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Swansea’s Daniel James has been a target for Leeds United for months now, and they may finally bag their man if they are promoted through the playoffs.

The Whites had a deal in place to sign the winger in January, but that fell through at the last minute. His excellent form in the new year has attracted interest from the likes of Manchester United, but the Yorkshire club aren’t out of the running yet.

What’s the story?

Leeds’ director of football Victor Orta has reportedly been in direct contact with the youngster in recent weeks imploring him to wait until the Whites’ fate is sealed before he chooses where he wants to play next season.

Orta and James will have of course met when the transfer was all but done in January, and his previous relationship with the club may sway him towards coming to Elland Road this summer.

The Whites will likely have to pay treble what they were quoted back in January, but the 21-year-old could prove to be worth it.

Shows ambition

This conversation between Orta and James shows that Leeds aren’t scared of getting stuck in after their return to the top flight.

If their first signing this summer is a player who was targeted by Man United then that shows a tremendous amount of ambition, and that may work in the Yorkshire club’s favour when attempting to broker any future deals.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side may come and shake things up in the Premier League by immediately trying to rub shoulders with some of the world’s biggest teams.

It has been less than 20 years since Leeds were top four contenders in the top flight, and if they are to conduct business like this by signing top club’s targets then it may not be long until they return to the pinnacle of English football.

Everton are way off challenging for the top six as it stands, but if they can sign Bruno Fernandes, he’d give them that boost required to battle it out with the big guns.

The Toffees have been inconsistent this season, proving they’re capable of beating top six sides but then faltering against teams they should be brushing aside. A well-rounded midfielder like Fernandes would add some continuity Marco Silva needs.

He’s lit up the Portuguese top division this season, scoring 16 goals and making 12 assists from 30 appearances. His performances have attracted suitors from right across Europe, and Record via Sport Witness believed Everton have joined the race too.

The Portuguese attacking midfielder is rated at £31.5m on Transfermarkt, but expect there to be a bidding war for him this summer. As per his season stats on the same website, he’s been involved in 47 goals this season. 47. Ludicrous stuff.

Indeed, Everton should offer as much money as they have available for him, because if they can capture him, it’d trump making Andre Gomes’ move permanent by a mile.

He’s only 24-years-old and still has just under 10 years left at the very top. He’d be the lynchpin Marco Silva needs to break into that top six. It’d also give those top teams a scare, making them realise that this Everton project means business.

If Brands can seal that deal, it could be their most successful since the glory days and the club know it. It’d be a massive step up from Gomes and would give everyone surrounding the club the belief they can make it back to the top.

Everton fans, who do you think your club needs to sign to break into the top six in the next few years? Join the discussion by commenting below.

Nottingham Forest fans will be hugely disappointed at how their season has petered out, but one positive is the revelation that Joao Carvalho is capable of being their next star! Indeed, he now requires more chance to prove what he can do.

He’s played 36 times in the Championship this season, making seven assists and scoring four goals. He’s been given a great run in the team and all credit to Martin O’Neill for presenting him with that opportunity.

Now, he needs the same next term.

He impressed again in Forest’s 3-0 win against Middlesbrough on Easter Monday. And then some. A result that ended the club’s run of four straight defeats and Carvalho was key until he was subbed off.

With that in mind, next season’s starting 11 should be built around him.

At only 22-years-old, he’s shown magnificent maturity to play at such a big club under such pressure. He’s proved he has the quality to become their main man if he’s given the time to grown into the number 10 role and to fulfil his potential.

The club will look to go one step forward next campaign and continue their early season form into the second half. The play-offs are a minimum requirement for the club and Carvalho has the speed and trickery to guide them there.

There’s no need for Forest to look anywhere else for a number 10 when they have one right in front of them. This season he’s proved he’s capable, and next season’s he’ll be crucial in their bid for promotion.

Forest fans, what have you thought of Joao Carvalho this season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Southampton can all but confirm their safety with a victory over Bournemouth this weekend and will be hoping to pile the misery on their visitors, who fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Fulham last time out.

The almost-weekly improvements made by the Saints since Ralph Hasenhuttl took the helm have seen the south coast outfit steadily climb away from relegation, meanwhile picking up some phenomenal results.

But Mark Lawrenson predicts that this will be the game after which the Austrian can begin planning for what is looking like being an exciting first full season in the Premier League.

The BBC pundit predicts a scoreline of 2-0 to the hosts, who he thinks will be able to capitalise on Bournemouth’s struggles at the back:

“The good news for Southampton is that Bournemouth are short of fit defenders, and they are not the greatest at the back anyhow.

“Saints are as good as safe anyway, sitting six points above Cardiff and with a much superior goal-difference, and I think they will make absolutely sure of staying up on Saturday.”

A Southampton fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Saints in the video below…

Indeed, with a number of key defenders sidelined, the Cherries have a mountain to climb against a Southampton side who are tearing teams apart with their tenacity up front, epitomised by Shane Long’s early, early goal against Watford last time out.

The Saints will have a job keeping the likes of Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson, who have struck up a lethal partnership, at bay but they have plenty of pace and legs in the team to run Eddie Howe’s side ragged. They surely won’t bottle their six-point lead on 18th-placed Cardiff but a win at St Mary’s Stadium this weekend will make their survival fact.

When Chelsea announced the signing of Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund at the start of the year, it was probably fair to say not every supporter was over the moon.

For a player who is not a goalscorer or assist machine either, some were left underwhelmed when the west London club decided to fork out just under £60m (BBC Sport) on the USA international.

After all, this is a Chelsea side in desperate need of goals, especially with their top scorer heading for the exit door (Sky Sports).

Even so, you cannot help but feel that Pulisic will provide a breath of fresh air to this very stale Chelsea team. And at 20, he has plenty of time to develop into a more productive player.

For too long now, Willian and Pedro have been putting in performances that have just not been up to the required standard, with the latter having been absolutely dreadful in the Blues’ last outing.

For a team who are meant to be retaining the ball, Pedro, in particular, has been so reckless and careless in possession.

When he is not losing the ball in his own half, the Spaniard and his partner in crime Willian are constantly making the wrong decisions in attack.

For now, Pulisic might not be as deadly in front of goal. But he certainly plays with more intelligence and is going to be easier to mould compared to his ageing team-mates.

Is he going to solve all of Maurizio Sarri’s problems? Obviously not. But, nonetheless, he still looks like an exciting young player who could rejuvenate this very lacklustre Chelsea forward line.

Chelsea fans, how excited are you about the arrival of Pulisic? Join the discussion by commenting below.

اعترف وكيل لاعب تشيلسي جورجينيو أن الأخير كان سينتقل إلى صفوف يوفنتوس، إذا كان المدرب ماوريسيو ساري ما زال في منصبه.

وسبق لـ جورجينيو اللعب تحت قيادة ساري في إمبولي ونابولي ثم تشيلسي.

وارتبط اللاعب الإيطالي بخطوة الانتقال إلى يوفنتوس عندما كان ساري مسؤولًا عن تدريب السيدة العجوز.

وبعد موسم في تورينو، اتخذت إدارة بطل الدوري الإيطالي قرارًا بالاستغناء عن خدمات ساري.

وقال وكيل جورجينيو في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “فوتبول إيطاليا” العالمية :”إنه سعيد جدًا مع فرانك لامبارد ويمكن لتشيلسي تقديم أداء أفضل من الموسم الماضي”.

وأضاف: “جميع لاعبي إيطاليا تقريبًا يتواجدون في الدوري الإيطالي لأنه دوري مهم، لكن رحلة جورجينيو أخذته إلى لندن”.

وواصل: “لو بقي ساري ربما كان لينتقل جورجينيو إلى يوفنتوس، حيث لديه علاقة شخصية ومهنية قوية للغاية مع المدرب، نحن ننتظر لنرى أين يذهب ساري، وإذا كان ناديًا كبيرًا في إيطاليا يمكن أن يتبعه جورجينيو”.

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Leeds United face Ipswich Town in their final league game of the season on Sunday before embarking on a playoff campaign.

Marcelo Bielsa is unlikely to rotate his team too much despite their pending post-season matches. Bielsa has rarely been a manager who offers up less than 100 per cent and he will want his team to gather as much momentum as possible.

This line-up has only three changes from the side that started against Aston Villa last weekend. Patrick Bamford misses out after he was handed a two-game suspension for simulation in last Sunday’s match.

Kemar Roofe has been passed as fit so he comes into the fold to replace Bamford.

Bielsa confirmed that Stuart Dallas is also nursing a knock, and with nothing to play for in this game there is no need to risk anyone; therefore Gaetano Berardi slots in at left-back.

And on the left-wing Jack Clarke returns for the final day of the season to replace Jack Harrison, who hasn’t impressed recently.

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Rangers have had a bid rejected for Oldham Athletic defender George Edmundson, according to The Daily Mail.

What’s the story?

There were reports last week that the Gers were interested in a move for the English League Two star and it appears the club have followed up their initial interest with a firm bid for the player.

The Mail say that the recruitment team at Ibrox tabled a £450,000 offer for the 6ft 2in defender, which was promptly rejected amidst interest from other teams down south.

The paper reckon Oldham are holding out for a bigger fee in the hope of sparking a bidding war between interested parties.

Rangers though aren’t impressed, having previously thought a bid in that ballpark would be enough to secure his services, the report states.

Worth going higher?

Obviously the Gers will want to secure all their top transfer targets this summer and, while a sub-£1m deal may not sound like much to many supporters, resources at Ibrox in the upcoming window will be stretched and the club can’t be held to ransom by teams such as Oldham.

Edmundson has never played above League Two level and bringing him to Ibrox to compete for first-team places is something of a risk to begin with and if the transfer fee balloons then it’s a deal that only makes less and less sense.

Going from Oldham to Rangers is a massive step up and with Steven Gerrard needing to get his recruitment 100% spot on this summer, perhaps it’s time to move on from the Edmundson pursuit.

[ad_pod ]Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to slam Henrikh Mkhitaryan, after the midfielder was nowhere to be seen as the Gunners crashed to a horrendous 3-0 loss to Leicester.The 30-year-old Armenian international didn’t have a single shot, let alone a shot on target, and also failed to make a single key pass on a horrible day for his side and himself personally.Are Man City better than Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’? Fans discuss in the video below…Mkhitaryan has managed to score just six league goals this season, and his consistently ineffective performances seem to have taken their toll on the Arsenal fanbase who appear to have lost patience with him.The loss to the Foxes now means that Unai Emery’s men have lost three on the bounce, conceding three goals in each defeat – to make matters worse, those games have been against Crystal Palace, Wolves and Leicester, games you’d expect Arsenal to win.

They now face a real challenge to make the top four, but let’s see what the supporters on Twitter have been saying about Mkhitaryan’s performance…

[ad_pod ]Liverpool fans on Twitter like what they see when it comes to Bristol City defender Lloyd Kelly, a supposed transfer target for the Champions League finalists.The 20-year-old has made 34 appearances across all competitions for the Championship side this season, and has impressed massively.Luis Suarez certainly had no qualms about celebrating against his former employers in the video below…Kelly looks like a left-footed Joe Gomez in the way that he is tall, powerful but good on the ball as well, whilst he can play at centre-back or at left-back; he is basically the mirror image of the former Charlton man.The athletic defender has been linked with a move to Anfield as back-up to Andrew Robertson, who will be in need of a new understudy with Alberto Moreno set to leave this summer.

A video has emerged on Twitter of Kelly’s highlights from the campaign just gone, and it’s safe to say that the Reds supporters are excited by what they see.

Let’s take a look at some of the replies from the fans on Twitter…