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Liverpool are reportedly amongst a host of clubs monitoring the situation of Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz as manager Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his engine room options.

What’s the story?

According to reliable journalist Christian Falk, who is the head of football for German outlet Sport Bild, the Reds have joined fellow Premier League sides Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal in taking a close look at the highly-rated 18-year-old.

However, Falk also revealed that Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are leading the race for Wirtz’s signature ahead of a possible move in 2023.

He tweeted: TRUE @ManCity scout Florian Witz (18) intensely. Also @ChelseaFC @LFC @ManUtd and @Arsenal are interested. But: @FCBayern is leading the race for a Transfer in 2023″.

Jurgen Klopp would love him

Wirtz was awarded his first-team debut at just 16 thanks to his natural physical prowess and immense talent and has gone from strength to strength ever since, scoring 14 goals and providing 12 assists in 53 appearances for Leverkusen.

The youngster appears to have taken his already impressive game to another level this season, though. In just six outings for Gerardo Seoane’s charges, the attacking midfielder has bagged five goals, laying on a further four assists for his teammates.

His outstanding displays for the BayArena outfit have attracted the attention of several sides, although Wirtz’s immediate future appears to lie with the eternal bridesmaids as Wirtz is reportedly happy to stay at Leverkusen in the short term.

Nevertheless, with Liverpool’s squad in need of some younger, fresher legs and Klopp preferring to work with a smaller squad full of versatile players, the German tactician would surely love to bring his compatriot to Anfield in the near future.

Wirtz is comfortable in a variety of positions having played as a No.8, No.10, left-winger and striker throughout his short career, an attribute which will be extremely appealing to Klopp.

It remains to be seen whether director of football Michael Edwards can pull off another transfer masterclass and secure Wirtz’s signature, but if he can, it would surely go down as one of his best pieces of business.

And, in other news…3 key passes: Liverpool beast who took 100 touches excelled on the European stage 

Arsenal have been dealt a huge injury blow ahead of their return to Premier League action this evening…

What’s the latest?

The Gunners kickstart the new season with a trip to top-flight newcomers Brentford, but manager Mikel Arteta will be without the services of first-choice defender Gabriel Magalhaes after he suffered an injury during international duty with Brazil, where he clinched a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

An announcement on the club’s official website revealed the extent of the issue and it appears that the 23-year-old will be out until next month at the very earliest.

“Right knee. Gabriel sustained an injury to his right knee whilst with the Brazilian Olympic Squad. Gabriel continues to be assessed and is aiming to be back in training by early September.”

Not an ideal start

In his absence, £50m summer signing Ben White could be vying for his debut, whilst Rob Holding and Pablo Mari are also in contention to start.

With Thomas Partey and Eddie Nketiah also ruled out, Arteta is already facing a frustrating injury crisis before a ball has even been kicked. The pair suffered problems during the friendly against Chelsea a few weeks ago and neither of the three will play any part on the opening day.

Gabriel’s injury is particularly disappointing and will surely come as the biggest blow as Arteta is going to be without his no.1 centre-back for the first month of the season, where he’ll be expecting a reaction to last season’s lowly eighth-place finish.

The £22.5m-rated colossus started 22 of his 23 appearances in the Premier League last season and was arguably one of the Gunners’ best options at the back.

Of all Arteta’s central defensive options, his WhoScored average of 6.73 was only just bettered by Holding (6.79), whilst he was second to Mari for aerial duels won (2.5) per game and first for interceptions (1.1) per game.

The Spanish head coach could well be worried heading into kickoff after this fresh injury setback.

AND in other news, Arsenal “in talks” to sign £27m-rated “rare talent”, Edu could find their next Vieira…

Former Leeds United defender Danny Mills has spoken of his delight at Junior Firpo’s ‘crucial’ return from injury for the Whites.

The Lowdown: Firpo makes injury return

The left-back moved to Elland Road from Barcelona in the summer but his time at the club has been injury-plagued so far.

Firpo has only managed six appearances in the Premier League, and five starts, meaning Stuart Dallas has had to slot into an auxiliary role at times.

Fortunately, the 25-year-old is now back fit again and may be expected to feature in Sunday’s trip to Tottenham, as Marcelo Bielsa’s side look to make it four league matches unbeaten – the Spaniard is still working on his match fitness but has recovered from his injury, per BBC’s Adam Pope.

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The Latest: Mills delighted with news

Speaking to Football Insider, ex-Leeds man now BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Mills spoke of his happiness at the news, saying it will bring a much-needed balance back to the Whites team:

“It’s all about balance, that’s the most important thing. To have a left-footed player on the left-hand side makes a world of difference and is vitally important.

“Having your strongest players back is crucial.”

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The Verdict: Big boost for Leeds

Firpo may not have set the world alight yet for Leeds but his return is an undoubted boost, with his left foot bringing a natural balance to the side, as Mills alludes to.

Dallas will always do a job but the former Barcelona man can offer more natural attacking thrust from left-back and could give the Whites an extra attacking dimension at Spurs, having averaged one key pass per game in the league this season.

It is a further sign that Leeds’ injury problems are easing, and the sooner they can have their strongest team available, the faster they will hopefully rise up the table.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly preparing a bid for one player. Find out who it is here.

Many Everton fans have been left reacting to some comments that have emerged from Rafa Benitez on Fabian Delph.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match away at Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, the Spaniard said (via Toffee TV) with regards to the player: “He has the right mentality, the right attitude. I have to stop him in the training sessions because he’s pushing very hard.”

The comments came as a bit of a surprise to some members of the Goodison Park faithful, given that he has not really lived up to the £8.55m price tag that they paid City to sign him for, missing a lot of games through injury and only managing to make a mere 33 appearances in total over all competitions across the last three seasons, scoring no goals and making no assists (Transfermarkt).

As such, some supporters of the Merseyside club have previously called for him to be sold, and so the comments about his mentality and attitude in training have come as a shock.

Everton fans on Delph comments

These Toffees gave their reactions to the comments as they were shared on Twitter:

“Are these the same training sessions where Iwobi is a world beater?”

Credit: @martinhughgreen

“Lol, he’s just trolling us now”

Credit: @melbourne1973

“Is this because his contract is up in the summer?”

Credit: @danblue1980

“That’s who’s injuring everyone then”

Credit: @Hawthorne_EFC

“He will have to be a one man hurricane THIS weekend. It’s the hope that…”

Credit: @Botony

“Here we go”

Credit: @Tommy_D_1878

In other news, find out what early team news has Blues raging here!

Journalist Alex Massie has revealed his anger with Glasgow Rangers’ new policy to charge reporters up to £25,000 a year to cover the club.

The Lowdown: Gers share new policy

The Gers have taken a decision to stop the mainstream media from having unbridled access to the club as they aim to cover the Gers.

The 55-time Scottish champions are set to charge up to £25,000 a year to cover the Gers, a fee which would also grant reporters access to a number of exclusive interviews (The Daily Mail).

The Latest: Massie angry

Massie, a journalist for The Times, has shared his anger with this new policy. He took to Twitter to say:

“Astonishing, yet also unsurprising: Rangers want to charge newspapers £25,000 a year for the privilege of sending a reporter to Ibrox to report on games. You get a handful of player interviews too, plus one chat with the manager. Absurd.”

The Verdict: Certainly questionable

The Gers have certainly taken an unprecedented move. To charge journalists fees to cover the club shows a certain sense of fear, or at least annoyance, at how they may be covered. Of course, they do have a reason for that to a certain extent – Club 1872 even lodged an IPSO complaint after an article from The Daily Record, and fans have been frustrated regularly by the manner in which the mainstream media in Scotland report on the club.

It remains to be seen whether the Gers decide to remove their policy as the season progresses, but for now it will be difficult for journalists to cover Rangers as they previously have. Perhaps the Ibrox outfit are the first club amongst plenty to take the matter of coverage into their own hands, and we will see others follow suit in the near future.

In other news, Rangers fans were delighted with this man’s performance against Real Madrid.

Former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that it is difficult to imagine Eddie Nketiah returning to Elland Road this summer.

Nketiah spent the first half of the 2019/20 season at Leeds before having his loan cut short by parent club Arsenal.

The 22-year-old is now being linked with another move to the Yorkshire outfit, with Football Insider reporting that they have been offered the chance to sign him for £20m.

Palmer, however, is unsure about a potential deal given what happened during Nketiah’s last spell at Elland Road.

“I would find it difficult,” the ex-Leeds player said. “Yes, Leeds would want to re-sign him, but he’s got to weigh up his options. He’s not going to get into the Arsenal side, but he didn’t really play at Leeds.”

Indeed, it would be a bit of a strange one. If Nketiah is to leave Arsenal in this transfer window, it is probably to get more game time.

Would the English youngster get that at the Whites? He did not the first time and that is unlikely to change given the fact that Patrick Bamford has gone up another level since then.

The 27-year-old managed to score 17 goals in the Premier League season that has just gone and featured in all 38 games. He is undoubtedly the undisputed No.9 at Elland Road.

Denmark midfielder Thomas Delaney would have been an exciting player for Aston Villa, says Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.

Delaney, who starred for the Euro 2020 semi-finalists, joined Sevilla from Borussia Dortmund in a €6m (£5m) deal last week but had been linked with a move to Villa Park prior.

According to French outlet Homme du Match (via Birmingham Live), Villa were preparing a bid as they looked to bring the 29-year-old to the Midlands.

For Hatfield, it would have been a good acquisition, though he feels it was always just paper talk.

Speaking to TT about Villa’s reported interest in Delaney, the football reporter said:

“I think that was a little bit of paper talk to be honest, probably agent led. He’s sealed a move to Sevilla now, but Delaney would have been an exciting player for Villa.

“I think a lot of Villa fans would have loved that because obviously it’s a big name coming from a big club.”

Villa do look a little light in that defensive midfield position, so an addition like Delaney certainly would have been great.

However, as long as they keep Marvelous Nakamba, who can come in for Douglas Luiz, they should be alright. The 27-year-old has been linked with a move away from the club this summer, with Premier League rivals Everton and Crystal Palace named as interested parties.

Celtic are on a magnificent run of form at the moment with Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops winning six games on the trot.

During the course of that time they have scored 24 goals but only three of them belong to a certain Odsonne Edouard.

The Frenchman has been a divisive figure during the calendar year but despite lingering thoughts that he will leave Parkhead, it’s actually growing increasingly likely that he’ll stay.

If that occurs then Celtic risk losing him for free next summer when his contract at Paradise ends.

Edouard had been accused of downing tools towards the back end of last term after ending 2020/21 with three goals in his last ten outings.

He is a striker who is used to scoring on a more frequent basis than that but plenty of distractions have been thrown his way.

The forward’s future is still incredibly uncertain and his status in the team has diminished this season as a result.

Despite winning 6-0 against St Mirren last week, a game Edouard actually scored in, their best football this season has come without him in the starting XI.

Edouard hasn’t started a single game during the club’s so-far successful Europa League qualifying run. Instead, Kyogo Furuhashi has usurped his status as Celtic’s star man.

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The Japan international has been scintillating since penning terms a few months ago and already has six goals in seven outings for the club.

However, when he was shunted to the left-hand side at the expense of Celtic’s number 22 last weekend, he struggled slightly and didn’t have the same impact in front of goal as when he plays through the middle.

Edouard was a threat, playing four key passes and finding the net, but the £19k-per-week earner barely touched the ball aside from that. Only 11 passes in the entire clash came from his boot, fewer than goalkeeper Joe Hart.

The 23-year-old appears to be coming into form but if he is going to leave then Ange Postecoglou must prioritise Furuhashi in a central role.

The new signing has been exceptional in continental action so playing him up top on his own makes more sense when they face AZ Alkmaar in the second leg on Thursday.

AND in other news, Forget Edouard: Ange must unleash £16k-p/w Celtic gem today, he’s “majestic to watch”…

Former Premier League manager Paul Jewell believes that Liverpool defender Nathaniel Phillips could get found out at another club.

The Reds Academy graduate had made just one first-team appearance in an FA Cup tie last season prior to his flurry of appearances following Liverpool’s centre-back crisis this term.

But Phillips ended up turning out 20 times for Jurgen Klopp’s men, including both legs against Real Madrid in Europe’s elite club competition, and played every minute of the final five Premier League matches which helped Liverpool secure their place back in the Champions League.

He scored once during those 20 outings, the crucial second goal in the victory at Burnley in the penultimate game of the season.

Despite his outstanding form when called upon this season, the return of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez from injury and potential other centre-back additions mean that Phillips’ opportunities are likely to be restricted next term.

Both Burnley and Newcastle are already interested in the defender, although Jewell thinks that without world class players around him, he could become vulnerable.

He told The Transfer Tavern:

“It’s easy to say, but sometimes you go into a team which are less quality than Liverpool, you could get exposed, because he isn’t the quickest in the world.

“He’s done really well, he’s aggressive and is an honest professional but he’s got world class players around him – Trent one side, Robertson the other side, and the goalkeeper behind him.”

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has shared the latest news concerning Declan Rice’s future at West Ham United.

The Lowdown: Rice’s contract

As per reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano, the 23-year-old has turned down a third contract offer by the Irons. Consequently, he has revealed that the England international is open to a move away from east London at the end of the season.

However, Romano further claims that David Moyes still insists that his vice-captain is untouchable this summer.

Rice still has two years remaining on his current West Ham deal, and the club have the option to extend this by a further year, putting them in a fairly strong negotiating position.

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The Latest: Ornstein’s news

Taking to Twitter, Ornstein revealed the latest news on Rice’s situation, claiming: “West Ham expect to keep Rice now but sell in 2023.”

In the adjacent article, Ornstein shared the details reported by West Ham correspondent Roshane Thomas.

Thomas reported that the Irons are determined to keep their star player this summer, but they have conceded to the idea that they will have to sell him in 12 months time.

The Hammers will extend the midfielder’s contract by a further year and will then look to sell him for at least £150m in 2023, when he has two years remaining on his current deal.

The Verdict: Big dilemma for Moyes

Whilst Moyes insists that Rice is not for sale, £150m seems like a fair price for a player looking to compete at the next level. If a bid is received totalling this fee, GSB will likely be eager to accept, even though it appears Moyes will be reluctant to do so.

This will present the boss with a big dilemma; with the aim of Champions League qualification, he may be thinking that this goal isn’t possible if the club is willing to sell their best player.

Thus, Rice’s transfer saga could prove to be a majorly divisive point between the now beloved gaffer and much-maligned owners.

In other news: West Ham United: Declan Rice at centre of transfer tug-of-war