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The news continues to come thick and fast at Elland Road as Leeds United prepare for the new season. Today’s Leeds transfer roundup includes a target potentially moving to another club, interest in a former player and the release of a Spanish youngster.

Leeds miss out on Becker

Kicker are reporting that Leeds target Sheraldo Becker (The Mirror, 19/05, page 70 – also covered on FLW) could be joining Union Berlin this summer. Union were promoted to the Bundesliga last season, and it appears as though the Dutchman may well favour a move to Germany over England.

Snodgrass on Leeds 

Robert Snodgrass is a target for Leeds United according to trusted West Ham insider EXWHUEmployee. Talking on The West Ham Way podcast yesterday, he credited Leeds with an interest in a loan deal but the Hammers are reluctant to do a deal on those terms this summer.

Diaz leaves

Leeds United player Hugo Diaz has confirmed that the club has released him this summer in a post on his Twitter page. The Spaniard made just one appearance during his time in Yorkshire.

Newcastle United did not win a single game until November and, during the height of their misery, they looked destined to be heading back to the Championship, but a gritty 1-0 win over Watford at St James’ kick-started the Magpies season.

They breathed new life into their survival push by winning all of their games in November.

These wins saw Benitez win the Manager of the Month award and, though December was a struggle, Newcastle got their act together after the turn of the year and eventually finished in 13th place.

The Magpie Channel, who can be seen in the video above filling out their Panini Tabloid, believe that the 62-year-old was the main reason the Toon Army stayed up.

Of course, Newcastle will have to do without the Spaniard next season as terms could not be agreed on a new contract.

The perennially popular figure will now leave the club at the end of June.

Check out the Magpie Channel’s thoughts on Benitez in the video above.

The Premier League Panini Tabloid is a special commemorative newspaper sticker collection celebrating the exciting new partnership between the greatest league in the world and the legendary name in football publishing, Panini. As the official collectable licensee to the Premier League, Panini are delighted to bring consumers a new era of collectables and the best collecting experience. See more here: http://bit.ly/PaniniFFCEditorial

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According to Sport Mediaset, AC Milan could be set to offer Andre Silva in part-exchange for Ruben Neves.

The rather bizarre report sees the Wolves star linked with an exit which could see him leave for €15m (£13.4m), plus the Portuguese star.

It’s reported that Wolves value Neves at €45m (£40.3m), whilst they’ve already searched for a deal for Silva worth €30m (£26.9m).

As a result, in order to meet Wolves’ valuation of the midfielder, Sport Mediaset suggest they’ll offer cash and their 23-year-old forward.

Yet, for very good reason, it was a rumour that left supporters of the Midlands outfit rather baffled on Twitter.

One fan claimed that riots would happen if Wolves agreed to this deal whilst another said there was absolutely no chance of it happening.

A further supporter simply posed the question of who was playing in Europe next season, making reference to the fact that Milan had been banned because of financial fair play.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Neves has become a key figure at Wolves in the last two years, appearing 82 times since arriving from Porto. In the process, he’s scored 11 goals and assisted 5 strikes too.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

Liverpool are to sign England under-17s midfielder Harvey Elliot this summer, according to the Telegraph.

After claiming the Champions League trophy last month, Jurgen Klopp has introduced just one player to Liverpool’s squad. One for the future Dutch defender Sepp van der Berg is the German’s only addition so far this summer, but the German boss might be about to add another prodigy to his ranks in the form of Fulham’s Elliot.

As per the Telegraph, Elliot, the youngest player ever to play in the Premier League (having made his debut aged 15 years and 174 days), is to join Liverpool this summer after months of being linked to some of the biggest and best clubs in Europe, including Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig.

In ESPN’s report of the deal, they claim the club’s thinking this summer involves the retention of current talent over squad reconstruction, while ‘snapping up’ young talents.

The Liverpool Echo have described the attacking midfielder as a versatile player who is “not shy when it comes to launching an attack and scoring goals,” with five goals and three assists to his name for the under-18 side in 12 appearances last season.

While expecting him to come in and fill a creative void (one pointed out by Chris Bascombe of the Telegraph) since Philippe Coutinho departed at his young age would perhaps be too much, potentially winning a transfer battle for a player courted by other members of the European elite would be another sign the Reds are returning to the top, with Miguel Delaney already suggesting the Champions League win had restored their super-club status.

Already champions of Europe, it seems the Reds’ apparent plan to secure young talents to get their house in order for the years to come is underway.

Liverpool fans, how excited are you at the prospect of signing Harvey Elliot? Just how promising is your next batch of players? Let us know in the comments below…

Rangers outcast Joe Dodoo has been involved in training with Steven Gerrard’s side, as per The Daily Record.

What’s the story?

Dodoo had spent the last two seasons out on loan in the English lower leagues without catching fire. Spells at Charlton Athletic and Blackpool in the past 24 months yielded just eight goals for the Englishman.

And with the size of Gerrard’s squad, it would come as little surprise to see the former Leicester forward leave this summer. According to Football Insider, the 24-year-old is one of many at Ibrox allowed to depart – joined by Jason Holt, Kyle Lafferty, Eros Grezda and Graham Dorrans on the Rangers potential outgoings list as per the report.

The Daily Record warns that we shouldn’t expect to see Dodoo involved in first-team fixtures any time soon but also concedes that you never know what might happen with a year remaining on his Gers contract.

Dodoo’s not extinct

The forward could use this chance to resurrect a Rangers career that never really got going in the first place. Signed by Mark Warburton in 2016 we’ve never really seen all that much of the Ghana-born player in a Rangers jersey.

Gerrard has admirable options up top in the shape of Jermain Defoe and Alfredo Morelos. Yet with Lafferty seeming set for an exit and Ryan Hardie going to Blackpool there’s space for another striker.

Dodoo’s Rangers contract is due to expire this coming summer, so he might fancy one last chance at the club. He could eventually be in with a sniff of some first-team chances if he’s lucky too.

Morelos’ shocking disciplinary record is worry and soon to be 37-year-old Defoe is something of an injury risk. Bearing in mind the high volume of games Rangers are likely to play this season it might just leave the door slightly ajar for Dodoo.

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Former Leeds star Noel Whelan believes Alfredo Morelos’ attitude is the reason no clubs are in for the striker, he told Football Insider.

What’s the story?

The ex-Leeds United man hit out at the Colombian for ruining his own chances of earning a shot at the big time this summer thanks to indiscipline. Morelos was sent off five times and booked a further 16 times in his 48 appearances for the Gers last term.

Whelan has told Football Insider he thinks this is why there are no clubs in for Morelos: “When you’ve got a player with an attitude like Morelos at Rangers, they want to get rid of him because of his attitude.

“That’s the reason these players are going cheap, that’s the reason why Morelos isn’t being looked at by anybody.”

Morelos notched an impressive 30 goals last season and has been mooted as a Premier League recruit this summer. Crystal Palace has been suggested as a destination by Ray Parlour while Newcastle have  been directly linked to the 23-year-old.

Gerrard has spoken about interest in his striker, stating that it’d take a ‘really big offer’ to prize him away from Ibrox.

The cards may be a blessing in disguise

If Whelan is right in claiming clubs like Newcastle have been put off by Morelos’ discipline issues, those bookings and suspensions might well be a blessing in disguise for Rangers.

Morelos was also linked to Borussia Dortmund by Sky Sports during last season, but the German giants might’ve been put off the temperamental striker for the same reason.

Whilst frustrating for Gerrard at the time, the indiscipline could have bought him an extra season to work with the forward and really push Celtic at the top of Scottish football.

With Morelos in his side, Gerrard is more likely to win something given his incredible goal-scoring record, but he could be long gone this summer if he’d cleaned up his act last year. Having shown such promise in front of goal, it does seem to be the only thing holding Morelos back right now.

Gerrard might just look back on a year of frustration as a necessary evil in a 12 months’ time if Morelos fires Rangers to success this term.

[ad_pod ]Well, wouldn’t this be a huge turn-up for the books? Having been linked with some of European football’s biggest sides this summer, it could well be that Wolves pull off one of the biggest transfer coups of the summer with a swoop for Dani Olmo.The Dinamo Zagreb star has attracted interest from the likes of Manchester United, amongst others, but according to the latest report, he could be on his way to Molineux.Croatian publication Sportske Novosti have claimed that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have put in a bid in the region of £22.5m for Olmo.After hearing the news that their side had entered into the race to sign the Spain U21 international, Wolves fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts and there was an understandable sense of excitement.Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Many supporters of the Midlands side threw their backing behind the potential signing and insisted that the 21-year-old’s “huge potential” was something that they could get on board with.

Indeed, some suggested that Olmo was exactly what they needed at the club and that the Premier League’s style of football would suit him down to the ground.

Check out some of the excited reaction of Wolves fans below:

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Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos is determined to stay at Arsenal next season and prove his worth, according to SDNA (via Sport Witness).

Mavropanos was linked with a loan move to Greek rivals AEK Athens and Panathinaikos, however, has reportedly rejected both offers.

The Greek youngster is said to want to wait for his opportunity to impress Unai Emery next season, after also rejecting moves to the Bundesliga and Eredivisie.

According to SDNA, Panathinaikos sporting director Nikos Dabizas wanted to make Mavropanos the ‘leader’ of their defence.

The links for a move away for the 21-year-old would seem credible, after enduring a frustrating campaign last season with injuries limiting the youngster to just six appearances in all competitions.

The opportunity of a loan move could do the youngster the world of good, especially with Calum Chambers and Rob Holding returning from Fulham and injury respectively.

The Gunners also made a centre-back signing this summer, as William Saliba joined from French side AS Saint-Étienne. This could further limit Mavropanos’ appearances in the 2020/2021 season if he doesn’t go out on loan next season and prove his worth to the club.

Mavropanos is in between a rock and a hard place. He may well have the ability to play for Arsenal as his confidence to stay at the club next season suggests. However, the fact of the matter is his lack of appearances have seen him fall down the pecking order.

Next season, it won’t be too ludicrous to suggest that Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Holding, when he returns from injury, and Chambers will all be ahead of him in the pecking order. So a loan move is needed for him, especially with Saliba coming for the 2020/2021 season.

Mavropanos needs to go out and show Arsenal he’s good enough to start. Otherwise, he’ll spend next season sat on the bench rather than playing regularly. And when Saliba returns following a full season of starts at AS Saint-Étienne, barring injury, he’s also likely to be ahead of him in the pecking order.

Arsenal fans, does Mavropanos need a loan move? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!

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The following article is a special report; all information presented has been gleaned from Football FanCast sources unless otherwise stated.

West Ham United have included recall clauses in the loan deals that have seen Josh Cullen move to Charlton Athletic and Grady Diangana join West Bromwich Albion, per Football FanCast sources.

The two players were moved on in the final week of the transfer window, with the latter completing his move in the final hours of Thursday.

A figure with knowledge of the Hammers’ recruitment has confirmed that both players could return in January if West Ham see fit, with recall options a requirement to any deal.

Cullen’s move to Charlton has been coming all summer, with sources confirming that Lee Bowyer’s side expressed an interest at the beginning of the transfer window.

The midfielder did take part in the Irons’ pre-season but the move was confirmed on Wednesday, taking Cullen back to the Valley, where he spent last season as the Addicks won promotion to the Championship.

Diangana meanwhile is highly-rated in east London and there is a feeling that he will return and fight for his place next season.

Indeed, Baggies manager Slaven Bilic managed the Irons between 2015 and 2017 and it is understood that his good relations with the club smoothed negotiations.

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Diangana has made 21 senior appearances for the Hammers, scoring two goals.

The recall clause, FFC has been told, is to protect against the possibility of an injury crisis, and the Hammers are not expected to exercise them, despite their inclusion in the deals.

Nonetheless it is extremely clever from the club to end a busy summer on a good note, ensuring their young players get plenty of playing time while also protecting themselves from a total meltdown if the injury curse strikes.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

West Ham United have completed the signing of striker Albian Ajeti from FC Basel for an undisclosed fee, which could rise to £11m with add-ons according to Claret & Hugh.

The agreement is a shrewd one.

Manuel Pellegrini’s striking options were depleted significantly by the departures of Marko Arnautovic, Lucas Perez, Andy Carroll and Jordan Hugill in this transfer window.

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Summer signing Sebastian Haller became the club’s record acquisition when he joined from Eintracht Frankfurt but he had just Javier Hernandez as his back-up.

Now, though, there is another option, and Ajeti’s numbers are excellent.

At a base level, he is a goalscorer. He has scored 14 league goals in the past two seasons. He has also laid on eight assists across the two campaigns.

But the statistics show more than just a poacher.

Ajeti, per fbref, averaged an impressive 0.76 goals and assists per game last season. The campaign prior, he averaged 0.81.

Now, of course, this is a player who is currently playing in the Swiss Super League. Nobody can say with any degree of certainty whether he will be able to make the transition to the Premier League.

But the numbers are good and so too is the fee.

A cost of £11m is negligible in today’s transfer market – Haller, of course, cost an initial £45m that could rise to £50m, per FFC sources.

And Ajeti offers a different threat and a different option to both the Frenchman and Hernandez.

This is, in essence, a punt.

But it is also a calculated one and it could well be an exceptional acquisition for the money being spent.

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