Manchester United are set to launch a fresh enquiry into signing a £100m-rated midfield star this month, according to recent reports.

Man Utd in pole position to sign La Liga star

It could be a busy month for the Red Devils, who seem destined to welcome at least one midfield reinforcement after Ruben Amorim has seen the depth of his squad tested to its limits in recent weeks.

It was another evening to forget for the Man United boss last time out as his side were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford. The Midlands club picked up just their third point of the season and even had chances of their own to secure what would have been a famous victory,

Related INEOS could sign a £61m "nightmare" who's shades of Amad for Man Utd

This attacking star can add a new dimension in the final third for United

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United, meanwhile, were given a stark reality check that they must heed heading into the new year if they want to finally turn a corner. And if INEOS were watching, then they should act sooner rather than later in the January transfer window.

To that end, Conor Gallagher is a name to watch. According to recent reports, Man United are now in pole position to sign the Atletico Madrid man, who is seeking a return to the Premier League this month.

A deal to sign the England international would have to be permanent rather than on loan and it remains to be seen whether that deters Man United this month.

It could force them to turn towards their long-term options six months early, including Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba.

Man Utd set to launch fresh Baleba enquiry

According to TeamTalk, Man United are now set to launch a fresh enquiry to sign Baleba from Brighton this month. The Red Devils have been monitoring the midfielder alongside the likes of Liverpool and could now make their move when he returns from AFCON.

Alas, the deal won’t come cheap. Just like in the summer, Brighton reportedly value Baleba at a hefty £100m which would instantly make him the most expensive player in Man United’s history. For that price, they simply must make sure that the 21-year-old is the man to transform their midfield.

PL stats P90 25/26

Carlos Baleba

Manuel Ugarte

Minutes

896

554

Progressive Passes

2.4

5.16

Tackles Won

1

2.74

Ball Recoveries

5.1

5.16

On current form, the truth is that United should be steering clear of Baleba at £100m. The Brighton star showed what he’s capable of at his best last season, but has struggled to repeat that form in the current campaign. Whether it’s a knock-on effect of missing out on a big move in the summer is not something that United should find out.

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The Red Devils need a midfield reinforcement and that should come in the form of either Adam Wharton or Elliot Anderson, not Baleba this year.

Adam Forshaw could fix two of Marcelo Bielsa’s biggest issues at Leeds United right now.

The Yorkshire giants tasted another hammering defeat to a big side in the Premier League at the weekend, losing 4-2 to old rivals Manchester United to add to the list alongside Arsenal (4-1) and Manchester City (7-0) in recent months.

In fact, the Whites have leaked a whopping 28 goals since Kalvin Phillips fell to a hamstring injury against Brentford on December 5th.

Problem One: Kalvin Phillips

Indeed, Leeds have sorely missed the presence of their defensive lynchpin, who offers so much stability in front of the backline. They have not kept a single clean sheet in the nine games he has missed, conceding an average of 3.1 goals per game.

Shocking.

The England international isn’t expected to be back this week, with worrying fixtures against more top dogs in Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur on the horizon and that’s a big concern.

“It’s a big problem and something they’ve got to look at and try and improve, and possibly Phillips could be a part of that. You can’t keep conceding all these goals and expect to win games,” claimed ex-Villa star Alan Hutton to Football Insider this week.

It’s easy to see why Leeds miss the 26-year-old so much as he averages 2.3 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per outing in the top-flight this season, via WhoScored. Only a few players better that rate and that’s only because they have played way more or way fewer games.

However, despite defeat in Sunday’s six-goal thriller, Forshaw put up remarkable numbers similar to that of Phillips.

He attempted the most tackles (ten) in the match and was successful in 50% of these, which also saw him top the charts in that regard, as per LeedsLive journalist Joe Donnohue.

Forshaw also registered two interceptions.

Problem Two: Final third play

Another one of the biggest issues facing Bielsa is his side’s influence in the attacking third – whilst they may leak plenty of goals, they aren’t scoring many either.

Hardly a surprise with Patrick Bamford joining his fellow countryman Phillips on the treatment table at Thorp Arch.

Only eight teams have scored fewer goals than Leeds this season, and only three of those are above them in the table.

Bamford has missed 18 league games after finishing as their top goalscorer on 17 goals last season.

Although, it’s not as if there is much creativity or drive in the final third as no player has registered more than two assists with Raphinha leading the way on two key chances created per game, via WhoScored.

But again, this is where Forshaw could provide a solution as his relentless work rate and energy often sees him drive forward. Against United, he also led the statistics for pressures attempted (33) and successful pressures (16).

The majority (12) of those 33 attempts were in United’s half.

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Forshaw is also capable of playing that diagonal long ball that Phillips is ever so good at, having averaged 2.1 successful attempts per league outing this campaign, which is only 1.4 behind the Three Lions star.

“Forshaw is a player who, when he has played, he is always between the better players of the team,” once claimed Bielsa. “He has a feature that is very difficult to get. He defends similar to Kalvin, he attacks similar to [Mateusz] Klich.”

Indeed, the former Boro star is the man capable of bringing the ball forward to help the Whites generate more goalscoring opportunities with his energy and evident ball-playing ability.

Therefore, the £60k-per-week machine could well hold the keys to solving two of Leeds’ biggest problems right now. He really ought to be the first name on the teamsheet at Anfield on Wednesday.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Meslier: “Absolutely shocking” Leeds dud badly failed Bielsa vs Man Utd…

Celtic have held talks with the agent of Antoine Semenyo, according to Football Scotland.

The Lowdown: Strachan’s trip

The Hoops sent senior scout Craig Strachan to watch the Bristol City forward in action against Reading last month. The 22-year-old who was named the Championship Player of the Month for January, scored in a 2-1 win for the Robins. that night.

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Semenyo has contributed to 14 goals in 21 appearances in the English second tier this season and is into the final 18 months of his contract at Ashton Gate.

The Latest: Agent’s comments

Football Scotland’s Mark Hendry shared an update regarding the striker on Monday afternoon. In confirming that there has been a conversation with Strachan, Semenyo’s agent Tony Finnigan said:

“I had a conversation with Strachan who rang up to ask little bits of info on the player and a bit about how I found him and what he’s like as a lad.

“That was it. If it’s something they’re going to do in the summer window I’m not sure but it’s nice to know that his talents are going as far as Scotland to one of the great institutions in world football.

“There’s not really much more to say than that.”

The Verdict: Interesting…

Transfer insider Dean Jones claimed that it would have cost any club around £15m to have signed Semenyo in January, adding that it will take a ‘big package’ to sign the forward.

On that basis, Celtic may well have to pay in excess of £10m for a player for the first time in their history, should they wish to secure the Bristol City man’s services.

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He will be into the final 12 months of his contract in the summer, so you’d like to think that his £15m valuation would drop slightly. However, it still may need an eight-figure fee to persuade the Robins to sell, and with contact from the Hoops now confirmed, it could be one to keep an eye on ahead of the summer.

In other news: Devlin reveals that Celtic ‘definitely want’ to sign ‘incredible’ £22k-p/w international

As new Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch settles into life at Elland Road, the American will no doubt already be assessing the state of his first-team squad.

The Whites have a number of exciting players both available and currently side-lined, but one who’s really fallen by the wayside recently, is Tyler Roberts.

The Wales international has endured a nightmare campaign thus far, scoring just once and providing only one assist for Leeds in 22 games in the Premier League, while he has quite a dismal record of just nine goals in 107 games in total for the club.

It was even telling that towards the end of Bielsa’s tenure at the club, Roberts saw his game-time for Leeds become increasingly limited, playing just over 100 minutes of Premier League football in the past seven top-flight games.

Despite seeing him sign a new three-year deal to stay at Elland Road last summer, Marsch simply has to make a ruthless call on someone who’s been underperforming for the Whites for a number of seasons now.

Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has previously insisted that the Welshman hasn’t shown enough in the Premier League to suggest that he’s cut out for this level – he managed just one goal in 27 top-flight appearances last season, and even that came in the penultimate game against Southampton.

Abgonlahor said: “For me, he is not good enough for Leeds or Premier League level. He has some decent touches and gets in good positions, but his passing and decision-making keeps letting him down.

“It must be frustrating to watch for Leeds fans as moves keep breaking down when Roberts is on the ball. It’s shocking how often that happens. I don’t see him as the answer for Leeds, even though Marcelo Bielsa has a lot of faith in him.”

Towards the end of the January transfer window, The Athletic’s Phil Hay mooted the idea of a potential loan move away, claiming that it would take him “out of the firing line” and that things are “not clicking” for him in Yorkshire.

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At 23, Roberts is still young enough to come good eventually, but there have just been no signs of that at all for the Whites to even hedge their bets on.

A permanent move away would allow Marsch to focus on this new era he is looking to build at Elland Road, and get rid of a real deadweight.

Meanwhile, Marsch could become an instant crowd favourite by unleashing this Leeds academy talent…

Southampton host Newcastle this evening, in a must win game for the visitors who are looking to avoid relegation but still have to face five out of the ‘big six’ after this fixture.

On the other hand, the Saints will be looking to bounce back from Saturday’s 4-0 humiliation away to Aston Villa.

While it isn’t an excuse for the terrible performance, the South-coast club have been without key defender Mohammed Salisu since the end of February, but manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that the Ghanaian could return to the team tonight.

“Sali [Salisu], we will have a look if he manages to play tomorrow,” the Austrian manager said yesterday. “We will have a look how he is.”

Not only does the centre-back bring stability to the backline, he is the type of player that instals a certain level of confidence and composure among his teammates.

The 22-year-old ranks in the top 1% among central defenders in Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions for tackles per 90 (3.02), top 9% for ball recoveries per 90 (11.11), and top 10% for aerials won per 90 (3.84).

Salisu has also demonstrated how press-resistant he is time and time again too, evident by the fact that he ranks in the top 6% for passes completed under pressure per 90 (8.00).

Ranking at number four among Southampton players for highest average match rating with 7.00, he has demonstrated time and time again how important he has become for the team, and to have him return from injury will be a huge boost for Hasenhuttl and something that will undoubtedly excite supporters.

Meanwhile, Nathan Tella is also nearing a return to first-team action after being out for two months with a groin injury.

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Hasenhuttl said: ”Tella was back in session, but not available for the game.”

Elsewhere, just Lyanco and Alex McCarthy remain out, with both suffering from hamstring injuries and it is unclear at the moment when they will be back and available for selection.

In other news: Ward-Prowse 2.0: Ralph must seal Saints swoop for “absolutely superb” £3.6m-rated gem

Over the last couple of seasons, Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has put the work in on the training ground to start phasing out the shortcomings in his game.

Since the start of last season, he has made just three mistakes which have led to goals in the Premier League, compared to four in each of the two campaigns prior. However, he has attracted criticism from Jose Mourinho, who said last summer that the error-prone 28-year-old needs to “relax and calm down”.

While those mistakes still shouldn’t be happening at all, his steady improvement has helped him remain the number one choice for England and be linked with a transfer to Antonio Conte’s Tottenham.

Many Toffees fans may remain nervous about letting their number one choice depart for a rival Premier League club. However, after Asmir Begovic’s sensational performance against Newcastle, and the club’s recent transfer interest in Barcelona’s Norberto Neto, the idea of losing Pickford might not be such a nightmare after all.

A report in Spanish media outlet Sport suggested the Merseyside club were planning on signing the experienced 32-year-old from the La Liga giants for €14m (£11.8m), and after representing some of Europe’s finest clubs in Fiorentina, Juventus, Valencia and Barca over the last decade, it seems unlikely that he is willing to spend the last of his prime years as a backup at Camp Nou.

With Everton also in financial trouble, signing a competent ‘keeper with plenty of top-flight European experience for almost a third of the £30m price tag set on Pickford could represent excellent business.

Clubs often look for ready-made goalkeepers to come in and help transition the team during a rebuild, and with Neto’s leadership and impressive CV, he fits the profile of the ideal type of netminder that Everton should target if they do sell the former Sunderland star.

Former Serie A ‘keeper Sebastien Frey once described the Brazilian as someone with “natural explosiveness”, and he has ranked in the top 5% of keepers in La Liga for save percentage per 90 (81%), with just Real Madrid superstar Thibaut Courtois managing more (81.1%).

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Should Everton land Neto for just under £12m, they could use the other £18m from the potential sale of Pickford on reinforcements elsewhere on the pitch to help Frank Lampard mould the squad in his image.

In other news – 13 duels lost: Shocking Everton lightweight let Lampard down badly vs Newcastle

West Brom have seen numerous players coming to the club on a temporary basis to spend some time at The Hawthorns and offer something to the team in the short-term.

One player who made such a move to the club but didn’t have a particularly memorable or successful time in an Albion shirt is Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

The Baggies signed the midfielder, who is currently picking up £48k-per-week according to Salary Sport, on loan from Arsenal in the January 2021 transfer window until the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

During his time at the club, the 24-year-old made 15 league appearances for the Baggies but failed to score or set up a goal, ultimately earning himself an underwhelming overall performance rating of 6.48/10 from WhoScored.

Since leaving The Hawthorns at the end of last season, the midfielder started just two Premier League games for Arsenal before joining AS Roma on loan in January, having taken to Instagram to try and force his way out of the north London club.

Similarly to his stint with the Baggies, the player failed to provide any goal contributions for Mikel Arteta’s side at the start of the season or deliver a performance which made him worthy of staying at the north London club, with WhoScored giving him an overall performance rating of 6.35/10 for his eight league appearances.

Despite eventually getting his desired move away from Arsenal, things haven’t gone to plan for the Englishman in Rome as of yet, having only made six Serie A appearances and once again failing to score or set up a goal for Jose Mourinho’s side.

Having once been described as a “Rolls-Royce” of a player by former Arsenal defender Martin Keown, it seems as though Maitland-Niles has definitely not lived up to that title over the past year or so.

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Taking into account what he did at The Hawthorns, and also what he has done off the pitch since then in terms of his social media activity in trying to get a move away from Arsenal, it’s safe to say that West Brom had a lucky escape over the 24-year-old dud and were right not to look into securing him on a permanent deal.

In other news – “A good chance”: Steve Madeley drops big West Brom claim which will have supporters seething

Everton will travel to the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon to take on West Ham as they return to action after the international break, and Frank Lampard will be hoping that his side can come back from the break ready to tackle their relegation battle, especially after the news of an important boost to the squad.

What’s the word?

The Toffees manager took to his pre-match press conference to give a new update on the recovery of Fabian Delph, who was notably missing from Finch Farm this week after returning to full training with his team-mates at the beginning of the international break.

Lampard told the press: “Fabian Delph, we are hoping is another week or so. But it has been a slightly complicated injury. But again, it will be a big plus to have him back in the squad because in that area, it is an area we do have some issues. That’s where we are at.”

Lampard will be buzzing

It’s no secret that the former Chelsea boss has a huge task on his hands in the remaining weeks of the season, with just ten games to go and his team only three points clear of the relegation zone, and Everton still face tough fixtures against Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Every point counts for the Toffees at this stage, and having an experienced player like Fabian Delph back in the squad will surely leave Lampard buzzing, who mentioned the availability issues in midfield with Allan out for the next three games following a red card in the win over Newcastle United before the break.

The 32-year-old Englishman has only made six appearances in the current Premier League campaign due to numerous injury issues, with a shoulder injury sidelining him at the beginning of this season for eight games, and then a thigh injury sustained in training further setting him back in January.

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Despite Delph’s lack of game-time, Lampard will be buzzing to have such an experienced player back in the side and available for selection if he is needed over the remaining fixtures. Even if he is just there to be used as an impact substitute, his presence will give the Everton boss another useful option to deploy in his midfield.

In other news: Everton handed massive boost ahead of West Ham clash; Lampard will be ecstatic

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side have been dealt a setback ahead of their Premiership Old Firm meeting with Rangers this weekend.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by Rob Page (via the Daily Record), with the Wales manager suggesting that, despite himself hinting the 31-year-old may have picked up a knock in the World Cup play-off win over Austria last Thursday, the central midfielder will be fit to face Celtic on Sunday.

Speaking about the condition of the Juventus loanee, Page said: “There was no injury.

“It was a no-brainer. What we have to do is show respect to the clubs as well. We’ve got their players and Aaron is 30-plus years old now. I made that decision not to have him in the 23.”

Bad news for Celtic

While it is undeniable that Ramsey is yet to rediscover his best form at Ibrox, the news that the midfielder will be fit for Sunday’s Old Firm clash is nevertheless bad news for Postecoglou and his Celtic side.

Indeed, despite having played just 113 minutes of Premiership football so far this season, the £4.5m-rated dynamo highly impressed last time out in Gers’ 2-1 win over Dundee FC, with the 31-year-old scoring Rangers’ equaliser, as well as hitting the target with three shots, completing 22 passes, winning four duels, making one clearance and winning one tackle.

These returns saw the £45k-per-week midfielder earn a very impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.6, ranking him as the second-best player to feature in the game.

Furthermore, the former Arsenal playmaker also played extremely well in Wales’ aforementioned 2-1 victory over Austria last week, enjoying 52 touches of the ball, making two key passes, winning four duels and taking two shots at goal – with these metrics seeing the Welshman earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.3.

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As such, should Ramsey continue this run of form in Sunday’s potentially title-deciding derby, it would undoubtedly come as a huge blow to Celtic’s chances of taking all three points back to Parkhead – an outcome that would leave everyone involved with the Bhoys gutted.

AND in other news: Ange set for further disaster on “hugely talented” gem who’s “run his race at Celtic”

Tottenham Hotspur are now accelerating a move for a “special” Champions League player, who is viewed as ideal for Thomas Frank.

Spurs eyeing new midfielder after Gray mistake

Just when Tottenham appeared to be building some momentum, winning two games on the spin, they were brought back down to earth with a 3-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, and Frank believes Archie Gray was at fault for the opening goal.

Gray lost possession after deciding against playing a first-time pass, with the Spurs manager saying: “I think it was a classic thing, you see, week in, week out. It’s ball-playing to one of the two sitters. Bounce it up, first touch, not take a touch. He will learn from that. I’m pretty sure he’ll use one touch next time.”

When asked whether Guglielmo Vicario was at fault, Frank added: “No. I think you see that every week in the Premier League, from every team, all over the world. So there’s no problem with that.”

Considering the youngster is just 19-years-old, mistakes are bound to happen, but the Lilywhites are now keen to bring in a new midfielder with a little more experience.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states Tottenham are now accelerating a move to sign Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi, with N17 one of the most attractive destinations for the Italian.

Frattesi is said to be a perfect fit for Frank’s style of play, given that he is a box-to-box midfielder, who makes ‘constant attacking runs’, and Spurs are willing to give him a leading role right from the off.

Having struggled for game time at Inter this season, receiving a guarantee of regular minutes will be key for the 26-year-old when it comes to deciding which club to join next, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool also named as potential suitors.

Related Archie Gray upgrade: ENIC submit offer to sign "magic" £61m star for Spurs

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Posts 1 ByAngus Sinclair "Special" Frattesi needs to leave Inter

A lack of creativity has been a major problem for Tottenham this season, with Frank’s side recording two of the lowest three xG performances in the Premier League, and they clearly need some inspiration from somewhere.

There are signs the £88k-a-week Inter maestro could be a solution to their attacking woes, given that he has averaged 0.28 non-penalty goals per 90 over the past year, ranking in the 96th percentile, when compared to other midfielders.

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Perhaps most famously, the central midfielder scored a dramatic late winner against Barcelona in the second leg of the 2024-25 Champions League semi-final.

Journalist Wayne Girard has also praised the Italy international in the past, claiming he has “something really special” about him while former Inter Milan coach Andrea Stramaccioni once hailed him as “one of the best midfielders in Europe”.

Frattesi is experienced at Champions League level, having made 24 appearances in Europe’s elite competition, and he could be a solid signing for Tottenham, who could clearly do with bringing in players who pose an attacking threat, given their creativity issues.