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An update has emerged in Aston Villa’s pursuit of Chelsea full-back Tino Livramento.

What’s the talk?

According to Hampshire Live, Southampton could have the edge over their competition in the race to land Tino Livramento as they only have one senior right-back option. The Saints could tempt the Aston Villa target to join them with the prospect of senior football in the not-too-distant future.

The report names Aston Villa, Brighton, RB Leipzig and AC Milan among the clubs interested in signing the young right-back. His contract at Stamford Bridge expires at the end of next season and talks are said to have stalled over an extension, with a compensation expected to be around £500k.

Could strike gold

Johan Lange must act swiftly to secure a deal for Livramento this summer. If he can move quickly and snap up the youngster in the coming weeks then he could stave off interest from other sides, including Southampton, as they may be waiting for him to become a free agent next year. Instead of waiting 12 months, Villa can strike now and use the element of surprise to jump ahead of their rivals in the pursuit.

The claret and blue chief could strike gold for Dean Smith in doing so as Livramento is a talented young player with the potential to improve further. He was named on the bench for Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Manchester City in the Premier League at the start of May and was unused. The youngster also won Chelsea’s Academy Player of the Year award at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

The 18-year-old, who has been dubbed as a “huge talent”, made 26 appearances for the club’s academy last term and provided three goals and 10 assists. This shows off his attacking flair from the back four and suggests that he could fit the mould Smith is looking for in his fullbacks.

Smith wants his fullbacks to bomb down the flank to create overloads and openings out wide. Matty Cash averaged 0.8 key passes per game in the Premier League, whilst Matt Targett managed one per game on the left flank. Livramento could come in and learn from the likes of Cash and Targett as their understudy, developing his game to suit what the ex-Brentford coach wants.

Therefore, he could be a shrewd addition to Villa’s squad in the short-term, as he could provide cover for Cash, and in the long-term. The dynamo could be someone Smith is able to take his time with on the training pitch and develop over the course of several years, rather than expecting him to come straight in and impress.

AND in other news, talkSPORT drop promising update on “phenomenal” Aston Villa star, fans surely buzzing…

Leeds United target Kvicha Kvaratskhelia has confirmed he has held talks with the club [Sportall via TEAMTalk].

The Lowdown: Leeds look for Pablo Hernandez replacement

After an impressive ninth placed Premier League finish, Leeds have seemingly turned their attention towards the transfer market and the Georgia international.

Currently, he plies his trade for Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan and has done since 2019 [Transfermarkt].

However, much-loved winger Pablo Hernandez is set to depart Elland Road at 36-years-old, meaning Marcelo Bielsa will likely hunt for a suitable replacement to bolster squad depth ahead of 2021/22.

Leeds have also been recently been linked with Rangers wide-man Ryan Kent, as their pursuit of a wide-player hots up [Leeds Live].

The Latest: Talks with ‘many clubs’ are at a ‘decisive phase’; Could Leeds be one of them?

Speaking to Georgian TV channel Rustavi 2, Kvaratskhelia lifted the lid on his potential next move, claiming:

“Negotiations are underway with many clubs. We are already in a decisive phase.”

“Who are we negotiating with? I cannot say that. Negotiations with Leeds? Yes, they have been conducted and may resume.” [Sportall via TeamTALK].

Bayern Munich and Juventus are also said to be monitoring his situation.

The Verdict: Huge potential

Undoubtedly, acquiring Kvaratskhelia would provoke excitement amongst the Leeds United support. In a stellar campaign for Rubin Kazan, the 20-year-old has offered up 12 goal contributions in 23 fixtures; four goals and eight assists [Transfermarkt].

His completed dribble rate stands at around 3.4 per match [WhoScored]. This shows Kvaratskhelia’s ability not only to entertain but take games by the scruff of the neck and advance the ball into dangerous positions aggressively; a key hallmark of Bielsa’s usual preferred game plan.

Adept at playing on either side of the attack, he already has considerable pedigree under his belt having made eight appearances for the senior Georgia side, scoring three times [Transfermarkt].

With plenty room for further development, Leeds United could do a lot worse than signing the Georgian prodigy as they look to bolster their winger ranks.

In other news, there has been an update on Leeds United’s interest in a reported target.

Leeds United are scheduling talks with Club Brugge starlet Noa Lang as some key transfer news emerges from Thorp Arch.

What’s the story?

According to The Telegraph in recent days and weeks, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been been watching the talented 21-year-old in action this season, although they are set to face major competition to try and land him this summer.

Now, Football Insider claim that a Leeds source has told them that the Whites will hold discussions with Lang once the season is over “as they step up plans to bring in attacking reinforcements”.

Fans will be buzzing

Hailed as a “phenomenon” by Belgian journalist Peter Vandenbempt, Lang made history when he became the first player in 60 years to to score a hat-trick on his Ajax debut, prompting manager Erik ten Hag to rave about him afterwards.

The Ajax boss said: “He showed (his talent) today and I am very happy with that. Noa shows (his ability) it during training and during the reserve matches. And today he has also clearly shown it at the highest level too.”

Able to play anywhere across the front, the starlet has shown he has a real eye for goal in his loan spell at Brugge this campaign, scoring 16 goals and providing a further 11 assists in just 37 games across all competitions.

Given his age, and the fact he’s a real goal threat in terms of scoring them himself and setting up his teammates too, Lang has got all the hallmarks of being a potentially exciting signing for Leeds.

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What will also have the fans buzzing, is the fact that the Whites appear to be making immediate moves to strengthen the squad. Getting new signings in early will allow them the chance to work with Bielsa during pre-season, and better preparing them to hit the ground running at Elland Road next season.

Leeds appear to have their act together in terms of the upcoming summer transfer window, and that bodes very well for the future.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing a move for this Bundesliga sensation…

Barry Fry insists Daniel Levy must keep his word if he has struck a gentleman’s agreement with Harry Kane allowing him to leave Tottenham Hotspur.

It has been widely reported this month that Kane has asked to leave Spurs as he bids to win the biggest trophies in the game.

Sky Sports reported the news first and also claimed that there was interest from Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea.

The London Evening Standard followed that report up by claiming that Kane believes he has an agreement with Levy that will allow him to leave the club this summer should an acceptable bid be tabled.

It remains to be seen if an offer is put forward by any of the interested parties that would satisfy Levy, given that Kane has three years left on his contract and is still operating at his peak.

However, Fry, who is the Director of Football at Peterborough United, insists that the chairman must not renege on the agreement if it does exist.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “If he has got a gentleman’s agreement, you’ve got to keep your word, otherwise it will go round football, ‘don’t believe a word he says’.

“I know he’s not too bothered about what people think of him, Daniel, but I wouldn’t think he’d want that. I think Harry’s made up his mind, he wants to go, but I personally don’t think it’ll be as simple as that.

“He’s a hard bargain-master, Daniel, and he’ll do what’s best for Spurs. If that means keeping Harry for another year, he’ll keep him for another year.”

Derby County have made no progress with regards to tying Martyn Waghorn down to a new deal, according to a fresh report regarding the striker.

The Lowdown: Waghorn future up in the air

The Rams managed to retain their Championship status by the skin of their teeth last season, staying up on the final day of the campaign.

They have a host of out-of-contract players in their ranks, however, one of whom is Waghorn, who will be allowed to leave at the end of this month.

The 31-year-old has scored 30 goals and registered 13 assists in 123 appearances for Derby, proving to be a key man at Pride Park and being described as ‘absolutely excellent’ by journalist Ryan Conway.

The Latest: Fresh update provided

Now, The Athletic have given an update on Waghorn’s situation, saying the Rams are no closer to persuading the Englishman to sign a new contract.

The update suggests he sees his future lying away from Derby, potentially eyeing up a move elsewhere this summer.

The Verdict: Derby must stand firm

While Waghorn may not necessarily be an irreplaceable figure for Derby, he is still an important player who would certainly be missed.

He weighed in with five goals and four assists in a tough season last time around and he possesses a huge amount of Championship experience, netting 75 times in the competition overall.

At 31, he should still have a few years left in him at the top, so Wayne Rooney needs to do all he can to retain his striker’s services.

In other news, Derby are believed to be in the race to sign an established international player. Find out who it is here. 

West Ham United’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were dealt a devastating blow on Saturday evening as David Moyes’ side struggled to pick up all three points on their travels.

And several members of the Irons squad badly let the 58-year-old down, leaving the East Londoners in sixth place, some five points adrift of the top four. They could well drop to seventh by the end of Sunday, too.

Moyes was able to welcome back Declan Rice for the first time in seven matches, whilst there was also a recall for Jarrod Bowen, who certainly needed to make a statement having been snubbed from the starting XI in their previous two outings.

However, after offering the Scotsman absolutely nothing when entering the pitch early against Everton last time out, the 24-year-old winger was found wanting once again as the Hammers came from behind to snatch a draw at Brighton.

The Seagulls not only had nothing to play for but they were also contending with plenty of injuries, meaning it really should have been a game where West Ham picked up the win.

Bowen was ineffective and weak once again on the right flank.

As per SofaScore, he managed only 27 touches throughout the 64 minutes he was on the pitch – by comparison, even Lukasz Fabianski, who was graded their worst player, was more involved in the game, touching the ball 32 times.

Similarly, the Polish goalkeeper also recorded more passes (13) than Bowen (ten), which further shows just how little he was involved on the night.

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Furthermore, the former Hull City dynamo failed to register a single shot, with the Irons managing just three on target all game, and also did not register a successful dribble.

Bowen was wasteful with the ball, losing possession every 2.7 touches and he did not manage to provide Michail Antonio with an accurate cross from two attempts either.

He won just two of five duels (40%) to round off a disastrous night on the south coast.

On social media, Manchester United loan star Jesse Lingard copped a lot of flak for appearing to be a disappointment for another game but the figures would suggest he had a decent game, managing two key passes, making 100% of his three dribbles and managing a whopping 82 touches of the ball, via SofaScore.

Indeed, even football.london’s ratings column graded the attacking midfielder higher than Bowen, who was described as “pretty anonymous” whilst the Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser claimed he “lacked a cutting edge.”

All in all, the £27m-rated attacker, who earns a reported £60k-per-week at the London Stadium, certainly failed to justify his return to the line-up and as result, let his manager and the side down with a pathetic showing.

With absolutely crucial matches against West Brom and Southampton on the horizon, Moyes may want to think again about selecting Bowen.

AND in other news, Get rid: Moyes must axe £13.5m-rated West Ham disaster, he’s cost GSB £4.3m per goal…

If you’d tipped an hourglass upside down when Neil Lennon first left Celtic, it would have ticked to its end way before Dermot Desmond even had a clue who his replacement could be.

This has been a long and arduous few weeks for the Bhoys, who – try as they might – can’t seem to find a successor from anywhere.

What’s the word?

There have been several faces in line to become the new manager of Celtic. Roy Keane was among the early favourites after holding an interview but, after things went rather quiet on that front, he’s now back in contention.

Lucien Favre has been another option but Eddie Howe remains the outstanding candidate the Hoops hierarchy are reportedly after.

That being said, we’re now several weeks into the hiring process without nearing any form of announcement. This should be a worrying time for everyone associated with the football club, but a troublesome message from journalist Dean Jones on the Touchline Talk podcast should only add further concern.

He said: “So Eddie Howe, he’s there if they want him, but I think he’s just keeping an eye on what English jobs might crop up. I think he’s made been made aware that there might be a couple of openings coming for him and it might be better suited, but I do still think he’s in the frame at Celtic potentially. Roy Keane that just never goes away.”

Jones continued: “I’ve got to be honest with you, every time, every week I make calls on this and every time that message slightly changes and they just don’t seem to know what they want. It’s so important to decide what is the identity of your setup going to be from here? There’s changes all over the place at the top level of Celtic happening right now.”

Clouded with doubt

Lennon left Celtic with the Bhoys in absolute peril. They were 18 points adrift of Rangers, yet he still had the support of the boardroom. Had he not resigned, it wouldn’t have been a great surprise if he was still sat in the dugout at Paradise.

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His exit may have caught Desmond and co unawares but it’s now nearly two months to the day that Celtic’s hunt for a new manager began. Therefore, to hear that the message is constantly changing and that the Hoops are unsure of what they actually want is quite damning.

It’s also sending out the wrong message to supporters. The Green Brigade have already held mass protests outside Parkhead, while they’ve staunchly questioned Desmond and his companions.

The majority shareholder has revealed that he won’t sell his shares in the club, but news like this will only add to the fury from supporter groups. Desmond hasn’t been overly competent this season when it’s come to behind-the-scenes matters and the prolonged manager search just about sums it up.

Howe may be the first name on their list but, with Keane sat in second place after taking part in an interview, it just shows they don’t know what they want.

The former is a reserved and calculated character but Keane is a hot-headed, no-nonsense type of individual; they couldn’t be more different if they tried.

With such a big summer of change potentially on the cards, Desmond needs to work out what the club actually needs. There cannot afford to be any more uncertainty at Celtic after the campaign they’ve endured.

AND in other news, Celtic moving towards 3 landmark hires after big manager U-turn, Desmond surely elated…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Newcastle midfielder Rob Lee has laughed off claims that Harry Kane has said he wants to leave Tottenham this summer.

Kane’s future at Spurs has been a major talking point for some time, with recent reports from The Athletic this month saying that the England captain will hand in a transfer request should Spurs fail to qualify for the Champions League.

The striker is still waiting to win his first piece of silverware for the north London outfit, following Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final last weekend.

Kane has been in scintillating form this term, and is the joint-top goalscorer and top assister in the Premier League this season having been directly involved in 34 goals in 30 appearances.

But whilst Lee believes that he could play for any side in the world, he’s rubbished reports that Kane said he will push for a move away from Spurs.

He told Football FanCast:

“Until Harry Kane comes out and says ‘I want to leave’, I don’t believe that his friends of friends have said ‘yeah I know Harry Kane has told me this’.

“Why would he tell anyone that? Unless you’re close – I think his brother is his agent. Why would he say that? I don’t know if he would.

“I’m sure he wants to play at the top level, but does he want to stay at Tottenham and be a club legend as Alan did at Newcastle?

“Does he want to go abroad at Real Madrid or Barcelona or does he want to go to another Premier League club, but then he’s got to play against his beloved Spurs.

“It’s down to Harry Kane what he decides he wants to do. I think he’s the best centre-forward in the world by quite a distance at the moment.”

Following a turgid team performance in Sunderland’s play-off semi-final first leg defeat earlier this week, Lee Johnson must unleash Chris Maguire in the reverse fixture this Saturday.

With the Black Cats’ season very much hanging in the balance after their 2-0 defeat against Lincoln City on Wednesday, Johnson’s side must simply go all-out at the Stadium of Light this afternoon if they are to have any chance of playing in the Championship next season.

Indeed, in the first leg, the 39-year-old Sunderland boss made the rather strange decision not to involve Chris Maguire over the course of the 90 minutes, something which appeared to backfire rather substantially considering they left the game scorelless.

However, Johnson must right this wrong on Saturday, as the 32-year-old has proven on countless occasions this season that he has the capability to be a game-changer for his side.

Having started a mere 11 League One games for the Black Cats this season – making a further 22 appearances from the bench – Maguire has nevertheless returned an impressive haul of five goals and five assists, as well as creating seven big chances for his teammates.

What makes these returns all the more impressive is that the forward’s goal involvements have often come at crucial moments, such as restoring his side’s lead in an eventual 3-1 win over Plymouth Argyle, setting up Charlie Wyke’s winner in a 1-0 victory against Swindon Town and scoring a 97th-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Crewe Alexandra.

The man who Jack Ross labelled an “enigma” has very much shown that he is a man for the big occasion, and occasions do not come much bigger than having to overturn a 2-0 deficit in a play-off semi-final to save your season.

As such, Johnson simply must unleash the £4,400-per-week forward on Saturday in order to give his side the best possible chance of avoiding yet another season in the third tier of English football.

In other news: SAFC gain transfer boost over “fantastic” £8m machine which will surely have fans buzzing – opinion

Leeds United have watched American forward Daryl Dike closely, according to a report from TEAMtalk.

The story claims that Dike, currently on loan at Barnsley from Major League Soccer side Orlando City, has also been monitored by Everton, Newcastle, West Ham and Wolves.

Chelsea and Manchester United also keen

Barnsley have the option to make Dike’s move to Oakwell permanent in the summer, however, it would cost the Tykes £17m – a deal that appears to hinge on the club’s push for promotion to the top flight.

Chelsea and Manchester United are also impressed by the 20-year-old, who has netted five Championship goals in just 715 minutes of second-tier action.

Transfer Tavern take

Leeds have an impressive record of securing some talented attacking youngsters in recent years.

Winger Ian Poveda has been in and around Marcelo Bielsa’s matchday squad this season after joining from Manchester City last January.

The Whites also added forward Joe Gelhardt over the summer from Wigan, with the youngster the top scorer in Premier League 2 Division 2 with 11 goals.

Sam Greenwood was another summer addition from Arsenal, with the 19-year-old scoring eight goals in 15 Premier League 2 fixtures.

Dike, on £4,400-a-week, would cost a lot more than the £900,000 fee Leeds paid for Gelhardt and the £1.53m for Greenwood, but it seems as if the American has the talent to thrive at the top level, given the amount of recent Premier League interest.

In other news: Positive three-word update on Rodrigo de Paul emerges, find out more here.