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Fenerbahce are reportedly interested in signing Xherdan Shaqiri this summer, as his Liverpool career slowly reaches its conclusion.

The Lowdown: Peripheral figure for Reds

The Swiss playmaker has had a curious Reds career, in many ways, never really becoming a regular starter and seeing injuries disrupt his progress.

That being said, Shaqiri has still scored eight goals and registered nine assists, famously netting twice in a 3-1 win over Manchester United in 2018/19.

The forward’s current Liverpool deal doesn’t expire until 2023, but it seems he is set to leave and begin the next chapter in his career this summer.

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The Latest: Fenerbahce eye up Shaqiri move

According to Sabah [via Sport Witness], Fenerbahce have offered to sign Shaqiri on loan, with an obligation to buying him further down the line.

The 29-year-old is keen to leave Liverpool, and the Premier League in general, asking his agent to sort him a move elsewhere.

The Reds are believed to want €7million (£6m) for Shaqiri, who hasn’t started a game since the 1-0 defeat at home to Fulham in early March.

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The Verdict: Good for all parties

It is time for Shaqiri to leave Liverpool, with Harvey Elliott potentially coming in to take his position as a back-up creative forward next season, following an excellent season on loan at Blackburn Rovers.

There is no denying the Switzerland international’s quality as a player – he has been hailed as ‘incredible’ by James Pearce in the past – but his lack of availability is an issue.

Liverpool will be keen to receive a healthy fee for Shaqiri as soon as possible, so a permanent exit may appeal to them more than a temporary one.

Whatever happens, it would be better for the Reds and Shaqiri if he was plying his trade away from Anfield next season.

In other news, some Liverpool fans are desperate for the Reds to sign a hugely exciting Premier League player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Sky Sports journalist and North East reporter Keith Downie has now dropped some news on Newcastle United’s transfer plans for the summer.

The Lowdown: Busy summer

After all but securing their safety in the Premier League, the summer transfer window now looks set to be a busy one for the St. James’ Park faithful.

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It is expected that they will make the loan move for Matt Targett a permanent one from Aston Villa, while they have also been recently linked to the likes of Evan Ndicka, Victor Osimhen and Hugo Ekitike, suggesting that they will be looking to strengthen in quite a few areas of the pitch.

The Latest: Five signings

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Downie has said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) will now look to sign a central defender, a playmaking forward, a striker and a goalkeeper as well as Targett, and could bring in even more players if others were to leave:

“I think they’ll bring in a centre-back, a forward, like a playmaker, and a striker. They’re also looking at the goalkeeping department, and then it all depends on players going.

“If they lost a centre midfielder or they don’t manage to sign Matt Targett, then they’ll look to bring in more on top of that.”

The Verdict: Exciting

It certainly is exciting for the Toon Army to see so many quality players linked to the Magpies, and in so many different positions on the pitch, as PIF look to take them to the next level.

Money should not be too much of a problem for the mega-rich owners, and so providing that they can ship out a few and comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, they should be able to bring in plenty of fresh faces.

Nonetheless, Eddie Howe will need time to get them all to gel, but the future is certainly looking bright.

In other news, find out who could now be first to leave NUFC this summer here!

Plenty have been calling for Tottenham Hotspur to appoint Marcelo Bielsa as Jose Mourinho’s successor this week…

What’s the word?

The ‘Special One’ was sacked after 17 months at the helm, with former midfielder Ryan Mason taking the reins until the end of the season, when Daniel Levy will look to appoint a permanent replacement.

Several names have been linked with the vacant role, ranging from mooted number one target Julian Naglesmann to Brendan Rodgers and even Athletic Bilbao’s Marcelino, but it is Bielsa’s name which is on the lips of many.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Dean Windass claimed the Leeds United boss “would be the one on the lips of Daniel Levy” and he’s not the only one thinking this.

Former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara stoked the fire even more when he told talkSPORT: “I think he’d be absolutely brilliant and the fans would love him. If you can try and prise him away form there it’d be unbelievable.”

Meanwhile, according to Tony Cascarino in his column for The Times, Bielsa “could regenerate Tottenham”.

Could ruin Kane

The 65-year-old is a very intriguing option to consider, but there must be a few question marks over whether or not he’s actually the right fit for Levy and Tottenham.

He has exceeded expectations at Elland Road and has delivered a strong maiden season back in the Premier League, especially as he’s largely been deploying what is the bulk of his Championship title-winning squad.

They sit tied on points with Arsenal in 10th place and have won away to Manchester City and Leicester, who occupy two of the top three spots.

Mauricio Pochettino is a huge admirer of his, having played under him at Newell’s Old Boys. “For me, he’s a person I will always admire,” revealed the former Spurs manager. “He’s a genius. A person with charisma and a personality very different from us normal coaches, and that’s what makes him special.”

However, the bulk of this success has come down to the 65-year-old’s philosophy – a relentless press, the mantra of putting the side before self, and working on the method before the result.

This means a lot of work is put into training, such as his ‘murderball’ sessions which Leeds’ top scorer Patrick Bamford recently described as “about ten times harder than a [Premier League] game.”

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It’s also claimed that Bielsa’s teams suffer from burnout in the final thirds of the season due to built-up fatigue because his high-intensity system places such serious physical demands on the players.

Ultimately, this may well spell serious trouble for Harry Kane, who suffered another ankle injury this week.

In 2019, BT Sport presenter Gary Lineker expressed his fears over the England skipper in an interview with Goal. He said: “It is always a worry when you get a recurring injury and there is clearly a little weakness in there,” adding: “The more you do it, the more you worry the weakness will become a problem.”

Given Bielsa’s ruthless training sessions, let alone his intense pressing from the front in matches, you’d have to have major concerns over the 27-year-old talisman if the Argentine replaces Mourinho.

Spurs rely heavily on the goalscoring and creative exploits of Kane; he has accounted for 60.7% of their 54 league goals this term through either scoring or setting them up.

There’s one other factor which should put Bielsa down the pecking order, as his Leeds side has often suffered from profligacy. Despite winning the Championship last term, the Whites ranked amongst the five worst teams for goal conversion at just 12.5%.

That hasn’t really risen in the Premier League, with Leeds only converting 8.1% of their 614 shots at goal, as per Transfermarkt. In some games they find the net three, four, even five times, but in others they draw a serious blank despite creating so many chances – Kane could well suffer as a result of that, too.

If Levy listens to the aforementioned calls, then he would risk ruining his superstar striker. As good as Bielsa is, he just isn’t the right man to replace Mourinho in N17.

AND in other news, Levy would be appointing Mourinho 2.0 in “stubborn” 62 y/o flop…

An update has emerged on Leeds’ pursuit of Celtic defender Leo Hjelde, regarding the player’s thoughts on a potential move.

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, Leeds United have offered a contract to Celtic central defender Leo Hjelde, with his deal at the Scottish giants expiring next summer.

The report claims that he is interested in signing for the Yorkshire-based club, who believe he has huge potential to become a Premier League star in the future.

Bielsa will be buzzing

Bielsa will be buzzing with this news as it appears as though a transfer for Hjelde could be on the cards. The player wants to make it happen and Leeds are seemingly serious about completing a deal, given that they have already proposed a contract to him. Whether it happens this summer or not is a moot point as he is out of contract next year, which means that the Whites could bide their time and snap him up for a compensation fee.

Either way, Leeds would be bringing in a player with real potential to bolster the academy ranks. He would not be an addition with the first-team in mind immediately, allowing Bielsa to take his time with the defender and work with him on the training pitch with no expectations in the short-term. The centre-back only turns 18 next month and still has his entire career ahead of him, which Bielsa could love as he has the chance to help him fulfill his potential.

Earlier this year, Ross County boss John Hughes called him the next Virgil van Dijk and revealed that Leeds wanted him in January before the loan move to his club. He said:

“Leo is going to be the next Van Dijk – trust me on that.

“The quality he has shown, the physical challenge, playing real men’s football and standing up to it – it’s been a wonderful experience for Leo.

“Before he came, Leeds United were after him. I think he had to sign an extension to his contract for the loan to go through.”

Hjelde has already experienced first-team football at a decent standard. He played 11 games on loan under Hughes at Ross County in the Scottish Premiership, averaging a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.47. His performance levels at the age of 17 at senior level are nothing to read into, though, and it is more important that he gets the experience under his belt.

Therefore, if Leeds can get him in the current window then a loan move to a local Football League club where he could play regular first-team football whilst still being able to train with Bielsa two or three times a week could be the perfect scenario. This would allow him to get the first-team experience to develop his game whilst also still being able to learn from the Argentine head coach on the training pitch.

AND in other news, Leeds land boost in pursuit of “fantastic” wing wizard, he’d be an upgrade on Harrison…

Nottingham Forest have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring James Garner back to The City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to a report by Football Insider, Manchester United are planning to offer the 20-year-old a new contract at Old Trafford before loaning him out once again for the 2021/22 campaign, with multiple Championship clubs believed to be interested in the England U20 international.

However, The Sun recently reported that, despite Forest’s interest in securing a second loan deal for the midfielder this summer, Garner could actually be heading for a move to Sheffield United, with the Blades’ strong relationship with United mentioned as an important factor in the potential deal.

Hughton will be fuming

Considering just how impressive Garner was for Forest last time out, should Chris Hughton miss out on re-signing the United starlet ahead of the new season, it would undoubtedly leave the 62-year-old fuming.

Indeed, over his 20 Championship appearances last season, the £3.6m-rated man scored four goals, as well as taking an average of 1.6 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

The man Fred dubbed an “incredible” player also impressed in more typical metrics for his position, making an average of two tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 1.2 clearances per match.

These returns saw the £16k-per-week midfielder earn an average WhoScored match rating of 6.98, ranking him as Hughton’s best performer in the second tier.

As such, with Hughton hoping to put together a side that is capable of much more than their mediocre Championship finish last season in their upcoming campaign, bringing last term’s best player back to Nottingham this summer would certainly appear to boost the 62-year-old’s chances of doing so.

However, with promotion hopefuls Sheffield United now looking to be leading the race for the youngster, the Forest manager may have to turn his attention regarding midfield additions in the summer transfer window elsewhere – something that would be a gutting outcome for the boss and fans of the Garibaldi alike.

In other news: NFFC dealt blow over £2.25m-rated ace dubbed “one of the best”, Murphy will be fuming

Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford this summer as they look for attacking reinforcements.

The Lowdown: Bamford shines for Leeds

The 27-year-old has been one of the star men for an impressive Whites side this season, scoring 15 goals in the Premier League and helping them to 10th in the table currently.

Bamford’s performances have put him in contention to make England’s Euro 2020 squad, with Gareth Southgate to make a decision later this month.

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The Latest: Reds interested in Bamford signing

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Liverpool are one of several clubs who ‘admire’ Bamford, ahead of a potential summer bid. He wrote: “Bamford’s progress has not gone unnoticed, with several clubs, including Liverpool, believed to admire the forward.”

The report also stated that the Leeds striker has extended his contract to 2023, however, so a big fee may be required to prise him away from Elland Road.

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The Verdict: Is he good enough?

Bamford has undoubtedly enjoyed an excellent campaign, but there are question marks over whether he would be good enough for Liverpool.

Granted, Jurgen Klopp described him as “an exceptional player” after last month’s 1-1 draw at Elland Road, but he lacks the pace and versatility of the Reds’ current attackers. Also, prior to this season, he had only scored once in the Premier League, so some may question whether the 2020/21 campaign is a commendable one-off for the striker.

That being said, it could be argued that Bamford would offer something different from the substitutes’ bench, bringing an aerial presence which has seen him average 1.3 aerial duel wins per game in 2020/21. In comparison, Roberto Firmino has averaged just 0.6 per game and scored only six times in the league.

Bamford isn’t an elite player, so he isn’t worth signing for big money, but that’s not to say he doesn’t deserve huge credit for silencing any previous critics this season.

In other news, a big-money Liverpool target has remained coy over his future – find out who it is here.

Aston Villa look set to be one of the busiest sides in the transfer window with the Midlands club already signing Emiliano Buendia.

They followed that up with approaches for both Emile Smith Rowe and James Ward-Prowse with Steve Howey claiming that the latter would be a fantastic signing for Dean Smith’s side.

Ward-Prowse is so often the integral cog that keeps Southampton ticking over and his set pieces are in a bracket of their own with Pep Guardiola even labelling him as “the best” set-piece taker in the Premier League. So, if Villa could follow up their interest in him with a solid offer, Smith’s side could make a serious push for the top seven next season.

In the midfield, Villa already have the likes of Douglas Luiz and John McGinn but Ward-Prowse would bring a swagger on the pitch and something a little bit different on the pitch – especially with Jack Grealish around to win free-kicks in dangerous areas.

It would certainly not be a simple deal to get done as the midfielder has been at Southampton his whole career and he is also club captain, but if Villa could bring him to the Midlands then he would certainly be a fantastic acquisition, that’s according to Howey, who spoke exclusively to Transfer Tavern:

“I’m not sure what you could do to prise Ward-Prowse away from Southampton because he’s been there so long and he’s also captain and pretty much their main man.

“I’ve always liked him so for a team like Aston Villa to get him, I think it would be fantastic.”

Villa appeared to be making a surprising push for a European spot last season before Jack Grealish’s shin injury ruined their end to the season as they won just three of the 12 Premier League games that their captain missed.

It would be a huge disaster for the Saints this summer if they ended the transfer window without both Ward-Prowse and star striker Danny Ings, who has also been linked with a move away as his contract is set to expire in 2022.

Leeds presenter Joe Wainman believes that Dan James was always destined to sign for the club, even suggesting he is like a son to Marcelo Bielsa.

The Lowdown: Leeds finally capture James

Leeds signing of £16.2m-valued James (Transfermarkt) had been two years in the making. The Whites had been close to capturing the Wales international in 2019, but the move from Swansea City fell apart on deadline day.

He of course moved to Manchester United before finally switching to Elland Road in the summer for a fee of £25m (BBC).

The Latest: Wainman makes James claim

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Wainman believes James was always going to end up with the Whites. He said:

“I just felt that it was always going to be Leeds United’s deal because they were so big on him. Victor Orta very big on him. Of course, Bielsa, he’s like Bielsa’s son, I think. It was always going to happen.”

The Verdict: Finally

It is hard to understate just how close James was close to moving to Yorkshire – he was even pictured holding up a Leeds shirt before the transfer fell apart (inews). Two years later, the Whites finally have their man, and he has already made five appearances in all competitions for the club (Transfermarkt).

How much of an impact he has remains to be seen – he is yet to score or provide an assist as of yet – but if Bielsa was that desperate to capture him, he clearly has a certain ability. After all, the Argentinian is a hero in Leeds and, so far, the vast majority of his decisions have paid off.

In other news, Noel Whelan is delighted with these club plans.

Reliable journalist James Pearce is hopeful that Mohamed Salah will have signed a new Liverpool contract before next summer.

The Lowdown: Salah continues incredible form

The Reds thumped Watford 5-0 at Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon, with the Egyptian again showing why he is arguably the best player in the world on current form.

He produced a wonderful assist for Sadio Mane’s opener before scoring a solo effort every bit as special as the one against Manchester City before the international break.

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The Latest: Pearce provides contract update

Salah is still yet to sign a new deal at Liverpool, though, with his current contract expiring in 2023 and some concerns that his future hasn’t been sorted yet.

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic after the Watford game, Pearce claimed he thinks a new deal will be sorted by the summer – if not, FSG could find themselves in a tricky situation. He wrote:

 “Hopefully the contract situation will be resolved long before next summer. If not then FSG will have a big decision to make then. Too soon to say which way that would go.”