missed out on signing him, as signing a hugely costly player who is down on his luck and confidence would be an incredibly risky first marquee signing of the new era.

In other news, Newcastle have offered a record deal to this big-six ace.

Sunderland will host Shrewsbury at the Stadium of Light in a Good Friday clash that could put Sunderland in a very comfortable position to secure a play-off spot keeping their promotion dreams alive.

The Black Cats are currently sixth in the League One table matching Sheffield Wednesday and Wycombe Wanderers for points, so a win today is important to keep their hopes of promotion to the Championship in their hands.

Although their opponents have nothing to play for as they are comfortably 16th, 11 points clear of relegation, they will not be an easy team to beat as they currently have the third best defensive record in the entire league conceding just 40 goals in 42 games, so Sunderland will need to deploy their best attack to break down Shrewsbury.

In terms of team and injury news, Alex Neil has confirmed that Leon Dajaku is still not available for selection after falling ill, however Alex Pritchard could be in contention to start as the Sunderland manager gave an update on his fitness in his pre-match press conference.

Neil told the press;

“Alex is making good progress.”

Long term injuries remain unchanged with an update on Aidan McGeady’s chances of playing again for the side this season, the Black Cats boss said on Thursday;

“I’m hopeful that in the next week, he might start joining in training again, but it’ll be really reliant on how he goes over these next few steps in terms of what he looks like over the next couple of days.”

With that being said, this is how Football Fancast expects Sunderland to line-up this afternoon…

We expect to see just one change to the team that won against Oxford United to keep the victorious momentum in the team against Shrewsbury, with the same 3-5-2 formation.

We predict that Elliot Embleton will start in the team after his hugely important impact on Sunderland’s last two games, with the player being the linchpin in securing a playoff spot late in the season following a late assist against Gillingham that secured the three points and an 89th minute winning goal against Oxford last weekend.

The 23 year old, who was hailed “excellent” by the Mackems manager, has definitely proved he deserves a spot in the starting line up and Neil’s selection of the midfielder could prove a huge boost if he can make a third consecutive goal contribution in today’s game.

To make way for Embleton’s start, we expect to see Everton loanee Nathan Broadhead dropped from the central attacking role, but he could easily make a late appearance in the team if Sunderland find themselves chasing a goal in the latter stages of the clash.

The £2.9k-p/w gem, who was hailed “fantastic” by Lee Johnson, has scored nine goals in 20 appearances this season proving to be a consistent attacking threat in the Sunderland forward line, despite suffering a hamstring injury that has limited his ability to make a larger impact this season.

Neil will be hoping to continue his impressive record in League One going eight games unbeaten in his 10 games in charge at the club so far, and promotion to this season would be a massive achievement for the Scottish manager in his short term so far.

In other news: Neil must avoid disaster on £1.4k-p/w “young Paul Gascoigne”, he’s SAFC’s biggest hope

Leeds United are reportedly battling with two other Premier League clubs to acquire the services of Espanyol forward Raul de Tomas.

The Lowdown: De Tomas shines for Espanyol

The 27-year-old has made a flying start to the season, scoring six goals and registering two assists for Espanyol in 11 La Liga appearances.

The former Real Madrid marksman has an impressive overall record for his current club, netting 34 times in just 64 matches. De Tomas’ form could eventually see him snapped up by another club and it appears as though Leeds could be a potential destination.

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The Latest: Leeds keen on De Tomas

According to Fichajes, the Whites are eyeing up a move for the €45m-valued (£38m) attacker, along with Premier League rivals West Ham and Tottenham.

His current Espanyol deal runs until the summer of 2026, though, so it is unlikely that Leeds will be able to sign him on the cheap.

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The Verdict: Would be an excellent addition

De Tomas could be an ideal addition for Leeds at a time when Patrick Bamford’s absence has led to a lack of firepower, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side scoring just 10 times in as many Premier League games this season.

At 27, the Spaniard has the experience to come straight in and make an immediate impact, providing competition for Bamford and offering some much-needed squad depth at a time when the Whites are contending with several injuries.

There is also no guarantee that the ex-Chelsea ace will necessarily perform at last season’s level again, so De Tomas could even be considered a long-term upgrade given his current performances.

In other news, one pundit has made a plea to Leeds regarding their January transfer business. Read more here.

A transfer specialist has revealed that Ousmane Dembele is the ‘first name’ on Newcastle United’s list ahead of a potential move to St. James’ Park.

The Lowdown: Dembele promise

Dembele was a player of such promise when he was first breaking through at Borussia Dortmund, earning him a whopping £121.5m move to FC Barcelona back in the summer transfer window of 2017.

His early spells with the Catalan giants even earned praise from the great Lionel Messi, who dubbed his then teammate a ‘phenomenon’.

The Latest: Wanted on Tyneside

As per Pedro Almeida, who is verified on Twitter as an ‘insider specialising in transfers’, Dembele is the ‘first name’ that consortium member Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) wants to bring to the North East.

However, a move in January seems unlikely, as he would prefer to sign the France international as a free agent, given that his current deal at the Camp Nou expires in the summer.

The Verdict: Sign

Dembele needs to rejuvenate his career, as he has never really been able to hit the ground running since arriving at Barca, with 30 goals and 21 assists recorded in 118 games in total over all competitions across the last four seasons (Transfermarkt).

However, at 24 years of age, he still has the potential to fulfil the promise that he had early on in his career, and could combine well with fellow French winger Allan Saint-Maximin.

Nonetheless, to get him for free, given that he currently has a market value of £45m, would represent exceptional business by the Tyneside club.

In other news, find out which ‘fantastic striker’ is now on NUFC’s list here!

A reason has been revealed as to why Wolves did not end up signing Duje Caleta-Car during the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Bid made

As per L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), the Midlands club were keen to sign Caleta-Car on Transfer Deadline Day, and put in a bid of €18m (£15.5m) to Marseille for his signature.

However, a deal never materialised in the end, and the central defender has ended up staying at the Ligue 1 side.

The Latest: No deal

According to L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), Caleta-Car was not excited by a move to England, as his partner had given birth to their first child just last week.

Marseille president Pablo Longoria tried to find a way to sell the Croatia international, and received another offer from Valencia, but he was not interested in a move to Spain either.

The Verdict: Shame

It is a shame that the Molineux faithful missed out on signing Caleta-Car, as he would have given them that extra bit of quality in their backline.

Described as a ‘quality’ player by his centre-back partner Alvaro Gonzalez back in November, the £22.5m-rated ace was such a key player for his side in Ligue 1 in the 2020/21 season, winning no fewer than 3.7 of his duels per game, while he also averaged 3.9 clearances and 1.3 interceptions per match, keeping five clean sheets in the process (Sofascore).

Standing at a mammoth six-foot-four-inches tall, the 24-year-old would have certainly given Bruno Lage’s team a threat in both boxes, but now they may have to wait until January before they can try to sign him again.

In other news, find out what confirmed news has Wanderers fuming here!

Leeds United have been boosted in their efforts in sign Feyenoord midfielder Orkun Kokcu, according to a fresh report which has emerged.

The Lowdown: Leeds looking for midfielder

The Whites have experienced a tough start to the season, sitting 15th in the Premier League and having to make do without injured key players such as Luke Ayling and Patrick Bamford.

Leeds have looked light in midfield, with Adam Forshaw being relied upon after a two-year injury absence and Kalvin Phillips not always available.

It looks likely that a new midfielder could come in during next month’s transfer window, and an update has emerged regarding Kokcu.

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The Latest: Whites linked with move

According to Feyenoord Transfermarkt [via Sport Witness], Leeds could be able to sign the 20-year-old if they pay at least €20m (£16.9m) for his services.

The report claims that Kokcu has rejected a move to Hertha Berlin, despite them making a ‘generous proposal’.

The young 13-cap Turkey international has started 15 Eredivisie games this season, scoring once and providing five assists so far, while last month he was hailed as the ‘young star’ of his national team by Turkish newspaper Fanatik.

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The Verdict: Solid January signing

Kokcu is generally considered a defensive midfielder, so he could be an ideal man to come in as an understudy for Phillips moving forward.

Not only has he averaged 2.6 key passes per game in the Eredivisie this season – Phillips has only averaged 0.6 in England’s top flight – he has also chipped in with one tackle per match, showing that he can impress both on and off the ball.

At 20, it would be unfair for Bielsa to throw Kokcu straight in as a key player, but he could give Leeds the much-needed squad depth that they crave.

In other news, a journalist has confirmed Leeds’ interest in one player. Find out who it is here.

Celtic target Kristijan Lovric has dropped another hint that he could be on the move to Glasgow this summer, Glasgow Live report.

The Lowdown: First hint

Lovric, who is thought to be on Celtic’s radar this summer, currently plies his trade for Croatian side HNK Gorica.

The left-winger has scored 60 goals in his club career and has one senior cap for Croatia, with his Transfermarkt valuation standing at £5.4m.

He dropped the first hint over a possible move to Scotland last month when he followed the Hoops on social media, and Lovric was at it again last night.

The Latest: Thursday activity

As reported by Glasgow Live, Lovric was once again keeping tabs on the Hoops’ social media activity on Thursday during Celtic’s 3-0 win over Jablonec.

Eagled-eyed supporters saw that the 25-year-old liked a picture of Celtic Park under the lights on Instagram, with a screenshot attached to the report.

The Verdict: Sign

Celtic are after another winger before the window shuts, and it seems as if Lovric is making a come and get me plea online.

He’s just come off the back of his most productive season in front of goal, netting 15 league goals in 29 appearances.

Lovric was a Transfermarkt valuation.

The Hoops have already reaped the rewards of bringing in attacking players from different countries in Liel Abada and Kyogo Furuhashi, so landing Lovric could be the next shrewd piece of business when it comes to adding to the club’s forward ranks.

In other news: Celtic ace’s representatives ‘mightily unimpressed’ with Hoops; now ‘on his way’ out of Parkhead.