Manchester United view Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier as the successor for David de Gea, report The Athletic. 

The lowdown: ‘Keeper conundrum

United faced somewhat of a goalkeeping merry-go-round this summer as Lee Grant moved onto pastures new, Dean Henderson left for Nottingham Forest on loan and Tom Heaton arrived as a third-choice experienced stopper.

As a result, Erik ten Hag was understood to be on the lookout for an additional option between the sticks and the Red Devils were heavily linked with Watford ace Daniel Bachmann.

That move failed to materialise and Ten Hag was forced to name Heaton as the backup for the opening day and take young starlets Matej Kovar and Nathan Bishop on the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia.

The latest: Meslier on the radar

As per Dan Sheldon and Laurie Whitwell for The Athletic, Meslier is ‘potentially seen as a long-term replacement’ for De Gea at Old Trafford.

However, it’s claimed that Leeds have ‘no intention to sell’ the 22-year-old nine-cap France Under 21 ace this summer.

The report also states that in lieu of making a move for the ‘keeper once described as ‘fearsome’ by talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino, United could consider a short-term solution in the shape of Southampton’s Alex McCarthy or Newcastle United’s Karl Darlow and Martin Dubravka.

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The verdict: One for the future

There can be no doubting De Gea’s supreme commitment since arriving in Manchester. Despite rare lapses in form, the 31-year-old Spaniard has been a brilliant servant to the club across 487 appearances and was once again named as the Players’ Player of the Year last term.

Additionally, given the longevity goalkeepers can enjoy, the ex-Atletico Madrid man still has time on his side when it comes to occupying the number one position, albeit the club will need to extend a contract that has entered the final 12 months (Transfermarkt).

If indeed De Gea does decide to move on after the expiry of his current deal, signing Meslier from bitter rivals Leeds would be a sensational coup for the United hierarchy.

Last season, the French gloveman made on average 3.8 saves per game and showed off his prowess with the ball at his feet, completing 85 per cent of all passes inside his own half (Sofascore) – something De Gea is often criticised for.

As Ten Hag attempts to implement his own style on the team, adding a goalkeeper of Meslier’s ball-playing abilities – Patrick Bamford said he’s ‘unbelievable’ – would be the next natural step in the process should a deal be possible further down the line.

Ben Jacobs has dropped an update on reported Leeds United transfer target Ollie Watkins.

What’s the talk?

In a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT, the CBS Sport journalist stated his belief that, despite a number of reports linking Victor Orta with a move for the Aston Villa centre-forward this summer, there is little to suggest that the Whites would be able to get a deal for the 26-year-old over the line prior to next week’s transfer deadline.

However, Jacobs went on to suggest that, should there in fact be an underlying tension between the England international and Steven Gerrard – as has been reported – the Spanish director of football could yet see an opportunity arise to move for the striker, before the journalist stated his belief that Watkins’ arrival would excite the Elland Road faithful.

Regarding Leeds’ reported interest in the Villa forward, Jacobs said: “I think Ollie Watkins is the one that would excite Leeds fans the most, but there’s nothing to suggest that they can get a deal done quickly.

“Between now and when the window closes – unless these Villa denials are more PR [and] there is an underlying tension and Watkins does want a fresh challenge at that point – perhaps Leeds will see a window of opportunity to capitalise.”

“Unbelievable” signing

With Orta’s bid to add a new centre-forward to Jesse Marsch’s attacking arsenal at Elland Road prior to the closure of the summer transfer window being well known, should the Spaniard manage to pull off a deal for Watkins in the coming days, the argument that it would be an unbelievable signing for the Whites is an easy one to make.

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Indeed, following his £28m move from Brentford back in 2020, the £31.5m-rated talent made an immediate impact for Villa over 37 Premier League fixtures in 2020/21, scoring 14 goals, registering five assists and creating eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.6 shots – 1.2 of which hit the target – making 1.2 key passes and completing 1.1 dribbles per game.

The £75k-per-week forward followed this campaign up with another impressive haul over his 35 league fixtures in 2021/22, bagging 11 goals, providing two assists and creating four big chances, in addition to taking an average of 2.2 shots – 0.9 of which hit the target – making one key pass and completing 1.1 dribbles per outing.

For context, those returns would appear to better that of Bamford, who registered an equal 2.2 shots but only managed 0.6 key passes and 0.4 dribbles per game as he struggled in a number of metrics.

Yet again, the player who Justin Allen dubbed “deadly” and Dean Smith labelled “unbelievable” has caught the eye over his three Premier League appearances so far this season, with Watkins proving himself to be a well-rounded striker that would benefit Marsch enormously.

Indeed, he has already scored one goal, registered two assists and created one big chance, as well as taking an average of 1.3 shots – 0.7 of which hit the target – making one key pass and completing 0.3 dribbles per fixture.

As such, while it is true that Watkins’ reported £50m asking price does look rather steep, considering just how consistent a goalscorer, assist provider and chance creator the seven-cap international has proven himself to be in the Premier League compared to Bamford, should Orta manage to get a deal over the line for the 26-year-old prior to September’s transfer deadline, he would indeed appear to make an unbelievable addition to Marsch’s current attacking options at Leeds.

Tottenham Hotspur could dip their toes back into the lower leagues of English football again this transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Daily Star journalist Paul Brown, who dropped an exciting claim to GIVEMESPORT this week, where he said:

“Daniel Levy quite likes a young player, he got Djed Spence in, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he tried to sign another one from the Championship, just to fit into the squad, but Spurs have a lot of players to get rid of.”

Indeed, the north Londoners signed Spence in a £15m deal from Championship outfit Middlesbrough and have been linked to Ashley Phillips of rival club Blackburn Rovers in the past few days.

Planning for the future

This change in transfer strategy shows that the chairman and his sporting director Fabio Paratici are planning for the long-term and not just the immediate future under manager Antonio Conte.

Of course, there is going to be a ‘win now’ mentality from the trophy-hungry Italian, having clinched some of England’s top accolades over the course of his managerial career, but he has hinted that he’s in it for the foreseeable.

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“This is a young team and we can work for many years together to improve and fight with the best teams in England and in Europe,” he claimed during pre-season.

That’ll be music to the ears of many supporters around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and their moves in the transfer market are starting to reflect that.

Earlier this month, the Lilywhites confirmed the signing of Destiny Udogie, 19, from Udinese, where he will remain on loan for the 2022/23 campaign, adding to players like Pape Matar Sarr and Bryan Gil, who were signed by Paratici last summer.

Spence is a hugely exciting young talent and one that’s ripe for Conte’s wing-back system.

Last term, he secured promotion to the Premier League, via the playoffs, with Nottingham Forest after a successful loan stint that saw him register three goals and five assists across 46 appearances in all competitions.

He also averaged 1.5 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game, via WhoScored, which highlights his capability to defend, on top of his obvious threat in the final third.

It’s why he was lauded as a “Rolls-Royce” by ex-Arsenal defender Martin Keown and “swashbuckling” by fellow Gunners legend Ian Wright.

As such, Spurs should definitely be on the lookout for more talent in the EFL and whilst Spence is still an unknown quantity, it can’t hurt to sign more young, English gems in preparation for the future.

AND in other news, Spurs could seal perfect Conte signing in “complete” £50m gem, he’s shades of Kevin De Bruyne…

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their injury situation ahead of their UEFA Champions League play-off clash…

What’s the latest?

Gio van Bronckhorst has confirmed that both Ben Davies and John Souttar will not be available for selection against PSV tonight.

Kemar Roofe, who is yet to make an appearance this season, remains out and the head coach will now have to deal with two of his centre-back options being injured.

The club quoted him as saying:

“Roofe, Souttar and Davies didn’t travel with injury. Kamara travelled with the squad.”

Frustration for van Bronckhorst

This should leave the Ibrox boss frustrated as it leaves him short in the centre-back department, with Filip Helander a long-term absentee and Leon Balogun having been let go in the summer on a free transfer.

Outside of Connor Goldson and James Sands, youngster Leon King is his only other option in that position and he has only made two – substitute – appearances this term – after playing four times in the Premiership last season.

Van Bronckhorst clearly identified that area of the pitch as one that he wanted to strengthen as he moved to bring Davies and Souttar to the club.

This is one of the reasons why he should be frustrated with this update as he is now without two key signings for a gigantic match with Champions League qualification hanging in the balance.

He will be particularly unhappy after what happened in the first leg. The Gers conceded two goals from corners against the Dutch outfit and bringing in an experienced centre-back could have helped them tonight.

Last week, pundit Si Ferry stressed the importance of having one of them available, saying: “Over the last year, they’ve been very good but if you look at last night, James Sands, who is predominantly a central midfielder, was playing next to Connor Goldson.

“For the second leg, they need to get someone like Ben Davies or John Souttar in next to Goldson because although he done well last night, Sands can’t play at centre-back in Europe.”

Sands lost 67% of his duels in the air in the Europa League and 50% of them in the league for the Light Blues in 2021/22.

Meanwhile, Davies won 75% of his aerial battles in his one Premiership outing this season and won the majority of his duels in all five of his Championship campaigns in England. Souttar, on the other hand, won 72% of his aerial battles and made 3.9 clearances per game in the Scottish top-flight last term.

This suggests that both of them are strong in the air and could, therefore, improve Rangers’ ability to defend corners by adding their aerial ability into the box.

Instead, they will be watching on from home and van Bronckhorst will be hoping that their respective injuries do not end up being costly.

Leeds United are one of the clubs in the race to bring Goncalo Ramos to the Premier League this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Portuguese publication Record (16/08: page 33), who claim that Newcastle United are now preparing a €40m (£33.5m) offer for the Benfica centre-forward in order to fend off competition from Leeds, Everton, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

This would appear to support an earlier report last week by 90min, who claimed that both Newcastle and Nottingham Forest had held talks with the Liga Portugal side regarding a deal for the 21-year-old, while the Whites, Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Paris Saint-Germain were also mentioned as interested parties.

De Ketelaere alternative

While missing out on the €36m (£30.5m) signing of Charles De Ketelaere earlier this summer will have undoubtedly come as a gutting blow to Victor Orta and Jesse Marsch – with the Whites being heavily linked with a move for the 21-year-old forward – it would very much appear as if Ramos would represent something of a dream alternative to the Belgium international.

Indeed, it is undeniable that the player who scored 18 goals and registered 10 assists over 49 appearances for Club Brugge KV last season – as well as being a talent billed as the “heir to Kevin de Bruyne’s throne” – would have made an exceptional addition at Elland Road this season, with De Ketelaere joining AC Milan, Orta must turn his focus in the market elsewhere.

And, considering just how much raw potential Ramos very much appears to possess, the Benfica starlet would look to be a fantastic alternative target for the Spanish director of football to pursue prior to September’s transfer deadline.

Indeed, over his 29 Liga Portugal appearances – only 17 of which came as starts – last season, the £12.6m-rated forward scored seven goals, registered two assists and created three big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.9 shots, making 0.8 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.

Furthermore, the £8.2k-per-week striker also missed a further 12 big chances of his own last time out, a statistic that, while usually perceived as a negative, proves just how often Ramos gets himself to goalscoring positions over the course of a 90 minutes – while the 21-year-old’s composure in front of goal will only likely improve with confidence and age.

This is something that has already been evident so far in Benfica’s 2022/23 campaign, with the player who Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig claimed is “simply too good” having already bagged four goals and provided three assists over four Champions League and Liga Portugal fixtures – averaging a direct goal contribution every 40 minutes of football played this season.

As such, should Ramos be able to keep up this quite extraordinary level of performance in the final third following a potential switch to Elland Road this summer, a £33.5m fee for the 21-year-old could quite easily look a bargain for the Whites – leading us to believe that Orta simply must do all he can to land the Portugal international as his De Ketelaere alternative.

West Ham United are among the teams interested in Lyon striker Moussa Dembele, according to French outlet Foot Mercato. 

The lowdown: Outcast

Dembele has been forced down the pecking order at the Ligue 1 outfit by the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette from Arsenal.

He’s into the final 12 months of his deal with the club, having joined from Celtic in 2018 for a fee of £19.8million.

Foot Mercato report that the 26-year-old was sent to train with Lyon’s academy players during pre-season.

The latest: Enquiry

If Dembele won’t sign a new contract and commit to Lyon, they will try to sell him in order to avoid losing him on a free transfer.

However, the player wants to be ‘master of his own destiny’ too and intends to take time to mull over the offer of an extension.

Dembele has suitors across Europe, but he’s valued most by Premier League clubs.

West Ham, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Everton have all lodged enquiries.

It’s thought that the player’s response was not particularly ‘favourable’ as he pursues a project that suits him ‘sportingly and financially’.

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The verdict: Controversial

It looks like Dembele will take some convincing if he’s to join West Ham.

And this would be a controversial move for the Irons in light of the events of last season’s Europa League quarterfinal.

In the 1-1 first-leg draw between the two sides at the London Stadium, Dembele winked after drawing a foul from Aaron Cresswell that saw the West Ham defender sent off.

David Moyes warned him that he had to be ‘careful’ and that his behaviour might come back to bite him.

And sure enough, West Ham would win the second leg 3-0 and progress to the semifinals, with Declan Rice explaining that Dembele’s wink gave them an extra incentive.

The official Irons Twitter account even posted a video mocking the Frenchman after the game.

Former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has backed West Ham United to make a ‘big statement signing’ before the transfer window closes on Thursday night. 

The lowdown: More to come?

So far this summer, the Hammers have already completed seven permanent signings for David Moyes’ first-team squad, with Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta expected to be the eighth addition.

The 24-year-old is believed to be nearing a club-record arrival and will undergo a medical ahead of a deal worth around £50.8m (Daily Mail).

However, one pundit has suggested that the east Londoners may not be finished there and has tipped the Irons to get at least one more transfer done before the September 1 deadline…

The latest: Kenny expects ‘statement signing’

Speaking to Football Insider, former Leeds United stopper Kenny has suggested that Moyes could still add another player to the London Stadium squad along with Paqueta.

The 44-year-old said: “Moyes is saying they need a few players, I think we all knew that. Listen, West Ham are still a good team, they have just had a few poor results at the start of the season, it happens.

“I just thought we would have seen a bit more activity from them this summer, maybe a big statement signing. There could be a huge statement signing alongside Paqueta, I can see it happening.

“There was fresh investment last year and that hasn’t really seen the light of day yet, it has just been a bit of a surprise. I really do rate that West Ham team, the likes of Bowen and Antonio.

“But they need a bit of help if they are to carry on fighting for those European places. Hopefully something changes before the window shuts.”

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The verdict: Fingers crossed

Should the deal for Paqueta be completed, as seems likely, West Ham’s spending this summer will surpass £175m, with only £16m recouped from the sale of Issa Diop to Fulham.

As such, any further incomings – perhaps in the shape of Club Brugge captain Hans Vanaken or Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher – would likely need to come from GSB and would be a sure sign of the hierarchy fully backing Moyes, and indeed rewarding him for his tremendous work over the past two seasons.

Another central midfielder and a frontline attacker certainly wouldn’t go amiss as the Irons gear up for a hectic campaign, having secured a place in the Europa Conference League group stage last week.

Wilfried Zaha has long been linked with a move away from Crystal Palace, with some of the top Premier League clubs frequently credited with an interest over the years.

This summer has been no different, with the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal both keen on signing the former Manchester United man, who has started the season in excellent form, hitting three goals in the opening three games of the Premier League campaign.

While Patrick Vieira will be hopeful of keeping the 29-year-old at Selhurst Park this summer, his contract situation is a worrying one.

The Ivory Coast winger will be free to leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the season as it stands, something which journalist Ryan Taylor feels is a distinct possibility.

He told GiveMeSport about Zaha: “Someone I spoke to believes he will leave on a free transfer next summer.

“He has only got one year left on his contract and he has angled for a move in the past. It has not quite happened with Arsenal or Everton and there’s also been interest from foreign clubs like Napoli, Borussia Dortmund and Roma.”

Zaha will undoubtedly go down as a Palace legend if he does leave the club this summer, having featured 433 times for the Eagles across two separate spells, contributing 86 goals and 73 assists in that time, placing him 11th on the club’s all-time scoring list.

While Vieira has overseen a youthful transformation at Selhurst Park since his appointment and has the likes of Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi available as potential long-term heirs to Zaha, it would undoubtedly be a big blow if the Ivory Coast international were to leave.

At 29, he still has plenty of years left at the top level and has consistently finished as Palace’s top scorer in recent years, enjoying the best goalscoring campaign of his career in the 2021/22 season as he hit 14 goals in the top flight.

Therefore, Vieira will be desperate for Zaha to commit to a new deal at the club before the season ends, as the Eagles’ line-up would undoubtedly be weaker without the talismanic winger.

Tottenham Hotspur central midfielder Harry Winks is set to depart north London in the coming days.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, Fabrizio Romano relayed the comments of Carlo Osti, in which the Sampdoria director confirmed that the Serie A side have now reached an agreement with both Spurs and the 26-year-old midfielder ahead of the former England international joining on a season-long loan.

In his post, the transfer insider said: “Sampdoria director Osti confirms: ‘We have reached an agreement to sign Harry Winks from Tottenham, so we’re going to sign contracts soon.’ Winks will join Sampdoria from Spurs on a loan deal.”

Great news for Conte

Considering just how little Winks has featured for Tottenham since Antonio Conte’s arrival at the club last November, coupled with the fact that the 26-year-old’s departure could allow Fabio Paratici to bring in one of his own replacements for the 10-cap international, the news that the midfielder is now set to join Sampdoria is undoubtedly great news for the Italian manager.

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Indeed, following Conte’s appointment at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last year, the £13.5m-rated Englishman has been selected from the off in just eight Premier League fixtures, in addition to making a further nine appearances from the bench – playing a total of 845 minutes of league football under the 52-year-old manager.

And, so far this season, Winks is yet to be included in a single matchday squad for Spurs, with the likes of Oliver Skipp, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur all very much appearing to be ahead of the Tottenham academy graduate in Conte’s central midfield pecking order.

Furthermore, with it being known that the Italian coach is hoping to add a new attack-minded midfielder to his ranks ahead of the closure of the transfer window this week – with Nicolo Zaniolo, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ruslan Malinovskyi all said to be of interest – moving the £50k-per-week Winks on may provide Paratici with a clear run to move for his targets.

As such, considering his current standing within the Spurs squad, his considerable weekly wage and the fact Conte is hoping to land one of his own targets in the 26-year-old’s position, Romano relaying that Winks does indeed now appear to be moving onto pastures new in the coming days is certain to be fantastic news for the 52-year-old manager.

Glasgow Rangers secured their place in the group stages of the Champions League with a 1-0 win away from Ibrox on Wednesday night.

The Gers came into the match after drawing 2-2 in the first leg at home against PSV. Antonio Colak and Tom Lawrence scored the goals that night to tee up this clash.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men travelled to the Netherlands and battled hard to earn a 1-0 win against the Eredivise outfit, putting themselves through to the Champions League proper for the first time in 12 years.

Colak scored the only goal of the match as he was perfectly placed to finish after terrific work from Malik Tillman to win the ball back inside the box and tee him up for the shot.

Whilst the Croatian, who has now scored five goals in his first eight games for Rangers, was the match-winner on the pitch, it was a defender who was the real star of the show for the Light Blues – James Sands.

The versatile USA international has been forced into regular minutes at centre-back this season due to injuries to Ben Davies and John Souttar and was sublime against PSV.

Journalist Jacob Schneider dubbed his performance as “phenomenal” and claimed that he was “influential” at the back, whilst fellow reporter Kyle Bonn described him as a “rock”.

The 6ft 1 centre-back, who was once called a “monster” by New York City FC writer Oliver Strand, was composed on the ball for the majority of the match – completing 86% of his attempted passes.

His ability, naturally as a midfielder, to play the ball out from the back with ease allowed Rangers to break the press at times and it meant that he was not slowing any moves down by struggling in possession.

Off the ball, he was a machine as he racked up six clearances, one block, two interceptions and one tackle, whilst the two PSV centre-backs managed nine of those actions between them.

Along with that, he won two of his three ground duels and this shows that he was strong on the deck and did not allow himself to be bullied, whilst his 70 touches – the second-most of any Gers starter – further highlighted his influence in playing out from the back, as per SofaScore.

The Scotsman’s Mark Atkinson dubbed him the best outfielder on the pitch and we agree. He was key for Rangers defensively and on the ball and will now be hoping to cement his place in the team for the rest of the campaign.