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An update has emerged regarding Newcastle’s interest in Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho.

What’s the talk?

According to Spanish outlet Sport, Newcastle’s new owners PIF are in talks with Barcelona over a potential January deal for the Brazil international.

The report claims that the Magpies are keen on a swoop for the attacking midfielder and are able to afford Barcelona’s €50m (£42m) valuation.

Fans would be ecstatic

Newcastle fans would surely be ecstatic if PIF are able to secure a deal to sign Coutinho in January. If this report is accurate, the Saudi Arabian consortium are showing immediate ambition in the transfer market, as he would represent a significant boost to the current playing squad.

Coutinho has played in the Premier League, La Liga and the Bundesliga throughout his career for Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich respectively and would give a lift to the players at St James’ Park. The 29-year-old is a Champions League winner and has won league titles in both Spain and Germany, which means that he would arrive with pedigree and could be respected by the other players at the club.

In his last 18 months at Liverpool, Coutinho produced 20 goals and 13 assists in 41 Premier League starts for the Reds. He averaged a WhoScored rating of 8.03 in his final half-season at Anfield, with seven goals and six assists in 14 appearances.

His former Reds teammate Roberto Firmino claimed that the 29-year-old has ‘magical powers’ on the ball, saying (via Goal): “He’s phenomenal. You simply can’t say that he’s not a magician. He has magical powers. He produces plays that don’t exist, that you couldn’t make up.”

These quotes and Coutinho’s phenomenal statistics in England for Liverpool highlight why Newcastle fans would likely be over the moon if he is signed for £42m in January. He is a proven Premier League attacking midfielder and could come in and score the goals and provide the assists to lift Newcastle up the table, whilst also possibly being the first marquee addition of the new regime on Tyneside.

Therefore, PIF must ensure that they can get a deal over the line for Coutinho. Fans would be delighted with this piece of business due to his experience and quality, and it would be a shrewd first swoop by the owners to show the supporters that they are serious about competing at the top end of the table.

AND in other news, Football finance expert drops Newcastle budget claim which will surely leave fans buzzing…

Having been without Diego Llorente for the past couple of games in the Premier League, Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa must surely call upon him when his side take on Watford this afternoon.

The Whites have seen the Spaniard only briefly in action this season, playing more than an hour in the 1-1 draw against Burnley, before being forced off with injury early on in the game against Liverpool three weeks ago.

However, having confirmed that he is now fit and available for selection, Bielsa must throw him straight into the deep end when they take on the promoted Hornets at Elland Road.

The “imperious” Spaniard, as hailed by Adam Pope, became a regular Leeds’ defence in the final few weeks of 2020/21, starting 13 of the last 14 games in that top-flight season and coming up with some impressive performances, not least netting a late equaliser against Liverpool.

He earned a WhoScored match rating of 6.90, which marked him out as the Whites’ second-best centre-back after Cooper, who was also the only player at the club to win more headers per game than Llorente’s 2.2.

Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan raved: “He looked every bit that leader and that quality centre-half that we were all expecting when he signed for the football club. There was great excitement about him it took a long time to get to see him consistently.

“But when we did, we saw him grow and grow and grow. We saw him get stronger and better as the games went on. If you ask any Leeds United fan who watched him in that second part of the season and ask them who would be the first centre-half on the team sheet, they would say Llorente.”

Given the poor start Leeds have made to the new Premier League campaign, a bit of quality at the back and bringing in someone as composed Llorente could ease some of the concerns regarding the team’s defending.

The £18m-rated ace could well be the game-changing return at the back which swings things back in Leeds’ favour heading into today’s clash with Watford.

Meanwhile, a journalist has dropped a Leeds United transfer update…

Valerien Ismael has dropped an update on the future of Sam Johnstone at West Bromwich Albion.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Express & Star, the Frenchman revealed that progress is being made in talks between the club and the goalkeeper regarding a new contract at The Hawthorns.

The 45-year-old went onto claim that, while he does not expect a resolution quickly, he has a good feeling about the England international remaining an Albion player beyond the end of his current deal – which is set to expire at the end of the season.

Speaking about the contract situation of Johnstone, Ismael said: “Progress is a big word but we keep talking. I don’t think we can get a result quickly, but at least all the parties are talking. We have a good feeling, but we need to be patient on that.”

Huge boost

Considering just how important a part of the West Brom side Johnstone has been in recent seasons, the fact that the goalkeeper appears to be edging closer to putting pen to paper on a new deal with the club is undoubtedly a massive boost for Albion.

Indeed, over his 37 Premier League appearances last term, the £7.2m-rated man kept six clean sheets, made an average of 4.5 saves per game and stopped a total of 166 shots over the course of the season.

These returns saw the man Sam Allardyce dubbed a “magnificent” player earn a highly impressive average SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as the club’s second-best player in the top flight.

And, aside from a disappointing performance against Blackburn Rovers, the £28k-per-week shot-stopper has continued his fine form in the Championship so far this season, earning a 6.9 match rating against Luton Town and a 7.4 match rating against Sheffield United.

As such, should the 28-year-old indeed go on to extend his stay at The Hawthorns, it will not only be a boost to the club’s promotion hopes this season, but also to their chances of potentially remaining in the top flight next term.

In other news: Valerien Ismael drops fresh West Brom transfer claim that is sure to get fans excited

After failing to secure a win away at Shrewsbury Town in midweek, Sunderland are back in League One action this weekend with a clash against Cambridge Town as they aim to win promotion back to the Championship.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Lee Johnson could select to be in his starting XI to take on Cambridge at the weekend, one figure that did not feature in the 1-1 draw at Shrewsbury that we think should definitely be in the team on this occasion is Elliot Embleton.

After managing to score two goals and provide three assists in the first seven league games of the season, Embleton, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £5.3k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has found regular minutes in the team hard to come by in recent weeks.

The 22-year-old has not managed to score a goal or provide an assist in the league since their 2-2 draw against Fleetwood back in September where he assisted Ross Stewart’s opening goal, which suggests why he’s been in and out of the team since then.

However, if the midfielder, who has been labelled as “terrific” by former Black Cats manager Jack Ross, gets a consistent run of games under his belt, this could be exactly what he needs to add more goals and assists to his game.

Looking at the match against Cambridge, with Alex Pritchard managing to get on the scoresheet and put in an impressive performance against Shrewsbury at the weekend, this could make it hard for Embleton to get back in the team and make the attacking-midfield role his own again.

With that in mind, it would be in Johnson’s best interest if he were to tinker with his team or formation slightly to incorporate both players if he thinks that could be the best way forward for the team to get some positive results.

If Johnson were to take a chance on Embleton and he was then able to get back to the impressive form that he was in at the start of the season, this could be exactly what the Wearside club need to push them towards promotion by the end of the campaign.

In other news: KLD can solve Johnson’s latest SAFC crisis by signing “phenomenal” £450k-rated beast – opinion

Manchester United are reportedly open to offers for Dan James in the current window as the club look to boost their transfer budget.

What’s the story?

The Red Devils’ hierarchy are willing to sell the 23-year-old over the coming months if they receive an acceptable offer to sign him, according to ESPN.

It’s claimed that the Glazer family have given manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a £100m transfer kitty this summer, but that figure could be topped up by funds raised by the departures of any unwanted first team players.

He’s not good enough

James made a strong start to his United career, scoring three goals in his first four Premier League games for the Old Trafford outfit, but he has failed to build upon his early showings. The Wales international has only bagged six more goals since netting against Southampton in August 2019, often coming in for criticism for his poor final ball.

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent cast doubt over the speedster’s ability earlier in the summer after he was linked with a move to fellow Premier League outfit Everton, telling Football Insider: “The only thing about Dan James at times, for me, he’s a little bit headless.

“He’s shown great potential when he first went to United; he played really well, scored a few goals, but at times he for me he’s fouled, or he shoots sometimes when he should pass it, he’ll pass when he should shoot.

“He’s got great pace, and I think he’d be a great addition in anyone’s squad, but when we talk about someone coming in and making a real difference and adding a lot of quality to whatever they’ve already got, I’m not quite sure.”

With the ongoing pandemic continuing to have a serious impact upon football clubs’ finances, selling lucrative fringe players is the easiest way to boost transfer budgets.

Therefore, Solskjaer must brutally axe the £16.2m-rated James, who hasn’t been all that productive at Old Trafford, in order to finance moves for his top transfer targets ahead of the upcoming campaign.

The addition of Jadon Sancho and the imminent arrival of Raphael Varane will wipe out the Norwegian’s reported £100m budget, so securing the sales of players like Phil Jones, Andreas Pereira and indeed James may be the only way to sign a new defensive midfielder or right-back this summer. In the greater scheme of things, the Welsh winger seems dispensable.

In other news… Woodward must avoid Man Utd disaster over £40.5m-rated ace, Ole will be fuming 

Crystal Palace are looking to sign Arsenal ace Ainsley Maitland-Niles, according to The Athletic journalist Matt Woosnam.

The versatile Maitland-Niles, 23, has been made available for transfer after failing to nail down a place in Gunners boss Mikel Arteta’s future plans.

Maitland-Niles made 15 appearances during a loan spell with West Bromwich Albion last season but he was unable to steer the Baggies away from relegation to the Championship.

However, Maitland-Niles remains on the radar of a host of top flight clubs, including Palace.

The Eagles, under new manager Patrick Vieira following his appointment earlier this month, face competition for Maitland-Niles’ services.

Newly-promoted Watford, along with Southampton, are also monitoring the situation ahead of the Premier League season getting underway next month.

Maitland-Niles, who has been capped by England five times, impressed Palace fans during West Brom’s 1-0 defeat at Selhurst Park in March, according to Woosnam.

The reporter believes Palace are vying to win the race for the Arsenal man’s services.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Woosnam said: “Ainsley Maitland-Niles did well last season at West Brom.

“Certainly, he was one of the two players that stood out when Palace hosted West Brom towards the end of the season, along with Okay Yokuslu.

“He would bring an element of positivity to Palace but it will come down to the cost.”

A major update has emerged about Ipswich midfielder Liam Gibbs, one regarding both Norwich City and Manchester United.

What’s the talk?

According to the East Anglian Daily Times, Ipswich’s local rivals Norwich are interested in snapping up academy midfielder Liam Gibbs from the Tractor Boys. Gibbs is out of contract at the end of the month and Ipswich are now fighting to keep hold of the talented teenager.

The report claims that Premier League sides Norwich and Man United are both looking at Gibbs and monitoring his situation in case he becomes available.

If either side signs Gibbs upon the expiry of his contract, they would need to pay a compensation fee to Ipswich as he is still under-21.

Former Ipswich player and coach Kieron Dyer claimed in 2019 that Gibbs has a “massive future” and that he is an exciting player to watch. He told TWTD, as relayed by Suffolk News:

“Obviously when I was working at the club you don’t like to talk up individuals but now I’m not there I can say that you’ve got Tommy Smith coming through at left-back, I’d even go out on a limb and say he’s got a good chance of making his debut before the season finishes at some stage. I’ve never seen the guy have a bad game. I think really highly of him.

“First-year Liam Gibbs has come in, he’s a very exciting player. He’s got a massive future as well, so they’re the two players I’d say to watch out for.”

Ashton must avoid disaster

Ipswich CEO Mark Ashton must avoid a major disaster with Gibbs this summer. The EADT claim that he is highly-rated at Ipswich and this suggests that it could be a huge blow if they lose him at the end of the month. Ipswich could be about to watch a talented young player depart without receiving a transfer fee, with a compensation fee impossible to predict at this time, which would be a disaster for the club as he could be a great player for the future.

Dyer said that Gibbs has a massive future ahead of him and Ipswich will surely want that to be at Portman Road. He made his League One debut at the age of 18 last season, showing that the club has faith in him to perform at senior level despite his inexperience.

Therefore, he could play a bigger role in the first-team next season if he decides to stay with Paul Cook’s side instead of departing at the end of his deal.

The obvious reason as to why this would be a disaster for Ipswich is the interest from Norwich. If Ipswich lose one of their most talented academy products, as shown by his League One debut, to their bitter rivals Norwich, it would be very frustrating for the club’s supporters.

Ipswich fans will not want to see one of their own playing in yellow at Carrow Road and Ashton must work hard to ensure that Gibbs stays at Portman Road and does not join Norwich. He’s got a couple of weeks to convince the player that he should stay, time will tell if he’s able to do so.

AND in other news, ITFC dealt major transfer blow with “brilliant” £6.4k-p/w ace, Cook will be livid…

West Ham are reportedly closing in on the loan signing of defensive midfielder Alex Kral from Russian side Spartak Moscow.

The Lowdown: West Ham doing deadline day business

The Hammers are in a good place on and off the pitch, shining in the Premier League under David Moyes and doing shrewd business in the transfer market.

Nikola Vlasic has already signed for West ham on deadline day and now another deal could get over the line.

The Latest: Kral set to join?

According to Russian Football News, Kral could join the Hammers on loan, joining up with Czech Republic compatriots Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal.

The source from a Russian outlet states the Irons want ‘one more RPL (Russian Premier League) player’ after Vlasic.

There will be an option to buy in the deal, with the 23-year-old winning 22 caps for his country to date.

The Verdict: Another shrewd addition

Kral could be a great signing for Moyes’ side, bringing more stability in the centre of midfield, especially with Mark Noble’s best days now behind him.

He could dovetail effectively in the middle of the park with either of Declan Rice or Soucek, having averaged 1.5 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game for Spartak in the Russian Premier League last season.

This gives Moyes the chance to rotate his star men in the middle once Europa League matches roll around, adding depth to a vital position.

In other news, some West Ham fans are excited by another transfer rumour. Read more here.

Many Everton fans have been left to bemoan a transfer update from Fabrizio Romano on Max Aarons.

Replying to a Toffees supporter when asked if the Norwich City ace was going to Goodison Park, the Italian football journalist and transfer guru claimed: ‘No chance’.

Just last month, Romano had stated that the Merseyside club were ‘leading the race’ to sign Aarons, and that advanced talks were ‘progressing’.

It has left several Blues wondering what has happened between then and now, as it looks as if they will have to start pursuing other targets in the right-back area.

Playing in all but one game for the Canaries in the EFL Championship in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), Aarons was certainly a key player in getting them promoted back up to the Premier League, and at just 21 years of age, the Englishman would have been an ideal long-term successor to 32-year-old Seamus Coleman.

Everton fans on Aarons transfer update

These EFC fans were left to bemoan the transfer update as it was shared on Twitter:

“I’VE SEEN IT AND I’M SAD”

Credit: @PaigeyEFC

“Our season is over before it even started”

Credit: @whoisparadox

“Noooooooooooooo”

Credit: @efcowen1

“Sigh”

Credit: @SP0RTSEDlTS

“Pain.”

Credit: @LiamAnderson66

“Another joke Everton should have wrapped up months ago, end up going to Tottenham this kid”

Credit: @CallumCarroll

In other news, find out which player Toffees are pleading to sign here!

Journalist Fabrizio Romano laid down a major West Ham update this weekend that will surely have supporters of the Premier League side disappointed.

What’s the word?

Romano took to Twitter to confirm that Declan Rice had indeed turned down a new deal proposal from West Ham as David Moyes looks to keep one of his stars at the club beyond the summer.

However, it was reported by Adam Newsom and relayed by Romano before the match between West Ham and Chelsea that Thomas Tuchel rates Rice “very highly”, but hasn’t given him much more thought due to the ban on Chelsea signing or selling players until their takeover is complete.

Tuchel isn’t the only admirer of the England international, with Manchester United reporting interest in the player too.

Moyes will want to keep Rice

Rice has emerged to be one of the Hammers’ key players as they have had a fantastic season in the top flight.

They are pushing to consolidate a top-six spot in the league and reaching the Europa League semi-finals has potentially justified Rice’s £67.5m market value, with some of the fees teams have been quoted with to sign him having pushed beyond the £100m mark.

With a SofaScore rating of 7.17, the highest of any other West Ham player, it is a case of when and not if before he eventually leaves the side.

With his contract not expiring until 2024 then Moyes is in a prime position to haggle for the best fee possible. His stock has never been higher and a £100m plus transfer fee could give the manager some major funds to continue the wonderful job he has done so far.

It’s fair to say the supporters will be gutted if Rice does go, but the reality is, once the big boys come calling, not a lot of people turn them down. That said, if it’s their London rivals Chelsea, it will aggravate fans even more.

AND in other news, Sources: West Ham eye swoop for “brilliant” 21 y/o, he’s “similar to Eden Hazard”