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Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg has ‘confirmed’ that Manchester United have made Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham their ‘No.1’ target.

The Lowdown: Midfield additions

The Premier League giants spent more than £200m over the summer ahead of Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge at Old Trafford, with two marquee midfield additions made. Christian Eriksen joined on a free transfer while Casemiro was the club’s second most expensive arrival of the summer from Real Madrid.

It looks as if further midfield reinforcements are of interest, though, with Bellingham – who has been dubbed a ‘superstar’ by Troy Deeney – a man in demand.

The Latest: Plettenberg’s post

Plettenberg took to Twitter on Monday evening to provide an update on Bellingham and United. He ‘confirmed’ that Bellingham is ‘transfer target No.1’ at Old Trafford, with club officials expecting the England international to cost €150m (£130m).

The journalist added that ‘Ten Hag wants him’, although the chances of a deal being finalised are low due to Financial Fair Play rules and competition from rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.

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The Verdict: One to watch

A move may well be unlikely, but it seems as if United officials will do all that they can to bring Bellingham to Old Trafford, so it will still be one to keep an eye upon in the weeks and months ahead.

The Red Devils missed a trick back in 2020 after the England international visited Carrington, and any move now, which could well be for around £130m, would comfortably be a club-record outlay.

A regular for his country this year, Bellingham looks set to feature at the World Cup later this month, and who knows, a return to England could be on the cards in 2023.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Pau Torres to the Premier League in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Dean Jones, with the transfer insider revealing in a recent column for GIVEMESPORT that, after being heavily linked with a move for the Villarreal CF centre-back in the summer, Antonio Conte is once again keen on a move for the 25-year-old this winter.

The journalist goes on to suggest that the recent departure of Unai Emery could see the Spain international become more open to a move away from the Estadio de la Cerámica this January, while Fabio Paratici is also aware of how much the defender will cost, with recent reports citing a potential £40m fee.

In his article, Jones said: “Pau Torres remains a name of interest and his situation at Villarreal is intriguing now that Unai Emery is no longer in charge. Spurs opted for Clement Lenglet on loan ahead of pursuing Torres last summer but may look into the situation again, with the Spaniard having a release clause of £55m in his contract.”

Dream signing

Considering Tottenham’s extremely worrying recent record of goals conceded – with the club having shipped 10 over their last five fixtures in all competitions – coupled with how impressive Torres has been in the heart of the Villarreal defence in recent years, the argument that the Spaniard would be a dream signing for Spurs this winter is a rather easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 33 LaLiga appearances in 2021/22, the £44m-rated talent was in sensational defensive form, helping his side keep 11 clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 0.6 interceptions, 1.0 tackles, 3.1 clearances and winning 4.0 duels – at a success rate of 66% – per game.

The £126k-per-week centre-back also caught the eye going forwards, scoring five goals, registering one assist and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as completing an average of 51.4 passes – at a success rate of 86% – playing 4.2 long balls and completing 0.8 dribbles per fixture – demonstrating his ability to both play and bring the ball out from the back.

These returns saw the player who Ryan Haber dubbed a “dream” signing average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.09, ranking him as Villarreal’s joint third-best performer in the top flight of Spanish football last time out – playing a crucial role in the Yellow Submarine boasting the joint third-best defensive record in the league.

It has been a similar story for the 21-cap star over his 13 league outings in the current campaign, helping his side keep six clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 0.7 tackles, 0.2 interceptions, 4.0 clearances and winning 3.4 duels – at a success rate of 51% – per game.

These metrics have seen the left-footer who Javi Calleja labelled “extraordinary” average a very respectable SofaScore match rating of 6.98, currently ranking him as Villarreal’s fifth-best performer in LaLiga.

As such, with Torres evidently being extremely solid at the back, comfortable when playing out of defence and posing a real threat in the opposition penalty area, it is easy to see why Conte would be keen on a deal to bring the Spaniard to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this winter – as the 25-year-old would indeed seem a dream signing for Spurs.

Southampton boast a rich history of finding and developing young talent, with a business model that has seen them make incredible profits on some of their prized assets.

This was sustained throughout a summer in which Ralph Hasenhuttl welcomed eight new faces to St Mary’s, with five of them being 20 or younger.

However, with the Austrian having since been sacked, Nathan Jones could be set to reignite interest in one of the summer targets who would finally fix their long-standing goalscoring issue.

At the back end of August, 90min reported that the Saints were one of many clubs to have opened talks with Benfica for their young star Goncalo Ramos.

Whilst nobody succeeded in this pursuit, the 21-year-old has since begun to truly show his talents, vastly improving upon last season’s eight-goal haul.

In just 21 games across the Champions League and his domestic league, he already boasts 14 goals and six assists.

Finally, he is proving that he truly is “incredibly prolific”, as noted by the Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, and has more than earned his spot in Portugal’s World Cup squad.

This form has likely led to his whopping price tag of €40m (£35m), although admittedly that would likely mark a coup.

With Jones coming into a side that have scored just 13 times in 15 Premier League games, a true goalscorer is exactly what he needs to propel his side out of the relegation zone where they currently sit.

Although Che Adams has six goals to his name, the rest of the squad have contributed to this lack of cutting-edge.

Adam Armstrong in particular could be ditched should Ramos make a shock switch to the south coast, as the former Blackburn Rovers forward has simply failed since his 2021 move.

This season he boasts just one goal in 14 games, and he could only muster two the season prior.

Although his initial £15m fee seemed a steal, the 25-year-old has managed to turn it into poor value.

He cannot be compared to this hot European talent touted with a switch, and arguably the best outcome should he move would be to see Armstrong finally depart after his failed spell.

There aren’t many areas of the Celtic squad that you can be critical of this season but Ange Postecoglou does have a slight concern in one area of the pitch.

The Hoops have several numbers in an offensive position with Kyogo Furuhashi, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Daizen Maeda all capable of playing in that lone central striker berth.

That said, despite their goal records, with the trio racking up 68 goals between them since arriving in Glasgow, there is a feeling that they still lack goals. That’s certainly against the best sides with Postecoglou ruing a succession of big chances going begging in the Champions League.

Indeed, the Australian seems to think his team paid the “ultimate price” for their lack of a clinical finisher in Europe’s elite competition with the aforementioned trio scoring just once in that competition this term through Giakoumakis.

Signing a new centre-forward in 2023, therefore, might be a good way of not only ensuring they retain their Premiership crown but making a better go of the Champions League next term.

One such player could be Bamba Dieng, although they may have to pay a sizeable fee to bring the 22-year-old to Scotland.

The Marseille striker has been linked with a move to Celtic in recent times but he could cost €10m (£8.6m), a fee that Leeds agreed with the French side over the summer before a move fell through.

At his tender age, he has scored ten times in 48 outings for the Ligue 1 club but there is a sense that he could be about to explode in the near future.

Indeed, he scored his first international goal on the biggest stage of all on Friday, with the young attacker netting in Senegal’s 3-1 win over Qatar at the World Cup.

Such a finish was described as “clinical” by BBC pundit Stephen Warnock, who celebrated what was a tidy finish from the Senegalese sensation.

That clinical nature in a big game is what Celtic appear to be crying out for with such a signing appearing to be a must after the addition of Yuki Kobayashi and potential incoming Alistair Johnston.

Dieng doesn’t just excel when it comes to goal-scoring, with the Hoops-linked starlet capable of pressing and defending from the front; a key trait when playing under Postecoglou.

When compared to strikers across Europe’s top five leagues, he ranks in the top 9% for tackles won per 90, as well as ranking among the best 1% for tackles in the attacking third of the pitch via FB Ref.

Furthermore, the Senegal international is in the top 11% of forwards for clearances made, showing that he’s willing to get back and work hard for the team.

Not just a poacher either, he is a big threat in the air with Dieng sitting in the best 3% for aerial duels won (2.47) per 90 minutes.

Clearly an all-round package, he would offer Celtic a great deal should they bring him to Glasgow next year.

Based on the aforementioned numbers and his early form at the World Cup, signing him looks a must.

Reported Crystal Palace target Ismail Jakobs was in World Cup action for Senegal on Tuesday but his performance might just convince Patrick Vieira that he isn’t worth bringing to Selhurst Park.

The Guardian’s Ed Aarons told GIVEMESPORT in October that the £13m-rated AS Monaco left-back could well be on Crystal Palace’s radar ahead of the January transfer window, as Vieira looks for competition for Tyrick Mitchell at left-back.

Like every other manager, the Frenchman will no doubt be keeping a close eye on the World Cup action in Qatar as a way of scouting players he feels could be a good addition at Selhurst Park, but Jakobs showed in his performance against Ecuador that he might not be cut out for Premier League football.

The African Cup of Nations holders may have secured their spot in the knockout stages with a 2-1 win over Ecuador in Group A, setting up a round-of-16 tie against England on Sunday evening, but the reported Palace target was extremely disappointing.

As per Sofascore, the 23-year-old would earn a 6.7/10 rating for his display, with only three Senegalese players rating lower.

During the 90 minutes, the defender’s passing was all over the place, as he lost possession on 24 occasions and registered a shocking pass success rate of just 48% after completing a mere 13 of his 27 attempted passes.

Only Ecuador striker Michael Estrada would register a worse pass success rate, while no player on the pitch would lose possession on more occasions, which emphasises just how poor Jakobs was with the ball.

Palace might be in the market for a more attacking full-back in January, given that Mitchell is very much focused on the defensive side of the game, but Jakobs’ return of two accurate crosses from eight attempted suggests that he wouldn’t offer much more going forward than the young Englishman at Selhurst Park.

Unfortunately, he was also poor without it, as he was dribbled past once and completed no tackles in the 90 minutes, which again is poor in comparison to Mitchell’s average of 1.3 tackles per game in the top flight this season.

After such a disappointing display against admittedly average opposition, it seems clear that Jakobs wouldn’t cut it as a regular in the Premier League, so Vieira and Palace should steer well clear.

Tim Iroegbunam has been a regular in Queens Park Rangers’ side since joining on loan from Aston Villa in the summer but the Hoops could potentially lose him back to his parent club in January.

According to BirminghamLive journalist Ashley Preece, new Villa boss Unai Emery is monitoring the progress of the teenage midfielder, and the Villans do have the option to recall him in the January transfer window.

The Championship is set to resume this weekend after being suspended for the World Cup break and Iroegbunam will be hoping to keep his place in midfield, having featured in 13 Championship games so far this campaign.

His performances have earned him a solid 6.67 rating from WhoScored, which is very impressive given that this is his first season in senior football, although that may prove enough to convince Emery that he is worth bringing back to the Premier League.

The Michael Beale factor proved instrumental in bringing the 19-year-old gem to Loftus Road in the first place and now that he is gone, it could prove difficult to keep the young talent in west London.

Journalist Ian McCullough was full of praise for Iroegbunam and his potential earlier this season in an interview with BirminghamLive. He said:

“Villa certainly have a player on their hands in Tim Iroegbunam. Although he has started just two games out of the five he has been available for since arriving on transfer deadline day, his ability to run with the ball from midfield and use those long legs to win tackles have been eye-catching.

“In possession, he is very tidy and blessed with an excellent first touch giving credence to Mick Beale’s claim that he has the tools to play at the very highest level in years to come.”

Iroegbunam ranks joint-fourth for tackles, joint-third for dribbles and fifth for shots per game when compared to the rest of QPR’s squad, which emphasises the impact he is having all over the pitch.

After already losing Beale, QPR will be desperately hoping that they aren’t weakened further in January should Villa recall Iroegbunam, as the teenager is only just starting to show what he is capable of at Loftus Road.

Tottenham Hotspur journalist and reliable source Alasdair Gold has shared an update on the club’s chances of signing Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha.

The Lowdown: Zaha set to leave?

The 30-year-old’s current deal at Selhurst Park is set to expire next year as things stand, prompting many Premier League clubs to ponder a potential 2023 move.

Many sides abroad are also interested in Zaha who has been on fire for Palace under Patrick Vieira this season.

The Ivory Coast international has racked up six goals and two assists in 13 league starts for the Eagles but they could risk losing him.

When asked if Spurs have a chance of signing Zaha for manager Antonio Conte, reporter Gold of football.london shared a message for Lilywhites supporters.

The Latest: Gold shares Zaha transfer update…

Speaking in a Q&A, Gold claims it is unlikely but you can ‘never say never’ considering Ivan Perisic did break the mould of Tottenham only going for younger players.

Refusing to completely rule out a move, the journalist also states that Zaha’s contract situation will be ‘attractive’ for sporting director Fabio Paratici.

He explained (via football.london):

“His contract situation will make him attractive for Tottenham with just six months remaining, but at 30-years-old he’s edging away from being the usual profile of signing they’d go for, especially with the contract he would require.

“Ivan Perisic did break away from that mould which means you can never say never, but when it comes to Premier League free transfers foreign clubs often hold the advantage because they can speak to players from January.”

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The Verdict: Make the move?

Zaha, labelled ‘unplayable’ by former top flight defender James Collins, will require significant wages but his quality and the fact Spurs opted for Perisic means you cannot completely discount this transfer.

As per WhoScored, the forward would certainly be worth a potential swoop if foreign sides don’t get there first, especially considering he is Palace’s highest-rated player by average match rating.

His proven English top flight quality would provide Conte with an alternative attacking dimension and seriously excite fans.

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Ruslan Malinovskyi to the Premier League in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian media outlet Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), who claim that, having been heavily linked with a move for the Atalanta BC attacking midfielder this summer, Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte could now land the 29-year-old for a figure of €15m (£13m) in January.

The report goes on to state that, having been pushed to the side by Gian Piero Gasperini this season, the Serie A outfit are happy to let the Ukraine international leave the club this winter in order to pick up a fee for the playmaker – whose current deal at the Gewiss Stadium is set to expire next summer.

Absolute steal

With it being widely reported that Conte is hoping to add a more forward-thinking midfielder to his current options in the middle of the park in January, coupled with just how impressive Malinovskyi has been for Atalanta in recent seasons, it is not difficult to understand why the Tottenham would be keen on a move for the 29-year-old this winter.

Indeed, over Malinovskyi’s 30 Serie A fixtures last time out, the £17.5m-rated talent was in sensational form going forwards, scoring six goals, providing four assists and creating 13 big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.9 shots, making 1.5 key passes and completing 1.6 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the player who Carlo Garganese dubbed “unreal” average a simply astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.22, not only ranking him as Atalanta’s second-best performer in the league but also as the joint 18th-best player in the top flight of Italian football as a whole.

Furthermore, with the £22k-per-week playmaker also possessing extremely impressive positional versatility – being able to operate in defensive, central and attacking midfield, as well as at right or left wing-back and even as a centre-forward – Malinovskyi could easily fit into either of Conte’s 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 set-ups in north London.

As such, considering his clear attacking inclination, his ability to play in a number of different roles and the fact he looks to be available for a fee roughly £4.5m less than his current market valuation, should Paratici manage to get a deal over the line for Malinovskyi in January, it would very much appear as if the Italian will have sealed an absolute steal.

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch has been dealt a notable headache ahead of this evening’s Premier League clash at home to champions Manchester City, with the Elland Road outfit set to have to make do without summer signing Tyler Adams due to suspension.

The USA international – who joined from RB Leipzig on a £20m deal in the recent window – was dismissed late on in the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Whites’ last competitive outing prior to the World Cup break, ensuring he will be absent for the visit of Pep Guardiola’s men.

The 23-year-old has already emerged as a leading figure for the Yorkshire side in the early months of the current campaign, with pundit Noel Whelan having claimed that the 5-foot-9 ace has “stepped right into” the shoes of former talisman Kalvin Phillips.

As such, the loss of the American in the centre of the park will be a notable blow for Marsch and co, with the club currently short of options to play alongside Marc Roca in that role with Adam Forshaw somewhat unreliable due to his injury record, while Mateusz Klich appears destined for an exit next month.

The former Red Bull Salzburg boss could well be better served turning to another recent addition to fill the void in the form of Darko Gyabi, with the 18-year-old no doubt chomping at the bit to feature against his previous employers.

The highly-rated teenager – who reportedly cost in the region of £5m during the summer – is yet to feature in the Premier League this season, with his only senior outing for Leeds having come in the Carabao Cup against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

That outing showcased just a flavour of what the youngster can bring to the table as he won three tackles and recorded one interception in his 90-minute showing, having been particularly combative at the base of the midfield.

The former Etihad starlet is clearly something of a relentless midfield presence, having been praised for his hard-working nature by U21’s boss Michael Skubala earlier this season:

“He works hard, Darko works really hard. You can probably see in his performances that he’s working really hard.

“I think we have a really good, young, competitive midfield group at the moment within the 21s and you’ve seen Darko get good minutes in there. I think his performances are getting better and better and I thought against Forest he was really strong.

“When you look at the way we want to play, he’s learning that a little bit and he’s still on that learning curve. He needs to keep his head down, working hard, progressing and keep putting in good consistent performances.

“One thing with youth players is they can have really good performances and then not so good, but the challenging thing is consistency in performance for these types of players and Darko has shown some really good consistency within his performances.”

Also lauded as “very impressive” by Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt following the EFL Trophy meeting back in October, Gyabi is beginning to show signs of just why Victor Orta was so keen to sign him over the summer.

The aim is now for the England U19 international to truly establish himself at first-team level, with the absence of Adams seemingly offering the ideal chance for him to prove his worth in the senior ranks.

The player himself admitted that he is ready should such an opportunity arise, with the London-born gem stating earlier this month: “Football is weird. Anything can happen. You could be training and then maybe an injury or illness and you’re in it.”

It would no doubt be a bold call for Marsch to hand a league debut to the teen starlet against such ferocious opposition, although it could well prove something of a masterstroke.

Chelsea are ‘seriously’ targeting Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, with contact already made over the player, according to CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs.

The Lowdown: Boehly busy…

Backed by American business tycoon Todd Boehly, the Blues have been seriously busy in terms of transfer activity recently.

The Premier League giants are thought to be closing in on deals for both Vasco de Gama wonderkid Andrey Santos and Molde’s rising star David Datro Fofana.

Graham Potter’s side are also being repeatedly linked with marquee players like Josko Gvardiol of RB Leipzig, and amid their search for a star striker, it appears that Serie A sensation Vlahovic is very much on their radar.

The Latest: Chelsea make Vlahovic contact…

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jacobs has claimed that Boehly and co have made ‘inquiries’ over signing the Serbia international for Chelsea and are ‘seriously’ targeting him.

He explained: “It’s actually Chelsea, from a Premier League point of view, making the inquiries at this point, and we know that they need a striker as well.

“But I think everybody chasing Vlahovic needs to understand, is January possible, first and foremost, and then if it isn’t, what do they need to do to persuade him to move to the Premier League in January? And what can clubs learn from the Arsenal situation?

“And also, what is his injury situation? Because right now, if you get him in January, he’s got a groin problem that is still under investigation. But Chelsea are looking a bit more seriously at him and obviously a number of other strikers because of the Armando Broja situation.”

The Verdict: Pursue further?

When fit and available, the £215,000-per-week forward has continued his fine form at Juventus since his marquee move from Fiorentina earlier this year.

As per WhoScored, he averages more attempts at goal per 90 than any of his team-mates and ranks in the Turin club’s top five players for overall performance. He is also their highest Serie A goalscorer with six in 10 league starts, backing media claims that he is a ‘sensational’ striker.

However, having only signed for Juventus earlier this year, it may be a difficult move for Chelsea to pull off, and Vlahovic’s current groin injury could also come as a bit of a roadblock.