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Leeds United have reportedly been boosted in their efforts to sign Paris Saint-Germain youngster El Chadaille Bitshiabu in the summer transfer window.

Who is PSG's Bitshiabu?

The 17-year-old is seen as a huge prospect currently, standing out as arguably one of the best centre-backs in France in his age group. Despite his tender years, he has already made 16 appearances for an incredibly talented PSG side – one that features the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, among others.

This season, Bitshiabu has played ten times in Ligue 1, helping his team edge towards another league title, but his future remains unclear. Leeds, set to be led by the 49ers group this summer, have been linked with a move for the teenager recently, as the board look to bring in young talent to build their long-term project, and they aren't alone in showing an interest.

Fellow Premier League rivals Fulham are also believed to be in the conversation, and with the player's current deal expiring next year, PSG may feel that they should sell this summer, should there be no path for him into their star-studded first-team.

Will Leeds sign Bitshiabu this summer?

According to reports in France [via Sport Witness], PSG "aren't opposed" to selling Bitshiabu and would be willing to let him leave for as little as €15m (£13.2m) this summer. That is seen as affordable for both Leeds and Fulham, who will no doubt be boosted by the news. Eintracht Frankfurt's interest is also noted however, with the Bundesliga side very keen on snapping him up as part of their search for young talent.

Planning for the future and signing top prospects is something that Leeds should always be looking to do, which is why Bitshiabu – already sponsored by Nike – has to remain a target this summer. This update is a clear boost for the Whites, suggesting they could sign the PSG starlet for what looks like a fair amount, even though he remains so young.

This is someone who has already been capped at Under-17, Under-18 and Under-19 level for France – he has 18 appearances at international youth team level in total – at a time when the country is producing so many talented defenders, whether it be Ibrahima Konate, William Saliba or Dayot Upamecano, to name just a few.

Staying in the Premier League is likely to be the only chance Leeds have of signing Bitshiabu, whose true market value has multipled by 14 times in the past 18 months, so that should be used as extra motivation to remain in the top flight.

تلقى محمد إبراهيم لاعب فريق سيراميكا كليوباترا بطاقة حمراء خلال مباراة فريقه أمام الأهلي في المواجهة التي تجمع بينهما الآن ضمن منافسات كأس السوبر المصري.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع سيراميكا كليوباترا، على أرضية استاد محمد بن زايد، في دور نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس السوبر المصري.

وتقدم الأهلي بهدف على سيراميكا كليوباترا في الدقيقة 94 من عمر اللقاء.

طالع فيديو | مدافع سيراميكا كليوباترا يسجل هدف فوز الأهلي القاتل بالخطأ في مرماه

وتلقى محمد إبراهيم بطاقة حمراء بطاقة صفراء ثانية في الدقيقة السادسة في الوقت بدل الضائع بسبب الاعتراض المبالغ فيه على حكم المباراة بسبب احتساب هدف الأهلي الأول. طرد محمد إبراهيم في مباراة الأهلي وسيراميكا كليوباترا 

Newcastle United have long been linked with a move for Moussa Diaby and now a new update has emerged on the club's pursuit of the player.

What's the latest on Newcastle's interest in Moussa Diaby?

According to reports coming out of Spain, Newcastle are now willing to pay £60m for the Bayer Leverkusen winger this summer.

As the report, the Magpies hierarchy have become obsessed with snapping up the services of the player ahead of next season and are willing to pay the price tag set by his current Bundesliga club to secure his signature.

Could Moussa Diaby replace Allan Saint-Maximin?

It is no secret that the North East club have been open to the idea of selling Allan Saint-Maximin with a reported £50m price tag being set a year ago for potential suitors to meet if they are interested in signing the player.

The Newcastle winger's talent has never been in doubt, however, the 26-year-old – dubbed "frustrating" by journalist Dominic Scurr – has tallied up 13 separate instances of illness and injury since joining the club in 2019 and although considered a crucial player in Eddie Howe's set-up is one of the more unreliable presences in the squad.

As a result, the signing of Diaby could be a breath of fresh air in the Newcastle front line and bring a new perspective to the attacking threat next season.

Over 24 league appearances, the 23-year-old ace has been phenomenal in forward areas of play, scoring eight goals, registering four assists and creating a whopping 12 big chances, as well as averaging 1.8 key passes and producing 1.2 shots on target per game.

Combine that with his tricky nature, having completed 1.2 successful dribbles and won 2.3 duels per game, it proves that he is an incredibly influential attacker on the pitch.

Not only that, Diaby ranks number one for chance creation and key passes in the entire Bundesliga, as well as ranking fifth for shots on target and eighth for crosses completed.

The talented Frenchman – who has equal experience on both the left and right wing – has been the recipient of high praise for his impact on Leverkusen's output this season, with the German club's sporting director Simon Rolfes stating:

"Moussa is an extremely quick, technically gifted attacker whose qualities are perfectly suited to our playing style. He’s one of France’s most talented players and he’s got the ideal conditions here in Leverkusen to develop into an absolutely top-class player."

With that being said, it is without a doubt that Diaby would be a major coup for Newcastle this summer and could be the key to not only selling the frustrating Saint-Maximin but also unlocking regular Champions League football and dominance in the Premier League.

West Ham centre-back Nayef Aguerd ‘has not gone unnoticed’ at Liverpool ahead of a potential move for him this summer, according to journalist Neil Jones.

The Lowdown: Aguerd impresses at World Cup

Morocco had numerous heroes during the 2022 World Cup on their shock path to the semi-finals, with Aguerd undoubtedly one of his country’s most important players.

The 26-year-old started four matches in Qatar but cruelly missed the semi-final defeat to France through injury, with the West Ham man a big loss during the game.

Aguerd has also shone for the Hammers this season, winning an average of two aerial duels per game in the Premier League.

The Latest: Liverpool eyeing up move

According to Goal‘s Jones, the Moroccan is someone who Liverpool are monitoring, as Jurgen Klopp eyes up potential centre-back additions this summer:

“The emergence of Morocco international Nayef Aguerd at West Ham has not gone unnoticed.”

The Verdict: Could be a strong addition

Liverpool simply must sign at least one central defender at the end of the season, with both Joel Matip and Joe Gomez flattering to deceive these days and coming in for criticism.

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Aguerd could therefore be an excellent option to come in and bolster Klopp’s options, having been hailed as an ‘exceptional’ player by Gary Lineker.

His average of four and three clearances per game in the league and World Cup respectively highlight his defensive expertise, and at 26, he is at a good age in his career.

The 30-cap Aguerd also has Premier League experience at this point, albeit limited, which could appeal more to Klopp, in terms of hitting the ground running from the off.

Tottenham employees have been left ‘enchanted’ by Lecce midfielder Morten Hjulmand as Spurs are named as one of the sides ‘interested’ in his signing.

The Lowdown: Spurs make summer plans…

Spurs have reportedly been planning for the summer transfer window in recent weeks as recent claims suggest both a central defender and winger will be high on the agenda.

The Lilywhites are currently chasing a top four Premier League finish but must also look beyond the 2022/2023 campaign.

Antonio Conte’s side have also been linked to signing a central midfielder with reports from Italy now suggesting they’re blown away by a new name.

The Latest: Tottenham staff ‘enchanted’ by Hjulmand…

According to Calciomercato, Spurs staff in the form of their scouting department have been left ‘enchanted’ by Denmark international Hjulmand.

The north Londoners, alongside Roma, Napoli and Borussia Dortmund, have been named as one of the sides ‘interested’ in the 23-year-old.

Going by this report, it appears the club, and by extension sporting director Fabio Paratici, are eyeing a new target.

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The Verdict: Lecce’s colossus…

Hjulmand has stood out as one of Lecce’s colossal stars over this Serie A season.

As per WhoScored, the box-to-box ace is one of their most-selected players domestically with only three Lecce players featuring over more top flight minutes.

Hjulmand also sits second in terms of highest match rating per 90 in their squad whilst also accumulating more tackles and interceptions per game than any Lecce player (WhoScored).

The 6 foot 1 colossus can also contribute effectively going forward, having registered four assists and Lecce’s third-highest rate of key passes (WhoScored).

Winning more Man of the Match awards than any of his teammates this campaign, Hjulmand stands out as a big fish in a small pond, leaving little surprise Spurs are taking notice.

Leeds United bolstered their squad well in the January transfer window but suffered what seemed like a minor setback in their comfortable FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley.

Their leading scorer Rodrigo was forced off after 69 minutes with an unknown ailment, and only now that the transfer window is shut has it become known that it was much worse than initially feared.

The Spaniard is set to be out for the next two months, a hammer blow which leaves Jesse Marsch somewhat threadbare up top and possibly regretting his lack of foresight in the transfer market.

Georginio Rutter was their main addition last month, as the Whites shattered their record transfer fee to welcome the Frenchman. However, at just 20 years old, the huge burden placed upon someone so young could prove overwhelming, especially with that £36m price tag hanging over him.

Perhaps Marsch could look to remove him from the limelight and instead promote one of his highly-rated youth prospects who could enter the fray as fearless asset and without the baggage of a club-record transfer outlay.

The outstanding candidate for such a call-up would have to be Mateo Joseph, with the Spaniard having proven himself a consistent goalscorer in the academy.

This season has comfortably been the 19-year-old’s most prolific, as he boasts 11 goals in as many Premier League 2 appearances, alongside four well-earned senior cameos. 

Such is his blistering form that he has deservedly been described by writer Tom Maston as “on fire in front of goal”, and he has the goalscoring prowess to atone for Rodrigo’s enforced absence.

However, the teenage sensation also has the tactical intelligence to fill his elder compatriot’s boots, as journalist Joe Donnohue outlined one of the 20-year-old’s top qualities by tweeting: “Underrated aspect of Mateo Joseph’s centre-forward play is his pressing; doesn’t give opponents a moment’s peace”.

This claim was further supplemented by another writer in Matty Hewitt, who dubbed Joseph a “really bright” young player.

Perhaps he could now translate his electrifying form at youth level into the first-team squad in Leeds’ hour of need, offering an ideal foil for Rutter whilst catapulting his career ever closer to the stardom for which he seems destined.

Journalist Scott Wilson says that Sunderland have received a ‘major boost’ as Amad Diallo will stay for the rest of the season after his recall clause expired.

The Lowdown: Great loan signing

Diallo has no doubt been a great loan signing from Manchester United, as his goal in the 2-0 win at home to North East rivals Middlesbrough was his seventh in the Championship since he joined.

He has also produced two assists during his time at the Stadium of Light, one of which came in the FA Cup third round to help send them through against Shrewsbury Town.

United inserted a recall option when they loaned Diallo to Sunderland in the summer, but have not decided to activate it up until this point.

The Latest: Recall expired

Taking to Twitter, Wilson says that Tony Mowbray’s side have received a ‘major boost’ as Diallo’s recall clause has expired, so he will be remaining on Wearside until the end of the campaign:

“Major boost for #SAFC as Amad Diallo’s recall clause expires – the forward won’t be returning to Man United and will be remaining on Wearside for the rest of the season…”

Expanding in his corresponding article for The Northern Echo, Wilson adds that there were ‘fears’ that Erik ten Hag would want to recall Diallo, after Ellis Simms was recalled by Everton.

Mowbray has recently dubbed the young winger ‘unbelievable’ for how clever he is with the ball, and claims that he has the ‘talent’ to play for United.

The Verdict: Relief

There may have be worries over whether United would have recalled Diallo after letting Cristiano Ronaldo to depart, so it will come as a relief to the Black Cats that they will be able to keep him for the rest of the season.

He has been their joint-fourth best performer in the Championship, and ranks highly among the squad for average shots, dribbles and pass success per game (WhoScored).

Sitting just one point outside of the play-off places, Sunderland have an outside chance of promotion to the Premier League, and Diallo will no doubt be a key player if they are to do that.

A big update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their pursuit of attacking midfielder Todd Cantwell during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to Vital Rangers, the English playmaker is in Glasgow to complete a medical ahead of a transfer to the Ibrox giants this month.

The report claims that it remains unclear as to how much the club are set to pay for the Canaries gem, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

When asked if Cantwell and Tom Davies are among the players on his wishlist for January, Gers boss Michael Beale said:

“No names but I think they are both good players to be fair. Todd was an excellent player when he was young and playing against my Liverpool Under 23s.

“I thought he would go on and have a fantastic career. He had that at the start and he is maybe just looking for a move to re-ingite it but I think he is a fantastic player at a good age.”

Dream start

Signing Cantwell on a permanent deal this month would be a dream first signing in charge of the Light Blues for Beale as he has the potential to be a terrific addition to the squad.

The midfielder, who was valued at £30m as recently as 2020, is in need of a fresh start after falling out of favour at Norwich and could reignite his career by making the switch to Ibrox.

He has not scored or assisted a single goal in nine Championship starts this term, after also failing to do so in eight starts on loan at Bournemouth last season, but his underlying data has been promising.

The gem created four ‘big chances’ and averaged 1.5 key passes per match across his eight starts for the Cherries, whilst he has created 1.1 chances per outing for the Canaries this season.

This also all comes after he enjoyed a terrific 2020/21 campaign in the Championship for Norwich as he averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.17 and produced six goals and six assists in 30 starts, having scored six times in the Premier League the previous year.

These statistics suggest that the former England under-21 international has the quality to deliver goals and assists from midfield for the Gers if Beale can help the 24-year-old to get back to his best in front of goal.

At the age of 24, Cantwell still has plenty of time left on his hands to get his career back on track and show that he can be a £30m-rated talent again.

If he can do that, by performing week-in-week-out for the Gers, then he will prove to be a sensational signing by Ross Wilson and a dream first addition for Beale.

Manchester United are one of a number of clubs who are keen on signing Borussia Dortmund youngster Youssoufa Moukoko, according to reliable journalist Ben Jacobs.

The Lowdown: Moukoko shines at Dortmund

The 18-year-old is already making a name for himself in Germany, despite his tender years, with 14 Bundesliga appearances already coming his way this season.

In that time, Moukoko has scored six goals and also chipped in with three assists for good measure, shining alongside fellow prodigious talent Jude Bellingham.

The Nike-sponsored prodigy is out of contract at the end of the season, however, and there looks set to be a scramble for his signature.

The Latest: United keen on move

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jacobs claimed that United are one of the clubs interested in signing Moukoko:

“Manchester United are one of those. They’ve tracked him for quite some time. They haven’t entered into any kind of advanced talks yet.

“Liverpool and Spurs are ones to watch and don’t rule out a move to La Liga and Barcelona either. Barcelona’s position is very much that they’re working on the player’s side to try and persuade him not to sign a new contract in the hope they’ll get him for free.

“As soon as transfer fees come into it, it wouldn’t surprise me if they back off the race. So, lots of suitors here.”

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The Verdict: Big talent for the future

At 18, Moukoko is clearly still a footballer learning his trade, but he has a massive ceiling and could be an exciting addition to Erik ten Hag’s United squad.

To already be a regular for one of Europe’s biggest clubs is a testament to his quality and he has even been hailed as ‘amazing’ and the ‘biggest talent in the world’ by Erling Haaland in the past, which speaks volumes.

The lure of United could be great for Moukoko, especially with Ten Hag turning their fortunes around, and he could be part of a long-term attack that also features the likes of Antony, Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford.

Liverpool have suffered their worst start to a Premier League campaign in a decade and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that the World Cup break will be just what his team needed to get back on track when they return to action after Christmas.

The Reds are currently sixth in the league table after a run of inconsistent form in the top flight which was contributed to by a lack of depth in the team due to a number of injuries occurring over the start of the season.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the forward line the quality of the attacking threat hasn’t recovered during the break with Diogo Jota still set to be out of action until at least January, whilst Luis Diaz aggravated a knee injury which then had to be operated on over last weekend and will leave the winger sidelined until March.

As a result, Klopp may need to add some more depth to the wide forward and attacking options in the team with James Maddison recently named as a potential transfer target for the manager.

The Leicester City and England ace is reportedly a target for the Merseysiders with Julian Ward and co putting him in their sights. It comes as no surprise when you consider the player’s output this season alone so far in a more advanced role for the Foxes.

Over 13 Premier League appearances, Maddison – who was dubbed “super” and a “dark horse” by Danny Murphy – has scored seven goals, delivered four assists and created three big chances, as well as averaging 2.4 key passes, 1.9 tackles and winning 4.8 duels per game.

Not only that, the star who could cost £60m, ranks in the top 5% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for non-penalty goals, shots on goal, assists, shot-creating actions, touches and progressive passes received.

The Liverpool manager is a big fan of versatile players who can maintain their quality in multiple positions on the pitch, which is something Maddison is more than capable of doing with the predominance of his experience in the attacking midfield role, as well as right, left and central midfield and the right wing too.

Maddison’s versatility in the final third of the pitch could hugely complement Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez.

The talented playmaker has the experience of delivering important goal-scoring opportunities to his teammates at Leicester whilst also converting some of the threats himself.

Nunez has been hounded by various fanbases this season but his goal tally of nine in 18 outings during his debut season in England is not a bad record at all. Indeed, it’s one that with the immense supply line of Maddison would only increase even further.

With that being said, the signing of the Foxes star would be a great piece of business for Liverpool but with a number of attacking talents already occupying the roles at Anfield, it may not be a move the player prefers due to a lack of first-team football or rotation.