According to The Sun, Leeds United are keen on signing West Ham’s Jordan Hugill this summer.

Jordan Hugill only joined the Hammers in January, but despite having cost the London club a fee of around £10 million, the striker hasn’t come close to establishing himself in the first team.

Now, it looks as though the 26-year-old could be set to move on again already. Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds are apparently keen on bringing him to Elland Road.

Hugill boasts a decent goalscoring record from his time in the Championship, having notched 12 goals for Preston North End in his last full season in the second tier. He has proved so far unable to make any impact at Premier League level though, and needs to get back to playing regular football soon for the sake of his career progression.

That being said, Leeds would do well to look beyond Hugill as they require a striker of greater calibre to make them the genuine promotion contenders they hope to be.

The Breakdown

Whilst Hugill’s Championship record is good, and his arrival would certainly mean an upgrade on Leeds’ current striker Caleb Ekuban, the Yorkshire outfit can still do better in this market.

Considering that Transfermarkt value Hugill at £7.2 million, and West Ham won’t want to lose out on too much of the hefty figure they dealt out for him in the first place, it’ll take some significant spending on Leeds’ part to land the Englishman.

The likes of Peterborough’s Jack Marriott or free agent Abel Hernandez are all realistic targets, who Leeds would have to battle for, but would be more exciting arrivals at Elland Road.

Hugill would be fine, but probably not much more than that. If Leeds are serious about building a team which can compete for the prize of Premier League football, then they need to be aiming higher than Hugill.

According to The Sun, Newcastle will battle German side RB Leipzig for the signature of Bristol City left-back Joe Bryan, but there is also interest from Bournemouth, Wolves, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Augsburg and Mainz.

What’s the story?

Valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, Bryan scored seven goals and provided three assists from left-back for City last season and his performances have caught the eye of a number of Premier League, Championship and Bundesliga clubs.

The 24-year-old, who can also play as a left wing-back and left winger, also scored a stunning goal in The Robins’ 2-1 league cup triumph over Manchester United last season.

Having come through the academy at City and with just one year left on his contract, Bristol may look to sell the star defender this summer to avoid losing him on a free next year, as the German clubs could secure a pre-contract agreement in January.

Moore interest

One club who should also join the race are West Brom. Boss Darren Moore currently has Kieran Gibbs as the only left-back in his squad following the Baggies relegation from the Premier League.

The Hawthorns could be the perfect place for Bryan to continue his development as he could play ahead of the former Arsenal man and be involved in a potential push for promotion back to the top tier of English football.

With Gibbs and Bryan on the left, the west Midlands outfit would have the best left flank in the whole Championship.

Toby Alderweireld is prepared to run down his contract at Tottenham Hotspur in order to force a move to Manchester United, according to The Mirror.

What’s the story?

The 29-year-old defender has been linked with a move to Manchester United all summer as Jose Mourinho looks to strengthen his defence.

The Belgium international has been at Tottenham since 2015 and has become a rock at the heart of their defence under Mauricio Pochettino.

However, with Spurs keen to keep hold of their talent and demanding £75million for his sale, it now appears that Alderweireld is prepared to force a move to Old Trafford by any means possible.

According to the report, he has one year left on his current deal, but Tottenham have the option to extend it by a year, but enacting this will activate a release clause of £25million.

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Dilemma

Tottenham are stuck between a rock and a hard place here, not knowing whether to sell their star defender now for big money or try and keep hold of him only to sell him on the cheap next summer.

If Alderweireld is dead set on the move then perhaps it is worth cashing in now, because his mood might affect the rest of the camp if he is forced to stay on for an extra year.

If they conclude the business quickly, Spurs will still have time to bring in a replacement but it’s a risky game for Pochettino and he’ll have to decide whether to stick or twist.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Victor Wanyama is a transfer target for AS Roma according to Italian news outlet La Repubblica, as cited in The Mirror.

What’s the story?

The 27-year-old joined Spurs from Southampton two years ago with Mauricio Pochettino signing him for the second time after bringing him to St Mary’s from Celtic back in 2013.

The midfielder has gone on to make 54 league appearances for Tottenham, although last season he only made eight starts in the top-flight after suffering a serious injury at the start of the campaign.

Wanyama still has three years left on his current deal at Spurs, but according to the report, Roma are interested in signing the Kenyan international after failing to convince Sevilla midfielder Steven N’Zonzi to head to Italy this summer.

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Not the time to sell

As we enter the final days of the transfer window Tottenham are in a precarious position ahead of the new season.

Pochettino is yet to make any signings this summer, and while there have been no big-name departures yet either, it would send quite the message if Spurs start selling first-team stars.

Wanyama may not be the best midfielder on Tottenham’s books but he is a reliable enforcer that does the job when needed, and is an adequate deputy for Mousa Dembele.

Even though he is valued at £27million on Transfermarkt, now is the time for Daniel Levy to invest and continue Tottenham’s upward trajectory instead of returning to their reputation as a selling club.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp should keep hold of Marko Grujic this season following reports from Goal that the club recently rejected an offer from Torino.

What’s the word?

Liverpool are no longer permitted to bring in new players, but members of the first team can still be poached.

Grujic has been a fringe player ever since he moved to Anfield from Red Star Belgrade in 2016.

The 22-year-old spent half of last season on loan at Cardiff City, but at the moment, his future – for the 2018-19 campaign at least – is uncertain.

According to Goal, the Reds have turned down a loan bid from Serie A side Torino, who have proposed a permanent deal for next summer with a fee in the region of £9m.

The report claims that Grujic is a favourite of Klopp, who believes that the Serbian could be a star of the future, but all indications are that he will move on in some capacity before the end of August.

Why not keep him?

The Merseyside outfit have many midfield options following the acquisitions of Fabinho and Naby Keita in the summer.

Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Georginio Wijnaldum and Adam Lallana are all available to Klopp, which means that Grujic is low in the pecking order.

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However, the midfielder has not had a genuine chance to prove his ability in a Liverpool shirt, so perhaps he could be used in this season’s cup runs.

If the former Red Star player, who has scored 10 professional goals in his career, has waned by Christmas, then the club should consider a short-term loan.

It’s now two years since Manchester United appointed Jose Mourinho with the expectation of quick success following the disappointing reigns of David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal.

The only semblance of success has come in the form of a League Cup, a Europa League trophy and a second place finish, just 19 points behind neighbours Manchester City who in that same period have shattered what we thought was possible in the Premier League.

Pep Guardiola has managed to import his breathtaking brand of fast-paced and silky football to England and transformed players like John Stones and Raheem Sterling into top-drawer talents.

In the same way, Mourinho has transported his turgid and flat style of football to Old Trafford and it’s hard to pinpoint many players that have vastly improved under his leadership.

There’s more than a hint of irony then when Jose Mourinho described himself as more of a head coach than a manager recently, in a dig at the club’s hierarchy over his lack of influence in transfer policy.

Granted, more money has been spent under Guardiola than Mourinho, but that doesn’t lessen the reported £389million outlay United have put behind the Special One.

What must be even more galling for United fans is seeing the transformation that appears to be taking place at Leeds United.

It’s been two months since Leeds appointed Marcelo Bielsa with the expectation of returning to the Premier League after a 14-year absence and although the campaign is in its infancy, all is looking very rosy for the Championship club.

And what is more, ‘El Loco’ is setting an example to Mourinho of what can be achieved with good old-fashioned coaching.

He only has two Championship games under his belt, but the difference between Leeds of this season and last, and indeed between Leeds and every other team in the division at the moment, is stark.

What is even more remarkable is that this change has occurred with only one new signing starting in Bielsa’s first XI – left-back Barry Douglas.

Their electric and imposing style of football has helped them sweep aside pre-season favourites Stoke City and Derby County with ease, and turned players such as Kemar Roofe and Mateusz Klich from underwhelming second division players to the best performers in the league.

The fact that Bielsa has achieved such a drastic transformation with just one new face in his starting lineup shows the power of his coaching which has involved making the players pick up litter and keeping them at the training ground from 9am to 8pm.

Leeds’ turnaround in fortunes is a testament to good old-fashioned coaching that Mourinho seems to have neglected at Manchester United.

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It’s easy to rail against the club for not supporting him in the transfer window in a summer in which they spent £74million, rather than face up to the fact that he hasn’t managed to bring out the best in his current squad, many of whom were Mourinho signings.

If he wants to call himself a head coach then it might be a good idea to take a look at Leeds and see what good coaching can actually achieve.

Loads of Leeds fans have been reacting to the latest transfer news, as Eunan O’Kane is reportedly stalling on a move to League One side Charlton.

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Charlton are targeting O’Kane, but Lee Bowyer has admitted that there are some problems with the deal.

The Irish midfielder was one of the major scapegoats during Leeds’ poor run last season, and fans are all agreeing that he is simply not good enough to play in the Championship after Bowyer’s comments.

“He’s definitely someone we’re interested in but obviously he’s on a big wage so Leeds are weighing up where he’s going,” the Charlton boss said.

“Because of that, we can’t compete with his wage and the player wants to play in the Championship still but yeah, he’s a target and we’ve asked the question. They’re keeping us in mind the later it goes.”

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Needless to say, Leeds fans aren’t all that impressed with O’Kane’s desire to stay in the Championship, as they’d rather just get him off the books for a small fee.

The 28 year-old was part of Paul Heckingbottom’s sieve-like midfield, and despite playing over 50 Championship games at Elland Road there is no place for him in Marcelo Bielsa’s free-flowing side.

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Lots of fans have been having their say on Twitter, and you can find some of the best reactions down below…

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According to The Sun, Leicester City are planning to move for Blackburn Rovers’ Bradley Dack in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

After having plucked James Maddison from the second tier this summer, the Foxes could be set to return to their Championship hunting ground in order to capture another talented attacking-midfielder in January.

Maddison, who joined from Norwich City for £22.5 million, has made a bright start to life in the Premier League and Dack could now be set to follow suit. 

With Claude Puel having recently lost the services of Riyad Mahrez to Manchester City, he needs all of the attacking midfield quality he can get. For a club that built an unlikely title triumph on the back of recruiting promising talents from lower leagues, a move for Dack would also suit the philosophy of the club.

Back for Dack

If Leicester were to return to the Championship for the signature of Dack, then they’d be acquiring a tremendously exciting talent. 

Having been the star of Rovers’ promotion from League One last time out, the 24-year-old has already struck four goals and provided three assists in four appearances in all competitions this season.

If the Englishman can replicate that kind of form in the Premier League, then between him and Maddison, Puel will have gone a long way towards replacing Mahrez’s influence at the King Power Stadium. 

The opportunity to prove himself in the top flight is likely one that Dack will find near impossible to resist, so it shouldn’t take much for the Foxes to tempt the midfielder away from Ewood Park. If the Premier League outfit can negotiate a fair price with the Lancashire club for Dack in January, then he’d be a very promising winter addition. 

Following the summer arrival of Stephan Lichtsteiner, Hector Bellerin now faces competition for his place as the first choice right-back for Arsenal. 

The Spanish full-back, who earns £100,000-a-week according to The Daily Mail, has certainly made an eye-catching start to the new season, for both good and bad reasons. In an attacking sense, the 23-year-old has been largely excellent and registered his first assist of the new campaign against West Ham United last time out.

In a defensive sense though, Bellerin has left much to be desired with his showings so far. Arguably, this is more a symptom of the Gunners’ defensive frailties as a whole, and the adjustments the team are going through under new manager Unai Emery.

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In any case, Bellerin has been caught out of position too often, and Arsenal have been punished for it by opposition sides on numerous occasions already this season.

However, Emery should stick with the Spaniard in his starting line up, with Lichtsteiner providing an experienced back up option. Bellerin’s raw attributes are all there to make him a top class modern full-back and a star at the Emirates Stadium this year.

According to our poll, the Gunners faithful are a little divided upon whether or not Bellerin should start against Cardiff City, with 42% feeling the time has come for the defender to be dropped to the bench. See the full results below.

Liverpool fans will be disappointed after watching Joe Gomez and Jordan Henderson feature in England’s defeat to Spain.

Gomez has made an excellent start to the season after his long battle with injury and was rewarded with a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad. The youngster looked comfortable in the back four, and the boss will be pleased he is back. On the other hand, Henderson was left bewildered by the Spanish midfielders and failed to impact proceedings. England face Switzerland in the final fixture of the international break.

Jurgen Klopp will be hoping all of his players return to Melwood free of injury with Liverpool facing a crucial month in both the Premier League and Champions League. The Reds travel to Wembley to face Tottenham next week before kicking off their European campaign against Paris St Germain at Anfield. Liverpool also face back-to-back games against Chelsea before the end of the month.

To continue his excellent business in the transfer market, Klopp should attempt to sign Ajax wonderkid – Frenkie De Jong – in January. Valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, De Jong is widely regarded as one of the most promising youngsters emerging from the Netherlands. The youngster was a key player for his side last year, making 22 appearances in the Eredivisie last season.

With Adam Lallana and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain struggling for fitness, De Jong would be a perfect alternative. The 21-year-old is a natural centre midfielder who is also capable of occupying the number six role favoured in Klopp’s 4-3-3 system. De Jong averaged 1.5 key passes per game last season but didn’t neglect his defensive duties; averaging 1.7 tackles per game.

Liverpool would reportedly face competition from Barcelona and Tottenham for his signature, but Klopp should do everything in his power to bring De Jong to Anfield.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?