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Leeds United are indeed keen on signing Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien, according to reliable reporter Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: O’Brien links

Alan Nixon of The Sun stated on Sunday that talks regarding a move for the 22-year-old intensified over the weekend, with Leeds needing to pay £10m for the central midfielder.

O’Brien is thought to be keen to make the move across Yorkshire if a fee can be agreed, with a central midfielder a ‘priority’ for the Whites this summer.

The Latest: Hay confirms

Hay shared a transfer mailbag on The Athletic on Wednesday morning.

Within his report, he spoke out on the failed move for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, who opted to join Crystal Palace before revealing that ‘the links to Huddersfield Town’s Lewis O’Brien are true’ – a significant nine-word admission.

Hay added that Marcelo Bielsa was at Huddersfield’s Carabao Cup clash with Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, where O’Brien scored the winning penalty for the Terriers past former Whites goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

The reliable reporter admitted that a possible move is one to keep a close eye on, although a transfer hasn’t progressed towards completion so far.

The Verdict: Bielsa knows best

If Bielsa liked what he saw in O’Brien over the weekend and wants the club to secure his services, then Leeds should do everything they can to grant the manager’s wish, even if it means forking out £10m.

That figure for a player who has never turned out in the Premier League and has 12, possibly 24, months remaining on his Huddersfield deal seems extreme, but the Whites are running out of time to bring in midfield reinforcements with the transfer window closing at the end of this month.

We’ve seen what Bielsa can do with players who are not exactly household names, such as last season’s Player of the Year Stuart Dallas, so bringing in O’Brien – who can play as a central or attacking midfielder – could prove a smart piece of business in the long run.

In other news: Source close to Matheus Pereira shares chances of Leeds United move

Liverpool have been linked with a move for West Ham United forward Jarrod Bowen this summer as manager Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his forward line.

What’s the story?

The Reds were first credited with an interest in the versatile 24-year-old last month by The Athletic’s James Pearce, and now The Mirror’s David Maddock has substantiated those claims.

Maddock has stated (as relayed by The Anfield Buzz Twitter account) that Liverpool could sign Bowen before the end of the current transfer window, adding some much-needed firepower to Klopp’s first team squad.

Jurgen Klopp would love him

After bagging 52 goals in 117 Championship appearances for Hull City, Bowen earned a move to the Premier League in January 2020 when the Hammers splashed out £20m to secure his services.

During his time at the London Stadium, the stocky winger has impressed with his stamina and incredible work rate, assets which would make him an ideal fit for Klopp’s unique gegenpressing system.

With fringe players Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi rumoured to be heading for the Anfield exit door, the enigmatic German is believed to be in the market for another attacking option this summer.

As the 20-time English champions are working with a limited transfer budget, Bowen could be a decent value for money option.

Klopp would surely love his pressing ability, playing style and versatility, even if some doubts remain surrounding his quality on the ball.

Despite Bowen finding the back of the net on a regular basis in the Championship, he has struggled somewhat to replicate his form in front of goal in the Premier League. A return of nine goals and ten assists in 53 appearances for West Ham is a respectable return, but not one expected of a Liverpool player brought in to fire them back to the top-flight summit.

However, the £27m-rated maestro has plenty of potential and Klopp could be the ideal manager to mould him into a ruthless goalscorer at the highest level.

It remains to be seen whether Liverpool’s director of football Michael Edwards makes a concrete offer for Bowen, but with the resources available, he could be an astute purchase perfectly suited to Klopp’s demands.

In other news… James Pearce reveals transfer update which will leave Liverpool fans gutted

Speaking to talkSPORT (Wednesday 12:25pm), via Read West Ham, journalist Alex Crook has dropped a West Ham United transfer hint involving Liverpool forward Divock Origi.

The Lowdown: West Ham in Origi chase?

As manager David Moyes’ options for a new striker grow thin, Reds forward Origi has emerged as a target, with club insider ExWHUemployee believing a move could become close at the end of the transfer window (Twitter).

Meanwhile, other sources like Football Insider say that the Hammers have already opened preliminary talks to sign the Belgium international after Liverpool slashed his asking price.

Now, Crook has come out with own update on the situation with a West Ham transfer hint.

The Latest: Origi transfer hint dropped…

As per the talkSPORT reporter, speaking on live radio (via Read West Ham), West Ham could make a move for the 26-year-old and Crook has implored supporters to ‘keep tabs’ on the saga ‘in the coming weeks’.

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“The other name to look out for is Divock Origi at Liverpool,” explained the journalist.

“He’s on the books of agent Will Salthouse who is very close to the West Ham hierarchy.

“They do need a striker so keep tabs on that one in the coming weeks. Year left on his contract and probably not going to get game time. But they don’t want decent money.”

The Verdict: Nowhere else to turn?

Both Origi and Barcelona forward Martin Braithwaite have been the most heavily-linked strikers to West Ham over this past fortnight, perhaps indicating that their options are running a bit low.

Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic is another name to have emerged over the last few days (Eurosport), but his possible price tag and sky high wages (£163,000-per-week) indicate a move is unlikely.

As such, Origi arguably comes as the best possible last option for West Ham given Liverpool are open to selling and he already has experience in the Premier League.

The attacker, amassing a career total of 59 goals, also has a fair few years left to develop further going by his age and he may even bring some sell-on value as a result.

In other news: West Ham weigh swoop to sign ‘world class’ striker, club prepare to sell…find out more here.

Sheffield Wednesday will reportedly attempt to tie Dominic Iorfa down to a new deal this summer, as they look to extend his stay at Hillsborough.

The Lowdown: Iorfa shines for Sheff Wed

The Owls have not have experienced the happiest time in their history recently, but Iorfa has been one of the few positives to emerge.

The 26-year-old has shone at centre-back for Wednesday, making 71 appearances to date and scoring five goals for good measure.

Iorfa was voted the club’s Player of the Year in 2019/20, highlighting how much of an influence he has had since arriving from Wolves in 2019.

The Latest: Owls keen to offer new deal

According to The Sheffield Star, Wednesday are keen on the idea of offering Irofa a new deal, with his current contract expiring next summer.

That means they could lose him on a free transfer at that point, so the club want to alleviate that issue. An offer could arrive in the ‘coming weeks’.

The Verdict: Hugely important figure

Iorfa is arguably one of Darren Moore’s most important players this season, given his stature at centre-back and the fact that his defensive partner Sam Hutchinson is an often injury-prone figure.

Having extended Josh Windass’ stay at Hillsborough, this would be another huge positive, enhancing Wednesday’s chances of success in the future.

Iorfa enjoyed an 89.1 percent pass completion rate in the 0-0 draw at Charlton Athletic last Saturday, highlighting his quality in possession – he is more than just a colossal 6 foot 4 defender.

In other news, Sheff Wed have reportedly shown interest in signing one player. Find out who it is here.

Fulham appear to be closing in on a deal that will see Fabio Carvalho extend his stay at Craven Cottage.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Peter Rutzler, with The Athletic journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that it is looking increasingly likely that the 18-year-old winger will put pen to paper on a new contract with the club, despite the reported interest of Leeds United, West Ham United, Norwich City and Porto.

Earlier reports had claimed that the England U18 international had rejected the club’s initial offer of a new deal, however, following Rutzler latest update, it would appear as if further talks have been positive between the player, his representatives and Fulham.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “It is looking increasingly likely that Fabio Carvalho will sign a new contract. It’s understood the club, player and his representatives are in positive talks, with growing confidence he’ll sign. A good thing too, as this kid looks the real deal.”

Music to the ears of fans

Considering the sheer amount of potential Carvalho appears to possess, in addition to the fact it had started to look as if the winger could be on his way out of the club this summer, Rutzler’s latest comments will undoubtedly be music to the ears of Fulham fans.

Indeed, the £225k-rated man has highly impressed over his three Championship appearances for Marco Silva’s side so far this season, scoring two goals, registering one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of three shots and making three passes per game.

These returns have seen the youngster average a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.40, ranking him as the Cottagers’ second-best performer in the second tier of English football.

As such, it would very much look as if Carvalho not only has a fantastic future in the game, but the youngster could well play a key role in Fulham’s push to secure an immediate return to the Premier League this season.

So, should the forward go on to sign a new deal with the west London side this summer, it would undoubtedly be a significant boost for both Silva and fans of the club alike.

In other news: Contact made: Khan opens talks for “quality” £12k-p/w ace, Fulham fans will be buzzing

Former Premier League striker Nigel Jemson has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer isn’t the right man to bring back success to Old Trafford.

The legendary United frontman, who recently signed a new long-term contract at the club, is approaching the three-year mark since he replaced Jose Mourinho in the dugout.

However, whilst Solskjaer has made the Red Devils top-four regulars once again and led them to a second-place finish last season, he’s been unable to end their four-year wait for silverware since Mourinho’s side lifted the Europa League.

Solskjaer has suffered defeats in three domestic semi-finals and lost at the same stage of the Europa League in 2020 before falling short in the final back in May.

The arrivals of Jadon Sancho and Rafael Varane will boost United’s chances of a first Premier League title for nine seasons, but they dropped two points at Southampton on Sunday and already trail title rivals Chelsea and Liverpool.

When asked about United’s title chances, Jemson told The Transfer Tavern:

“Have they got the squad to win the Premier League? They may have. Have they got the manager to win the Premier League? No, I don’t think so.

“Is he the right man to take Manchester United forward? I don’t think so. All this hype about Ole’s at the wheel and all this. They finished second in the Premier League. If they don’t win a trophy this year, it’s a failure.”

When Rafa Benitez was appointed as the new manager of Everton it sparked controversy among the Goodison Park faithful.

Supporters were hanging banners outside of his house in protest of the former Liverpool boss being handed the keys to the club.

Their concerns made sense after he dubbed the Toffees a small team during his stint at Anfield.

However, Benitez has hit back at his critics with Everton witnessing a near-perfect start to the new season. They haven’t spent a great deal in the transfer window but have still amassed seven points from their first three games.

Demarai Gray, the only man who cost anything this summer, has hit the ground running and has started the campaign with two goals in his last two matches.

The quick-footed winger is a throwback to the type of signing David Moyes made during his stay at Everton and it seems to be working a treat as he dominates Premier League defences.

Though, despite his goal in the club’s 2-0 win over Brighton on Saturday afternoon, it was actually a defender who stole the show.

Michael Keane has attracted his fair share of criticism this season and that’s completely justified. He has already made a plethora of errors leading to goals as he endures a torrid start to the campaign.

He turned too slowly against Leeds which allowed Patrick Bamford to pick up possession and then set up Mateusz Klich for a goal. Keane then lost his marker when Huddersfield scored against the Toffees in the Carabao Cup in midweek.

Yet, when the Toffees visited the south coast this weekend, Keane returned to form in emphatic fashion.

It will take a while for supporters to be convinced by him again but this showed he does indeed have the necessary qualities to shine under Benitez.

The £22.5m-rated England international was rock solid at the back against Brighton, winning 100% of the defensive duels he was involved in. That meant the centre-half won an impressive four tackles and produced five interceptions.

That final statistic was the best on the entire field of play while only Allan completed more tackles (5) than Keane during the game.

The defender was also calm and composed in possession of the ball. Keane registered a pass success rate of 92% which once more, was only bettered by the diminutive Allan.

If the centre-back can produce performances like this on a regular basis then he can still be a huge part of the Everton squad. If mistakes pop up again, however, Benitez will need to axe him quickly.

AND in other news, “Joorabchian has told Everton” – Castles issues big transfer claim, fans surely scared…

Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on the signing of Emerson Royal and their business may not be finished just yet…

What’s the word?

According to talkSPORT transfer expert Alex Crook, the north London outfit are pushing for more additions on deadline day and they are confident in making at least one signing, which is likely to be the Barcelona right-back.

“#THFC confident of making at least one signing today (Emerson Royal) but I’m told they are pushing for more,” he tweeted.

It’s thought that the Brazilian is undergoing a medical ahead of a €30m (£25.7m) move to the Lilywhites, whilst there remains an interest in Wolves attacker Adama Traore, per Sky Sports.

Time running out

This latest development should leave many supporters around the Tottenham Hotspur absolutely buzzing as it means Fabio Paratici and co are eyeing up further moves to complete their impressive summer of arrivals.

In Cristian Romero, they have a centre-back fix, though Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez have started the campaign in impressive form, whilst the signing of Bryan Gil is certainly one for the future and one that could see some much-needed creativity added to attacking midfield.

Pape Sarr has been another addition but we’ll have to wait at least a year to see him in action.

The Italian supremo has been working hard for further arrivals and he seems to be on the verge of sealing Nuno Santo a new right-back, another problematic area in recent times.

Serge Aurier has slipped down the pecking order in N17, whilst Matt Doherty hasn’t been favoured either, with youth product Japhet Tanganga starting all three of their Premier League matches thus far.

A striker may be the next priority as the Portuguese head coach would reportedly like to deploy a two-man attack and Harry Kane is his only senior option right now.

There are less than 12 hours to go in the window but as Crook has revealed, we should expect some sort of activity from Spurs and that will surely leave much of the Lilywhites faithful thrilled.

They head into the international break top of the Premier League and it’s clear that they aren’t resting on their laurels as Paratici and Nuno look to bolster the playing squad even more.

AND in other news, Paratici could find Spurs their next Dembele in late swoop for £40m “wonderful talent”…

A number of Liverpool supporters are fuming after an update regarding Divock Origi’s future at Anfield, with the Belgian set to stay put.

The Reds don’t look like they will be making any new signings this summer, with Ibrahima Konate proving to be the only addition in the entire window.

It is a decision that is unlikely to go down well, with many fans of the opinion that reinforcements are needed in certain areas of the pitch.

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Origi is a player who has become an increasingly peripheral figure at Anfield, providing some huge moments back in 2018/19 but doing very little since then.

Despite this, it looks as though the Belgian is set to stay with the Reds beyond this summer, according to Sky Sports News [via Anfield Edition on Twitter], who say he wants to fight for his place.

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Liverpool fans unhappy at Origi claim

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to show their unhappiness at the rumour, with one fan calling it a ‘joke’.

“We’re honestly so dusted”

Credit: @LFCYussef

“We are an actual embarrassment”

Credit: @the_only_ish

“I have given up on new signings at this point but they are really making us watch Divock ball for another year as well”

Credit: @eeerik1

“He can’t even make the bench anymore, we had 2 goalkeepers on the bench ahead of him”

Credit: @LfcMerx

“Fight? Joke. He’s running his contract down”

Credit: @mark_gilbertson

“Are we even a serious club?”

Credit: @mirxnn7

In other news, one Liverpool player could leave in the final hours of deadline day. Find out who it is here.

Lots of Manchester City supporters have reacted to reports that Phil Foden has been offered a new contract with the club.

According to the Daily Star (via City Xtra), the highly-rated academy graduate has been offered a new six-year contract worth £150,000 per week at the Etihad Stadium.

The 21-year-old already has 124 senior appearances for his boyhood club, scoring 31 goals and registering 22 assists after making his debut in November 2017 against Feyenoord in the Champions League.

Last season was Foden’s best to date, scoring 16 goals in all competitions as Pep Guardiola’s side reached the Champions League final for the first time in the club’s history.

After appearing in the European Championship for England during the summer, he is now one of City’s key players and he is set to be rewarded for his positive progression. He is currently on £40,000 per week, potentially seeing him earn almost quadruple his current wage if the latest reports come to fruition.

City fans react to Foden contract rumours

These Man City supporters took to Twitter in response to the City Xtra account to make their feelings known about the potentially “outrageous” contract extension for Foden.

“150k is still too low imo but I suppose he’s still only 21”

Credit: @UnrealFoden

“40k a week that’s outrageous, he deserves the 150 so much man”

Credit: @CitySouljaa

“150K sounds about right, he’s proven himself at this level and then some. He’s not yet an undisputed starter and still very young so no need to offer much more wages as it would only cause problems long term imo”

Credit: @JanYoUnchained

“The best young player in the league”

Credit: @Basseysamuel998

“Even £150,000 doesn’t seem enough for the lad”

Credit: @CitehSte

“about time, he deserves a pay increase”Credit: @aezl21

In other news, a former Premier League star insists City will re-visit transfer situation. Find out more here.