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Leeds United are in advanced talks to sign Birmingham City wonderkid Amari Miller, as reported by Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Leeds United gear up for the 2021/22 Premier League season

As the Whites get their ducks in a row ahead of 2021/22, they will be keeping a close eye on all recruitment avenues as they look to improve on their impressive 9th placed Premier League finish last time out [BBC].

Though they haven’t ventured into the summer transfer market as of yet, Marco Bielsa’s men have been linked with moves for Adama Traore and Andre Ayew respectively [Leeds Live].

It seems they are searching for at least one attacking reinforcement, and they have now turned their attentions to an 18-year-old winger.

The Latest: Leeds offer contract to Miller; Everton were also keen

As a Football Insider source revealed, Leeds have moved to offer an appealing contract to the youngster as they re-shape their squad ahead of the new campaign.

Birmingham City are not expected to stand in the way of any deal for the winger, as they look to imminently overhaul their youth structures moving forward.

The Elland Road side have also seemingly beaten off competition from Everton for his signature [SB Nation], in what would be the club’s first capture of the summer.

The Verdict: Miller would be a good addition at Elland Road

Undoubtedly, this news will should come as a welcome boost to the Leeds United support.

Picking up a supremely talented youngster, perhaps he can develop into an established Premier League player in the coming years with the right coaching, and Marcelo Bielsa has a reputation for offering chances to young talents.

Impressing in the final weeks of the 2020/21 season, Miller made five Sky Bet Championship appearances for the St Andrews side [Transfermarkt].

Very much in the infancy of his career, the opportunity to work at a top-class training establishment like Thorp Arch represents the ideal platform for the sensation to progress into a top-class footballer should the deal go through.

In other news, a Leeds United defender gears up for a potential exit.

Speaking to Football Insider, a West Ham United source has allegedly explained that Fabian Balbuena has been told to find a new club this summer, with no contract extension in sight.

The Lowdown: Balbuena out?

Over the last few months, much has been made of the Paraguayan’s future in east London and whether or not the club will offer him a new deal.

His current contract expires at the end of next month and, as things stand, the 29-year-old will be allowed to leave on a free transfer (Football Insider).

Balbuena enjoyed a solid start to the campaign, often partnering the likes of Angelo Ogbonna to good effect. However, the return of Issa Diop and emergence of summer transfer window signing Craig Dawson limited his appearances thereafter, with the Paraguay centre-back starting just 13 games in total over 2020/21 (WhoScored).

The Latest: Balbuena told to get looking…

According to a West Ham source who was speaking to Football Insider, the Irons have now told Balbuena to find a new club and will not be extending his contract after all.

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Indeed, GSB and David Moyes have decided to let the 14-cap international leave London for pastures new nearly three years after he signed from Corinthians.

However, in a silver lining for Irons supporters, it is understood that the club are willing to splash the cash and bolster their centre-back options for the 2021/22 season.

The Verdict: Time to go…

The colossal defender enjoyed a fine beginning to 2020/21 and stepped in as a key figure, albeit briefly. West Ham journalist Sam Delaney, speaking on the U Irons podcast (via This is Futbol) back in October, heralded Balbuena for his run of form at the time and called him “brilliant”.

However, with emergence of options like Dawson, who West Ham will now sign on a permanent deal, it could be time to wave goodbye to Balbuena.

At 29 years old, he isn’t getting any younger, with the only disappointment being that GSB couldn’t sell him on for profit.

Instead, it looks as if he will be leaving on a free transfer, but the hope is that West Ham will still have plenty of resources to fund the chase for a top centre-half this summer.

In other news: West Ham fans rave as Sky Sports share ‘absolutely huge’ news, find out more here.

Writing on Twitter, backing an original report by Alessandro Alciato, reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has relayed big Tottenham Hotspur news on ex-Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte.

The Lowdown: Spurs on the chase for new manager

Having originally wanted to get an appointment done and dusted by the end of 2020/2021, chairman Daniel Levy is still on the chase for a new manager at Spurs.

This comes over a month after sacking previous boss Jose Mourinho and many candidates for the role have come and gone since then.

One of them, former Chelsea manager Conte, has recently entered contention due to his free agent status – with the Italian very recently leaving Inter due to differences in moving the club forward (Fabrizio Romano).

Due to the difficult circumstances surrounding Mauricio Pochettino at PSG, Spurs are now allegedly in talks with Conte over the managerial position as explained by numerous outlets including the Athletic.

The Latest: Romano makes big Conte claim

Writing on social media, Romano has backed these claims in regards to the 51-year-old’s future as he also lifts the lid on discussions with Tottenham.

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The managerial merry-go-round is in full swing, with ex-Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti departing for Real Madrid in the latest twist, and now Romano backs that Spurs talks are now indeed ongoing with Conte, explaining:

“Antonio Conte in advanced talks with Tottenham board about…

– Long term contract.

– Project, salary, new signings.

– Former Juventus Paratici as new director of football.

– Official bid made to Paratici but he’ll decide soon.

– Conte has never been close to join Real.”

The Verdict: Fantastic option for Spurs…

Given his credentials, with Italian footballing icon Andrea Pirlo calling him a ‘demon’ and the ‘best coach’ he has ever worked with (FourFourTwo), you’d have been inclined to think Conte would be back in work by now with so many teams frantically chasing new bosses.

However, after recently parting with Zinedine Zidane, Madrid opted instead for another Italian in Ancelotti – gifting Spurs a boost as the managerial pursuit goes on.

Premier League-winning manager Conte is arguably now the most credible option given his free agent status and impressive trophy haul, and Lilywhites supporters may take real encouragement from this news.

In other news: ‘Best news I’ve heard in a while’…Many THFC fans flock to this development, find out more here.

Writing on Twitter, journalist Ekrem Konur has dropped a major West Ham United transfer claim involving Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic. 

The Lowdown: Moyes striker hunt continues…

Irons manager David Moyes has been on the hunt for a new forward since the January transfer window, with the Scotsman himself confirming that bids were lodged but to no avail (Claret & Hugh).

This is due to the club’s apparent over-reliance on Michail Antonio, who has suffered with injury problems this season.

As well as this, former club record signing Sebastien Haller departed east London for Ajax in January, leaving a gaping hole in the centre-forward department as West Ham scour for new options.

The Latest: Mitrovic contact expected this summer…

Dropping a major West Ham transfer claim, journalist Konur has taken to Twitter with some news for Irons supporters, with the reporter claiming that formal contacts for Cottagers forward Mitrovic are now expected to take place this summer.

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The Serbian has been a much-rotated player under Scott Parker at Craven Cottage, making more appearances off the bench (14) than starts (13) this season.

However, he has a proven track record of finding the net consistently in past seasons, scoring a phenomenal 26 goals in 40 starts in the 2019/20 Championship (WhoScored).

“West Ham are keeping a close eye on Aleksandar Mitrovic’s situation,” explained Konur on Twitter.

He added: “David Moyes believes Mitrovic can succeed at West Ham. Formal contacts are expected to be established between the two clubs in the summer.”

The Verdict: Perfect for West Ham?

Standing at an imposing 6 foot 2, Mitrovic’s impressive 2019/20 season with Fulham isn’t the only piece of evidence that he can be a very threatening asset going forward.

The 26-year-old has also averaged a noteworthy 2.9 shots on goal per game throughout his career, more than any player in the West Ham squad has managed this season, including in-form sensation Jesse Lingard (WhoScored). He’s also quite the physical presence, winning on average 3.8 aerial duels per match since his playing days started at Partizan Belgrade (WhoScored).

Issa Diop is fully aware of his quality, too – with the West Ham man branding Mitrovic a ‘big player’ and ‘powerful’ in an interview with the Irons’ official website.

Therefore, the Serbian could come as a great option for Moyes this summer as he searches for the ideal new frontman.

In other news: ‘Better than Lingard’…Many West Ham fans flock to this transfer claim, find out more here.

VfL Bochum, who are said to be interested in signing Ianis Hagi from Glasgow Rangers this summer, secured promotion to the Bundesliga on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Bochum want Hagi

The Romania international has been heavily linked with a move away from the Gers over the past few weeks, with Sevilla and Lazio in particular mentioned as potential suitors (via The Glasgow Times).

Sport recently reported that German outfit Bochum were also eager to sign the £5.4m-valued 22-year-old.

The Latest: Bochum secure promotion

Bochum have long since been on the verge of a return to the German top flight and they secured a spot in next season’s Bundesliga thanks to a 3-1 win over Sandhausen on Sunday.

As such, they may have become a more attractive destination for Hagi this summer.

The Verdict: Better chance of playing

Since making the move to Ibrox in January 2020, initially on loan before joining permanently just under a year ago, Hagi has done relatively well under Steven Gerrard. In 58 matches in all competitions, he has 11 goals and 17 assists despite not always being a guaranteed starter (Transfermarkt).

However, there have been rumours with regards to his potential departure, and there could well be more transfer interest in him over the next few months.

While Sevilla and Lazio are both attractive propositions and will be playing European football next term, Hagi will have to complete with plenty of top players at those clubs to feature on a regular basis. At Bochum, however, he could have the chance to become a star player and be the man to whom his teammates look for inspiration. It is certainly not a move to be ruled out.

In other news, some Rangers fans demand this politician’s resignation.

Leicester City have been handed an injury boost ahead of their FA Cup semi-final showdown with Southampton on Sunday after Cengiz Under returned to first team training.

The on-loan AS Roma man has missed the last five matches in all competitions having picked up a “knock”, according to Brendan Rodgers.

However, he has now been pictured back in training, suggesting that he could well be available for this weekend’s cup clash.

Whilst Under has not been seen on too many occasions throughout the 2020/21 campaign, having made just 19 appearances and nine starts in his time at the King Power Stadium, his return will be a huge boost to Leicester as they prepare for their trip to Wembley.

Even in his limited time on the pitch, the winger has still managed to contribute. He has scored two goals and notched three assists in all competitions, teeing up Jamie Vardy on two occasions against Arsenal and Leeds United in the early stages of the campaign.

For context, only six players in the Leicester squad can boast a greater tally of direct goal contributions than Under this season, a remarkable feat considering that the Turk has completed 90 minutes on just three occasions for the Foxes.

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Despite Rodgers overlooking the forward on a number of occasions, the manager has still been left impressed by Under, even labelling him as a “special talent”.

Whilst the 23-year-old’s return will of course be a boost considering his individual skill set, his inclusion would also make the Leicester squad far stronger heading into this weekend’s clash against Southampton.

During the 3-2 reverse against West Ham United last time out, the Foxes’ bench looked threadbare, with the likes of academy graduates Thakgalo Leshabela, Vontae Daley-Campbell, Sidnei Tavares and Thanawat Suengchitthawon all included to make up the numbers.

The £18m-rated Under gives Rodgers a far more experienced option should he choose to turn to his substitutes against the Saints. His timely return is a huge positive despite his limited action so far this season.

AND in more news, find out why Florian Thauvin is Leicester’s outstanding right-wing candidate for next season…

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a new blow in their potential pursuit to appoint Julian Nagelsmann…

What’s the word?

Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy sensationally sacked Jose Mourinho on Monday after just 17 months in charge of the north London outfit, leaving the club in seventh place in the Premier League and with a Carabao Cup final on the horizon.

Former midfielder and academy coach Ryan Mason will now take control alongside Chris Powell until the end of the season.

The youthful RB Leipzig head coach has quickly emerged as a front-runner and Spurs’ mooted first-choice to succeed the Special One but latest claims suggest they will have a very tough task in securing his signature.

That’s according to The Athletic’s Bundesliga expert Raphael Honigstein, who told talkSPORT:

“Leipzig have no intention of releasing Julian Naglesmann and will fight tooth and nail not to let him go. He has no release clause, the slightly bigger issue is he would very much like to go to Bayern Munich next season.

“If it’s between Tottenham and Bayern, for him, it’s not a consideration. He is from a place very near Munich, his family are from Munich and he was a Bayern fan growing up.

“Even with a potential Super League club in Spurs, I still think Bayern are in a different category of club and he wants to go to that kind of club next. Whether Leipzig will let him or not, we don’t know but that’s his plan as far as I know and I think Spurs are going to find it very difficult to change that.”

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Bad news for Levy

This will come as a huge blow to Levy and his hopes of appointing the 33-year-old gem this summer, especially as Bayern’s current boss Hansi Flick revealed his intention to leave the Bundesliga giants, thus opening the door for an easy change of scenery over in Germany.

It’s easy to see why Nagelsmann will be in high demand as he’s taken RB Leipzig to a new level, even further than the progression attained under current Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.

They have run the defending champions as close to a title battle as possible, and have certainly put up a better fight than Borussia Dortmund, and the likes of Leverkusen, Wolfsburg and Monchengladbach, too.

The young coach has been tipped to emulate the successes of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, too. “Julian is the biggest German coaching talent. He’s very mature for his age and has already come very far,” claimed ex-Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick to SID (via Bulinews). “If he keeps developing like this, he can reach the level of Klopp and Guardiola.”

Such claims have been emphasised by Angelino, someone who has played for both the trophy-laden City boss as well as Nagelsmann. “In certain things they do resemble each other: in the way of preparing for games, training or knowing what they want. I would say they are 95 per cent the same in those aspects,” he told Spanish outlet AS (via beIN SPORTS).

On top of an impressive 59% win rate from his 88 matches in charge of the Bundesliga side, Spurs have tasted first-hand the damage his teams can do as they were the side to knock the north Londoners out of the Champions League last season.

If Spurs miss out on the emerging guru, then it will be truly gutting for Levy and many more at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Some of the other names linked to the vacant role, including England boss Gareth Southgate, former Wigan FA Cup winner Roberto Martinez, Swansea’s Steve Cooper and another manager sacked by Chelsea in Maurizio Sarri, are hugely uninspiring by comparison.

AND in other news, here’s how Spurs could look under Ryan Mason; Alli & Winks comeback?…

If there was one player forw hom Aston Villa wish they could turn back time, then Fernando Torres may well be that man.

The Birmingham Mail revealed that Villa actually wanted to sign him when he was just 15 after seeing him action during a visit to Madrid. It was suggested that the club’s youth team coaches were pleading with then-chairman Sir Doug Ellis about signing him, but he “wouldn’t loosen the purse strings.”

A source revealed to Birmingham Mail: “Yes, we looked at him, but there were that many clubs vying for him at the time we were just nowhere near making it happen. You know what Doug was like, he just wasn’t interested.”

Since then, Torres developed into one of European football’s most feared marksmen, really breaking onto the scene with La Liga giants Atletico Madrid.

His time in the Spanish capital saw him make a high-profile move to the Premier League, where he joined forces with Steven Gerrard at Liverpool and netted an incredible 81 goals in just 142 games for the Merseyside club.

Torres’ on-pitch chemistry with the former Liverpool skipper has been much discussed, including by Gerrard himself, who said: “If you asked me who was the best player on a daily basis consistently, Suarez was an animal but my best years were alongside Torres in terms of how I felt.

“My relationship with Torres, I was getting a lot of goals at that time. I was at my peak and felt fantastic.”

Torres then made the move to Chelsea, and while things didn’t perhaps work out on a more personal level – he managed just 45 goals in 172 games – they did for the Blues as a whole. The London side won the Champions League and then the Europa League in back-to-back years.

The striker’s biggest success, however, came at international level with Spain, winning successive European Championships in 2008 and 2012 as well as lifting the World Cup in 2010.

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While Villa could not have envisaged how Torres would grow after seeing him at 15, given the career the Spaniard would enjoy elsewhere, there’s surely a sense of regret at Ellis’ shocking decision not to “loosen the purse strings”.

Meanwhile, Villa must sell this first team ace in the summer…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who scored 11 times in 99 games for Manchester City, believes his former club will have no regrets over selling Kelechi Iheanacho, despite his form for Leicester City.

Iheanacho won March’s Premier League player of the month for his impressive form in front of goal, as he has carried the burden of the team during the absence of Harvey Barnes and James Maddison.

The former Man City striker scored 21 goals in 64 games before it was decided that his future lay away from the Etihad in 2017 after falling down the pecking order behind Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus.

Speaking on how he’s been impressed with Iheanacho this season and why City won’t regret selling the striker, Howey told FFC:

“I think the lad has done quite well at Leicester and I think in Brendan Rodgers he’s got a very good manager. I just think the style of player that he is, it’s not what Pep wanted in his side.

“I think it’s only just recently that he’s come into form at Leicester so I don’t think Man City regret selling him.”

Jamie Vardy’s poor form in 2021 and the injuries to both Maddison and Barnes allowed the £60,000 per week striker a chance to prove himself which he has grasped with both hands.

Leicester City suffered a 3-2 defeat against West Ham which has cut their lead ahead of Chelsea in fifth to just four points with seven games remaining.

David Moyes must seal a deal with Manchester United to retain Jesse Lingard after West Ham made the former England international a transfer priority for the summer window.

What’s the word?

According to Claret & Hugh, the Irons boss has decided to make Lingard and the addition of at least one striker his top concerns, as he begins putting plans in place for the off-season.

West Ham will be expected to hit the market looking to turn Lingard’s loan permanent after the Red Devils refused to sanction a £15m clause being inserted in his temporary move.

Manchester United are said to value the attacking midfield at upwards of £20m, despite the fact that he’ll only have one year remaining on his £100,000-per-week contract come the end of June.

Moyes stated last week that he hopes to strike a deal with his former club to retain Lingard after his super start at the London Stadium, penning four goals and two assists in six games.

“We’ve got international players and I’m hoping we can add to that in the coming transfer window,” Moyes said, via quotes by the Daily Mail.

“The job is to try to add to that. But I would hope Jesse sees this as a good place if it’s possible to be done, and if we think that we want to do it at the end of the season.”

Claret and Hugh add that Lingard would likely demand a three-year contract to join West Ham permanently in the summer and that the Irons will ‘move heaven and earth’ despite knowing there will be no long-term re-sale value in the 28-year-old.

Should West Ham sign Lingard?

Lingard has been one of the top performers at West Ham in almost every game he has been involved in since joining the east London outfit in January, and his importance to the show is evident most in that no player has contributed to more goals than he in the same period.

His significant outings in claret and blue have also led to one WhoScored man of the match award, coming against Aston Villa on debut, plus the highest average match rating (7.41/10) among the full Hammers squad for their full-season efforts.

It was no surprise that West Ham produced a languid offence against Manchester United last Sunday while without Lingard due to the forward being ineligible to face his parent club, with Moyes left underwhelmed by the sloppy nature of his side’s attacks.

“It was really poor,” he said, via quotes by football.london. “When we broke in the first half, I thought our play was really, really poor when we were breaking in the first half and that led to our poor… and that led to not having sustained attacks and we could not keep it [the ball] so our play on the break was really poor.”

Lingard would likely have helped to connect the midfield and offence at Old Trafford and contribute to a more impressive attacking display, having averaged the most shots per game from a West Ham player in the Premier League this season with 3.2, per WhoScored.

He also ranks second only to Aaron Cresswell (1.5) for key passes per game (1.2) but unlike the 31-year-old full-back (0.8), only 0.2 of Lingard’s come from set-pieces. The Manchester United loanee further records significantly more total passes per game than his fellow Irons forwards.

Lingard, who Noel Whelan claims is “really shining”, has, on average, made 35.2 total passes a game, more than Pablo Fornals (27.4), Manuel Lanzini (17.9), Jarrod Bowen (17.4), Said Benrahma (16.8) and Michail Antonio (15.9).

West Ham taking that level of output away at the end of the season will surely leave Moyes scratching his head looking for alternative targets who can offer anywhere near the same.

AND in other news, West Ham face a £51.5m asking price to sign a dynamic star who grew up learning from Frank Lampard…