Part and parcel of promotion to the Premier League is the reality that some players are not going to be a part of Leeds United’s future beyond this summer.

Players who did not play regularly in the Championship may not be suited to playing in the top-flight, given that they were not deemed good enough at a lower level, and that is why Patrick Bamford could be in trouble.

The English forward only played 17 times in the league in the 2024/25 season, coming off the bench in all of those outings, and failed to provide a single goal or assist to the team.

No final decision on his future has been communicated by the club or player, but his lack of minutes last season does not suggest that he is likely to be a key player in the top-flight next term.

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Meanwhile, another member of Daniel Farke’s first-team squad has already revealed that the club have made a decision on his future at Elland Road.

Max Wober's statement on his Leeds future

Whilst on international duty with Austria, central defender Max Wober has confirmed that the Premier League side have told him to leave during the summer transfer window, as they want to cash in on him.

He told Krone: “Leeds have already told me clearly that they want to sell me.”

Wober’s contract at Elland Road does not expire until the summer of 2027, though, so a team will have to come in with an offer to sign him if they want to move on from the Austrian flop on a permanent basis.

Leeds paid a reported fee of £11m to sign the left-footed dud from RB Salzburg in January 2023, under Jesse Marsch, but it remains to be seen how much of that fee the club would want back for him.

Why Wober must go before Bamford

The West Yorkshire outfit must push the Austria international out of the door at Elland Road this summer before Bamford because he does not, on paper, look to be a player who will provide much value to the squad.

Wober, who was described as “half-hearted” and “slow” against Hull by pundit Tony Dorigo, only played eight times in the Championship this season, playing half as many matches as the striker, and endured a rough time in the Premier League last time out.

Appearances

16

Starts

14

Clean sheets

2

Dribbled past

8x

Duel success rate

53%

Penalties committed

1

Error led to shot

1

As you can see in the table above, the Austrian flop played for Leeds in the second half of their relegation season and failed to step up, with two clean sheets in 16 games.

These statistics, coupled with his lack of minutes this term, suggest that he is unlikely to make the step up to the Premier League, which is why it is a good decision by the club to tell him to move on.

Bamford, meanwhile, may not be a frontline option for Leeds, given his struggles this season, but he is an experienced player who could provide value off the bench and around the squad.

The 31-year-old striker has scored 24 goals and provided 14 assists in 104 Premier League games in his career, including 17 goals in the 2020/21 campaign under Marcelo Bielsa.

Bamford has been there and done it in the top-flight in the past and could impart his experience and wisdom to the younger and less experienced members of the squad as a back-up option next season.

That is not to say that Leeds must keep the striker at Elland Road, as a move for him to go and play regular football could still suit all parties, but he has more to offer the team than Wober, who does not have any past success in the Premier League.

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Therefore, Leeds should make selling Wober a big priority this summer, whilst they can afford to be relaxed about Bamford and his situation.

After announcing the arrival of Antonio Cordero, Newcastle United have now reportedly entered talks to sign a long-term target who Eddie Howe loves in a deal worth £30m.

Newcastle announce Cordero arrival

Having spent the last two windows watching other clubs spend big and welcome key additions courtesy of their PSR concerns, Newcastle and PIF wasted no time before getting their business started this time around. Securing the addition of Cordero, the young Spanish winger will arrive at the end of his Malaga contract on July 1.

Welcoming Cordero to the club in what could be one of his final acts at the club, departing sporting director Paul Mitchell said: “Antonio is an exciting talent. We’re delighted to bring him to Newcastle United amidst interest in Spain and across Europe.He has lots of potential, and the next phase of his development will be for the club to select a loan move that will challenge him and build on his experiences.”

PIF are not done there though. In search of a winger instead of Bryan Mbeumo, who could soon be on his way to Manchester United, the Magpies have been linked with moves for the likes of Anthony Elanga as well as Brighton forward Joao Pedro.

Elanga is a name that was mentioned last summer before Newcastle were ultimately unable to make their move. One year on, however, they’ve got the necessary breathing room to spend and have reportedly already enquired about a potential deal to sign the Nottingham Forest star.

The Swede isn’t the only target that Newcastle could revisit this summer, either. Making up for last summer’s disappointment, those at St James’ Park are now “in talks” to sign a long-term target who Howe loves, according to reports.

Newcastle "in talks" to sign £30m Trafford

According to Sky Sports, Newcastle are now “in talks” to sign James Trafford from Burnley, who value their shot-stopper at just £30m this summer. The England international is a player that Howe has had ‘long-term admiration and interest in’ and wants Trafford to compete with current No.1 Nick Pope next season.

The latter has struggled on the injury front over the last 12 months and the addition of Trafford could see his place come under threat.

Newcastle’s interest in Trafford is, of course, far from new. The Tyneside club even agreed personal terms with the goalkeeper last summer before failing to negotiate a deal with Burnley.

One year on, whether that agreement remains in place or Newcastle are forced back into negotiations will be interesting to see, especially if Trafford’s stance has changed.

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Dubbed “world-class” by Burnley boss Scott Parker, Trafford has more than earned the interest of a Champions League club and may yet arrive at Newcastle before taking Pope’s starting spot.

It is the dawn of a new era for Glasgow Rangers after Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises officially completed a takeover of the club last week.

They have immediately invested £20m into the club and will now oversee the search for the team’s next head coach, after Barry Ferguson stepped away at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

The former Scotland international was appointed as the interim boss after Philippe Clement was dismissed in February, and he only won six of his 15 matches in all competitions in the dugout at Ibrox.

Ferguson, whose team was held to a 2-2 draw by Hibernian on the final day of the Scottish Premiership campaign, failed to do enough to convince the board that he was the man for the job moving forward.

The 49ers and new sporting director Kevin Thelwell are now tasked with finding a manager who can bring glory back to Ibrox, after four seasons without a Premiership title.

One of the first items on the agenda for any incoming Rangers head coach should be convincing Nicolas Raskin to remain with the Gers beyond the summer.

Why Nicolas Raskin could leave Rangers

The Belgium international could move on from Ibrox in the summer transfer window, as Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Leeds United are both reportedly interested in the central midfielder.

Raskin has attracted interest from elsewhere due to his impressive performances for the Gers during the 2024/25 campaign, which led to him winning the club’s Men’s Player of the Year and the Men’s Players’ Player of the Year awards.

The 24-year-old star was deemed to be the best player at Ibrox this season and there are now teams who want to test how he would adapt to Premier League football next term.

Rangers, however, should be doing everything in their power to keep hold of the Belgian talent during the summer transfer window, because they will need as much quality as possible to finally beat Celtic to the Premiership title.

The former Standard Liege star is tenacious out of possession, as he averaged 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game and won 57% of his duels in the league this term, but the Light Blues star also provides plenty of quality on the ball.

24/25 Premiership	Nicolas Raskin
Appearances	33
Touches per game	68.4
Goals	4
Big chances created	9
Assists	10
Pass accuracy	87%
Dribbles completed per game	1.0
Dribble success rate	68%
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Raskin is a player who thrives on the ball with his ability to both score and create goals from a central midfield position, whilst being efficient as a passer and a dribbler.

This suggests that the Belgian star would, therefore, love a manager who is committed to a ball-dominant style of play, which is why he should be pleased with the latest update on the Rangers manager search.

The latest on Russell Martin to Rangers

According to the Daily Mail, former Southampton head coach Russell Martin is one of the ‘main contenders’ to land the vacant managerial position at Ibrox.

The report claims that the former Scotland international, who had a loan spell with Rangers during his playing career, and Davide Ancelotti are the two main contenders for the role.

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It adds that Francesco Farioli, who recently left Ajax, and Brian Priske, most recently of Feyenoord, are also still in the running, but they are not as high up the list as Martin and Ancelotti.

The Daily Mail claims that the ex-Saints head coach was set to fall out of the race for the Rangers job when he was being lined up for the Leicester City position, but they have yet to sack Ruud Van Nistelrooy, so he remains in contention to replace Ferguson at Ibrox.

Appointing Martin as the first head coach of the 49ers era could be good news for supporters who want to see Raskin remain at the club, as the central midfielder could be a perfect fit for the Scottish tactician.

Why Nicolas Raskin would love Russell Martin

Analyst John Walker hailed Martin’s style as “exciting” and “total football”, due to the ball-dominant nature of how he wants his teams to play, and that could suit the Belgium international perfectly.

As aforementioned, Raskin is a technically brilliant footballer who constantly looks to make things happen from a central midfield position, with passes, dribbles, goals, and assists, and he could have plenty of chances to influence games in this manager’s system.

The clip above, from his time at MK Dons, is a flavour of the way Martin’s teams play, with plenty of short passes under pressure and movement off the ball to provide players with multiple passing options at all times.

Raskin would be a perfect fit for the way the ex-Norwich City and Rangers centre-back likes to coach his sides, because of his dynamism off the ball and his quality in possession.

Russell Martin’s attacking style of play
23/24 Championship	Southampton	League rank
Pass accuracy	87.7%	1st
Passes into the penalty area	594	1st
Progressive passes	2556	1st
Shot-creating actions	1255	1st
xG	79.8	2nd
Points per game	1.89	4th
Stats via FBref

As you can see in the table above, Martin successfully deployed a possession-based system to get Southampton promoted out of the Championship in the 2023/24 campaign, building a team that was incredibly dominant when it came to passing forward and creating high-quality chances.

These statistics suggest that Raskin, who created nine ‘big chances’ in the Premiership, would thrive in his system as a midfielder who would constantly have chances to dictate play and create even more opportunities for his teammates with the dominance that the style of play creates.

Therefore, the Belgian midfielder could be more inclined to stay at Rangers for another year because of the prospect of thriving in a side coached by Martin, as it could help him to take his game to the next level ahead of a bigger move next year.

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A “world-class” player is “waiting” for Manchester United to sign him in the summer transfer window, according to an exciting new claim.

Man Utd still pursuing new striker

The Red Devils struggled all over the pitch last season, but they lacked a top-quality striker throughout the campaign, playing a part in them finishing 15th in the Premier League table.

With serious doubts over the long-term worth of Rasmus Hojlund, United continue to be linked with elite-level strikers, with Sporting CP superstar Viktor Gyokeres mentioned as a leading option to come in. In fact, the club have even reportedly spoken to his agents about a move to Old Trafford.

The Swede has enjoyed a stunning few years for the Portuguese giants, scoring an incredible 68 goals in the past two Primeira Liga seasons combined, as well as netting 11 times in Europe during that period.

Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Ekitike and Crystal Palace marksman Jean-Philippe Mateta have also been mentioned as alternative options to Gyokeres, as United look to nail their new striker choice ahead of next season. Now, a new transfer rumour has dropped at the other end of the pitch.

World Cup winner "waiting" for Man Utd

According to an update from TyC Sports [via Sport Witness], Emiliano Martinez is “waiting” for Manchester United to make their move and sign him this summer.

The 32-year-old World Cup winner has lots of interest, including from Galatasaray, but he likes the idea of moving to the Red Devils most, even though they can’t offer him Champions League football next season.

The £150,000-a-week Martinez could be a perfect signing for United this summer, at a time when there are genuine doubts over Andre Onana’s worth between the sticks.

The Argentine has proven to be one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League for Aston Villa in recent years, if not in Europe for that matter, having won the Best Fifa Men’s Goalkeeper award in 2024, beating Gianluigi Donnarumma, Ederson, Andriy Lunin, Mike Maignan, David Raya and Unai Simon to the prize.

Martinez possesses huge character, as shown during his heroics performances for Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, not least during the penalty shootout in the final, and he has been called “world-class” by Gary Neville, as well as being lauded by Nuno Espirito Santo for one stunning save against his Nottingham Forest side last season.

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Martinez would immediately give United more presence between the sticks, and still has plenty of years left in him at the top. His personality would also make him a popular figure at a time where the club need characters, not least his ability to get under the skin of opposition players and fans.

One of the most interesting transfer sagas that will develop this summer regards Aston Villa’s former loanee Marcus Rashford. His future is up in the air at Old Trafford, and it does seem likely that he will depart Manchester United after a decade at the highest level for his boyhood club.

He went on loan to Villa Park in January, but it remains to be seen if he will stay at the club. The Villans have a £40m buy option for the winger, but BBC Sport reported that ‘there have been no negotiations over a permanent transfer’, and Rashford thinks United ‘would be prepared to sell him for £40m to anyone this summer’.

So, if they do not keep hold of the England superstar, it means Villa will need to sign a new winger. Perhaps that player could be Rashford’s international teammate.

Aston Villa’s potential Rashford replacement

It will be fascinating to see if Rashford stays at Villa Park beyond this season. However, if that is not to be the case, then it seems as though Unai Emery’s side have done due diligence on alternative options.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to a report from TEAMTalk, the Villans are a ‘team to watch in the race’ to sign their former attacker Jack Grealish. The Manchester City star seems destined to leave this summer, and could now launch a move for their ex-captain, who was a superstar at Villa Park.

Emery is said to be ‘a big admirer’ of the forward, and could push for a deal to be done. However, they will face competition from Everton and Newcastle United, as well as Scudetto winners Napoli.

Grealish is valued at £40m by Football Transfers, and could cost upwards of that price.

Why Grealish would be a good signing

If Villa are to bring Grealish back to his boyhood club this summer, it would be a sensational return for a true maverick of the Premier League. Despite a tough season for City, the England international is still a player capable of magical moments.

He has only played 20 games in the Premier League under Pep Guardiola this season. In that time, the 29-year-old scored and assisted one apiece. Despite four goal involvements in five games in City’s run to the FA Cup final, he was snubbed of an appearance at Wembley, with Guardiola choosing to bring Claudio Echeverri on for his debut, instead.

Should Grealish get to call Villa Park home again next season, he would surely love to reignite the exceptional form that earned him the £100m move to City in the first place. In 213 games for the Villans, he scored 32 times and created 43 goals.

So, how does that stack up to Rashford’s form at Villa Park? Well, the Wythenshawe-born superstar was sensational during his 17-game stint in Claret and Blue, leaving a huge impression in such a short time.

During his brief career as a Villa player, Rashford found the back of the net four times and grabbed six assists. He played 940 minutes, the equivalent of 10.4 games, leaving him with a goals per game ratio of almost one.

With that being said, Grealish could be the perfect Rashford replacement. The numbers from the 2020/21 campaign, his final season at Villa, compared to the United star’s stats from the same season, show exactly what he can do in a Villa shirt.

According to FBref, the former Villa skipper averaged 3.33 key passes and 7.08 progressive carries per 90 minutes. In comparison, the Red Devils’ number 10 averaged 1.33 key passes and 4.14 progressive carries each game.

Goals and assists

0.66

0.62

Key passes

3.33

1.33

Goal-creating actions

0.82

0.62

Take-ons completed

2.67

2.53

Progressive carries

7.08

4.14

If Villa get that version of Grealish, or even a player half as good, they have an excellent replacement for Rashford. Both players were sensational that season, with 16 goals and assists for Grealish and 20 for Rashford.

To bring back a player to his boyhood club who can be one of the best attackers in the country, as the stats show, might be a genius move for Villa.

As Statman Dave once called him, he is a “menace”. If Emery can bring the best out of Grealish, it will be a fantastic deal for the club and player.

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Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy reportedly has one tactician at the top of his list of potential targets to replace Ange Postecoglou, and the man in question has now confirmed where he’ll be next season in a statement.

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Spurs ended the campaign with an historic Europa League triumph in Bilbao, at the expense of Man United, which ended their 17-year wait for major silverware and secured their first European trophy since 1984.

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Their 1-0 victory over Ruben Amorim’s side at the Estadio de San Mamés also presented Levy with a major conundrum, which he must now resolve in quick fashion after the conclusion of this Premier League campaign.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

Postecoglou paraded the Europa League trophy around Spurs’ stadium after their 4-1 defeat at home to Brighton on Sunday, which confirmed their 17th-placed finish in the table after a dismal 22 league defeats in total.

While the Lilywhites lifted their first piece of silverware in nearly two decades and qualified for next season’s Champions League, their league form has been simply unacceptable, so you can see why Levy and the Spurs board are reportedly ’50/50′ over sacking Postecoglou right now (Football Insider).

“My gut feeling is I feel right now that I’ve done something that no one believed I could,” said Postecoglou when asked about his future after their loss to Brighton.

“And I shouldn’t be sitting here talking about it (my future). That’s my feeling, but it is what it is. I just want to go on a break and enjoy my family and reflect on being part of something unbelievably special, unbelievably special. I’ve been fortunate to be in this position a number of times, but seeing those scenes Friday, and people have reached out and talked to me about how it has affected them, what has happened over the last couple of days, it’s a beautiful thing and I just want to enjoy that.”

Tottenham manager target Marco Silva confirms where he'll be next season

In terms of possible replacements for Postecoglou, Sky Sports reporter Gianluca Di Marzio recently reported that Fulham boss Marco Silva was the “first name” in their target list.

However, they’re now set to run into a brick wall regarding his appointment, with Silva now confirming that he’s staying at Fulham.

The 47-year-old has done an impressive job at Craven Cottage on a shoe-string budget, and briefly had them contending for Champions League qualification before they ultimately fell out of the race.

This would’ve undoubtedly turned Levy’s head, but after Silva confirmed his intentions, he must now look to other Postecoglou alternatives.

Tottenham’s list of managerial candidates is also said to include Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth), Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace), Thomas Frank (Brentford), Scott Parker (Burnley), Jürgen Klopp (Head of Global, Red Bull), Niko Kovač (Borussia Dortmund), Edin Terzić (free agent), Xavi (free agent) and Francesco Farioli (free agent).

South East Stars will fancy themselves to lift the Charlotte Edwards Cup for a second time after an emphatic five-wicket victory over erstwhile favourites The Blaze at Derby.Bryony Smith’s 2021 champions shot out the East Midlands team – runners-up last year – for just 84, a first defeat in 16 points-table matches in the competition for Kirstie Gordon’s team since they changed their name from Lightning to The Blaze two years ago.The two could meet again in next Saturday’s Final on the same ground, both having already qualified for the semi-finals, to be played on the same day.On a used pitch, left-arm seamer Alexa Stonehouse took 3 for 13, with Ryana MacDonald-Gay and spinners Dani Gregory and Tilly Corteen-Coleman claiming two wickets each, England’s Sarah Glenn top-scoring for The Blaze with 21 from 24 balls.Leg-spinner Glenn took 3 for 14 with the ball but with Emma Jones striking an unbeaten 30 from just 25 balls, the Stars were home and dry with 29 balls to spare.After skipper Gordon had opted to bat first, The Blaze innings could hardly have started less auspiciously, with three wickets lost in the first two overs and a fourth in the fifth.Corteen-Coleman, the Stars’ 16-year-old left-arm spinner, had England opener Tammy Beaumont leg before with her fourth ball, before Stonehouse hit Marie Kelly in front and had Sarah Bryce caught behind in a double-wicket maiden.Three for three became 12 for four in the fifth over as Australian international Heather Graham was bowled off an inside edge.Kathryn Bryce missed a straight one from Jones and Ella Claridge hit a Gregory full toss straight to deep midwicket, leaving The Blaze 40 for 6 just past the halfway stage, after which a mini-recovery ended with leg-spinner Gregory catching a skied leading edge to dismiss Josie Groves off her own bowling to make it 66 for 7.Glenn, playing on her home ground, stuck around long enough to drag the total into the 80s before she was bowled by Corteen-Coleman, having lost two more partners in Gordon and Lucy Higham, who both holed out to mid-on.The Blaze have a good record defending small totals, but even with leading run-getters Paige Scholfield and Sophia Dunkley missing, it never seemed likely that the Stars would miss out.They lost Smith caught at mid-on as left-armer Grace Ballinger opened with a wicket-maiden and were two down in the powerplay after Phoebe Franklin cut Glenn straight to backward point, with Aylish Cranstone caught at mid-off in the 10th.Yet they were always comfortably up with the required rate and after Jones hit Kathryn Bryce for three boundaries in the 14th over, just nine were needed in 36 balls.Glenn picked up her second wicket with a fine return catch to deny Georgia Redmayne (23) the chance to be there at the finish and a third when Alice Davidson-Richards drove to mid-off for a two-ball duck, but Jones hammered the ball back over bowler Gordon’s head to win the match with a six in the next over.

Nick Knight also felt that “it didn’t seem right or fair” that India knew where they were playing

Shashank Kishore27-Jun-20241:54

Knight: Playing conditions are not fair at this World Cup

Did India have a clear advantage knowing where their T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final was going to be staged? India captain Rohit Sharma didn’t think there was any. Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar thought otherwise.”Clear advantage,” Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo’s Timeout show. “Rohit has to say that. He can’t say it was an advantage. India would’ve picked their side based on it. India’s problem has been semis and finals and when you know you’re playing in Guyana, if you’ve been wondering why they’ve got four spinners in their squad, this could be the reason.”Former England batter Nick Knight concurred with that assessment that “it didn’t seem right or fair” that India knew where they were playing. It’s a school of thought that seems to have found favour from several quarters, most notably his former colleague and opening partner Michael Vaughan.Related

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“Literally, it’s their tournament,” Vaughan said in the podcast on Thursday. “They get to play whenever they want. They get to know exactly where their semi-final will be. They play every single game in the morning so people can watch them at night in India on TV.”I get that. I get that money is a big play in the world of cricket. And I get that in bilateral series, but you would think that when you get to a World Cup, the ICC should be a little bit fairer to everybody. It shouldn’t be just India just because they bring a few quid in.”As I said, bilateral, I completely understand it. But when you get to a World Cup, there cannot be any kind of sympathy or any kind of sway towards one team in the tournament. And this tournament is purely set up for India, simple as that.”6:19

Rohit: We’ve played with a free mind in last two-three years

Knight went a step further in questioning the ICC’s decision to have separate rules for both the semi-finals. The Afghanistan-South Africa semi-final on Wednesday night had a reserve day scheduled, while the India-England semi-final had only the provision of an extension by 250 minutes, and no reserve day. The decision to have the final on a Saturday was among other scheduling concerns raised.”I can’t quite get my head around why we’ve got to this point,” Knight said. “I thought watching the group stages, it could’ve been condensed. I thought they were elongating moments at times between games. And why can’t we play the final on Sunday? Am I oversimplifying this to give teams the extra day to travel? I wonder if we could’ve pushed it altogether a little bit more to prevent this situation from happening.”Manjrekar called for the ICC to make it a level-playing field, and not solely focus on commercial gains.”It’s a wrong way to go about it,” he said. “I’m talking about a very idealistic kind of a situation. In this sport, we’ve put the cart before the horse a lot. We’re so excited to take it to the USA, New York. But what about the conditions? You’ve got to focus on making the product high-quality and a level-playing field and then look for commercial gains.”We can’t just say ‘this is what the market wants, let’s cater to that’ because this is not really a pure, commercial venture. It’s got to be about having a high-quality [product].”

With time running out to ease their PSR fears, Aston Villa could have no choice but to sell a player that Unai Emery loves amid reported interest from Atletico Madrid this summer.

Aston Villa must sell players this summer

Despite their success in recent years and rise into becoming a top six side, Aston Villa must sell players to comply with PSR rules this summer. Football finance expert Kieran Maguire explained their situation on Sky Sports, saying: “I think of the 20 Premier League clubs, Villa are the ones who we’re most concerned about.

“Last season, when they did qualify for the Champions League, for every £100 of revenue that Aston Villa brought in, they spent £91 on wages. Those players will have had contract step-ups for qualifying for the Champions League.

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“And remember, Villa have done very well in that competition. So that will be a plus. And they have sold some players as well, in both the last summer market and the January one. But I think there is still a perception that Villa will have to box clever.

“And of all of the clubs under pressure to sell players by June 30, I guess they’re the ones who are the club that gives the most attention because their spending in the last couple of years before getting into Europe was so extensive.”

It’s, therefore, likely to be a frustrating summer for those in the Midlands. Already, Emiliano Martinez has found himself among the headlines, and he’s one player who could make way to help Villa on the PSR front.

Meanwhile, Morgan Rogers is not short on admirers, although he is someone that Villa want to keep hold of in the coming months. Whichever route the Villans go down, they must approach their PSR problems with caution – avoiding a sanction at all costs – and that could yet see them sell one particular defender.

Atletico Madrid eyeing Lucas Digne move

As reported by Paul Joyce and relayed by Fabrizio Romano, Atletico Madrid are now looking at a move to sign Lucas Digne in the event that they fail to sign Andy Robertson from Liverpool this summer.

Whilst Digne’s departure would be a frustrating one, he is the type of player that Aston Villa should be looking to move on if they are to comply with PSR rules this summer.

At 31 years old, the £120,000-a-week defender will be past the peak of his powers sooner rather than later and as Ian Maatsen looks to break into Villa’s best side, this summer could be the best time for all parties to go their separate ways.

Whether Emery agrees will be the question, however. The Spaniard has never hidden his admiration for his left-back – going as far as to describe Digne as “amazing” last year.

Leeds United and 49ers Enterprises are “in negotiations” to seal a “complicated” transfer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Leeds’ transfer plans after Nmecha and Bijol deals

The Whites have made a start on their summer business ahead of their Premier League return, with Daniel Farke bringing in forward Lukas Nmecha on a free transfer from Wolfsburg as the first addition of the summer.

Nmecha has since been joined by centre-back Jaka Bijol, who looks like he could go straight into Farke’s side after Leeds spent £15m and gave the Slovenia international a five-year deal at Elland Road.

The 49ers and co also want to bring in a goalkeeper, central midfielder and marquee striker, bolstering the spine of Leeds’ side in the process, and they are willing to spend big on each position.

A top goalkeeping target is yet to be indetifned, whereas in attack, Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz appears to be the priority. In midfield, Strasbourg captain Habib Diarra is viewed as an ambitious target, and there have been claims that Leeds have made two offers for the Senegal international.

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Diarra appears to be keen on a move to England, however, whether that will be with Leeds remains to be seen, and Romano has shared what he knows about a potential transfer.

Leeds "in negotiations" to seal “complicated" Diarra deal – Romano

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Romano said that Leeds are “in negotiations” to seal a deal for Diarra, however, any move won’t be easy because of the valuation.

Leeds’ second bid was thought to be worth around £24m, and if that isn’t enough, the Whites may soon be into the territory of their most expensive signings of all time in Georginio Rutter and Brenden Aaronson.

1

Georginio Rutter

€34m

Hoffenheim

2023

2

Brenden Aaronson

€32.84m

RB Salzburg

2022

3

Rodrigo

€30m

Valencia

2020

4

Dan James

€29.1m

Man Utd

2018

5

Rio Ferdinand

€26m

West Ham

2000

Still just 21 years of age, Diarra has already played more than 100 games for Strasbourg, something which Liam Rosenior hailed.

“For Habib it’s been amazing. At his age? To play 100 games for this club? A club that he’s been at since he was 14 years old? A club that he loves? For him to be captain at his age says a lot about his character and mentality.

“I think he’s going to have an amazing career. He’s been magnificent in my time working with him and it was nice to see him with his family celebrating a really special moment.”