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A number of Liverpool supporters believe Kylian Mbappe may have hinted at leaving Paris Saint-Germain, talking up the Reds’ chances of signing him.

Jurgen Klopp will hopefully make a number of additions to try and take back the Premier League title, with centre-back Ibrahima Konate already arriving from RB Leipzig.

Another attacking player may be on the agenda, providing even more competition for places for the likes of Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

The latter two in particular struggled last term, scoring just 20 league goals between them.

One player who has been constantly linked with a stunning move to Anfield is Mbappe, with the Paris Saint-Germain superstar one of the most exciting players in world football.

It remains to be seen if the 22-year-old will stay put at PSG beyond the summer, but speaking to France Football [via journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter], the forward seemed to hint at moving on and enjoying a fresh challenge:

“I have to make the right decision, which is difficult, and give myself every chance to decide well. I am in a place where I like myself, feel good. But is it the best place for me? I don’t have the answer yet.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-copy/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans excited after Mbappe comments

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to talk up the Reds’ hopes of signing Mbappe.

“He’s leaving PSG soon”

Credit: @LwazmeroDlams

“The best place for you is @LFC, Kylian @KMbappe”

Credit: @hafizvdin

“He’s basically saying ‘come get me Liverpool…I’m ready'”

Credit: @Liverpool_NYC

“Umm, @LFC quit dilly dallying and get after it!”

Credit: @Ralph_Seegobin

“Mbappe 2021”

Credit: @A_Watson7

“He’s literally begging for us to sign him @LFC”

Credit: @ziyaadofficial_

In other news, some Liverpool fans have reacted positively to a key update ahead of next season. Read more here.

An update has emerged on Rangers and their interest in bringing a Scotland international back to Ibrox.

What’s the talk?

According to 90min, the Gers are one of the possible destinations for their former academy starlet, Billy Gilmour, in the summer as he looks set for a loan move.

The report claims that his parent club will allow him to leave on a temporary basis again and Rangers are one of the teams in the mix for his signature.

Gio van Bronckhorst must get it done

This is a major deal that the Dutch head coach must get over the line as he would be a fantastic addition to the squad next season.

Despite Norwich’s struggles in the Premier League, Gilmour has shown flashes of Premier League quality this season with an average SofaScore rating of 6.84.

He has made 2.7 tackles and interceptions along with creating 1.2 chances per game in midfield, showing off his ability to win the ball back at one end and his ability in possession at the other. Although, he has lost 51% of his duels and may need to improve on the physical side of the game in the years to come.

Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness lavished him with praise last year. The ex-Liverpool man said: “He’s a fabulous little football player and when you factor in that last season he only made five starts in the Premier League for Chelsea, he’s not played a lot of football and he came into what was a hothouse of a game – high tempo, loads of pressing – and he managed to stay there.

“He’s just got that all round awareness of where people are all of the time and his first touch is generally away from the man who is marking him. He creates space for himself.”

He was previously hailed as “world-class” by Manchester United legend Roy Keane and his performances on the international stage suggest that he deserves that tag. In World Cup qualifiers for Scotland, Gilmour has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.13 – showing that he has been producing consistently brilliant displays for his country in competitive matches.

The £28k-per-week gem’s impressive form for Scotland and the glimpses he has shown with Norwich in England suggest that he would be a major signing for Rangers. He has the quality to dominate games in midfield with his aforementioned ability on and off the ball and van Bronckhorst would surely love to work with the 20-year-old to help him fulfill his potential.

Get it done.

AND in other news, Sources: Shock Rangers transfer claim emerges that will leave Wilson excited…

Keith Gillespie has hailed the blossoming relationship of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

The two stars have been central for United, with the club currently second in the Premier League table.

They are unlikely to topple Manchester City given that they sit 10 points behind their rivals with five games of the season remaining.

Pogba has played alongside the Portugal international 35 times this season, losing just nine times, and winning 19.

In total, they have been in the team together 48 times, and Fernandes has assisted Pogba twice, while the France international has laid on three goals for the former Sporting Lisbon star.

Gillespie believes the two consistently try to find each other on the pitch given the trust they have in each other, and thinks it can only be a good thing for United in the long run.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, the former United winger said: “I like the relationship that Fernandes and Pogba have at times because they always seem to be looking for each other because they trust each other.

“You always think something’s going to happen.”

Many a name will strike fear into the ears of Everton supporters throughout the country, including the great Fernando Torres.

He wasn’t entirely prolific in the Merseyside derby but still found the net four times against the Goodison Park outfit throughout his spell in English football.

It was the new Everton boss, Rafa Benitez, who brought him to the Premier League and helped him to become a legend in his homeland.

Torres rose through the ranks at Atletico Madrid and after signing for Liverpool back in 2007 for £20m, he wrote his name into Anfield folklore.

Torres didn’t win a trophy with the Reds but bagged 81 goals in 142 outings for them. Under Benitez, he was simply magical, scoring 87 times in 160 matches after enjoying his tutelage at Chelsea as well.

The duo were a wonderful combination and since managing the Spaniard, the head coach has had the privilege of managing some of the best to grace the game from a striking perspective.

Who becomes his next great find remains to be seen but the 61-year-old could discover his new El Nino by signing Diego Rossi.

The 23-year-old is currently playing his football in MLS for Los Angeles FC where he’s become one of the most frightening forwards in North America.

Rossi has scored 58 times in 116 games, form that has seen him linked with a move to Everton.

But why is he like Torres? Well, not only is he ruthless in front of goal but he possesses immense pace, the type of speed that really made the Spaniard stand out during his initial years in England.

Rossi has already been compared to Luis Suarez and has earned some phenomenal reviews.

Speaking after the Uruguayan first signed for LA, Nicolas Lodeiro said: “Diego is a great soccer player, with a lot of talent and a bright future. He’s a young striker with a lot of speed and good technique.”

Lodeiro added: “[Diego is] a nightmare for the defence because he can play as a forward or as winger. His versatility to hit the ball and to assist his teammates, makes him a very dangerous weapon.”

Torres’ creativity was by no means his strongest facet but like Rossi, he could also supply his teammates with goals.

In fact, their assist record is not too dissimilar. The LA forward has created 22 assists in 116 games for the American side while Torres provided 20 for Liverpool in 142 outings.

Athletic, quick and technically astute, the 23-year-old would be an excellent signing for Everton. Benitez must ensure he becomes his next greatest striker.

AND in other news, Brands can strike gold by completing Everton swoop for “excellent” £124k-p/w “monster”…

Many Southampton fans are eager to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on loan from Liverpool after the Saints were linked with a move for the England international.

Southampton kick off their Premier League campaign on Saturday as they host Everton at St. Mary’s. So far in this transfer window, Ralph Hasenhuttl has added three new players to his squad in Romain Perraud (southamptonfc.com), Danyl Simeu (chelseafc.com) and Tino Livramento, and he will probably be looking to bring in some more fresh faces before the deadline.

According to talkSPORT, one of those could be £16.2m-valued Oxlade-Chamberlain (Transfermarkt), who the Saints are keen on bringing back to the club. The 27-year-old started his career with Southampton, of course, scoring 10 goals and providing nine assists in 43 games before signing for Arsenal back in 2011 (Transfermarkt).

Having gone on to clock up 44 goals and 52 assists in his club career – a tally which would have surely been much higher had it not been for some cruel injuries – along with winning 35 England caps, the midfielder has proven his worth as a top-level operator.

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Oxlade-Chamberlain links 

“on my knees begging”

Credit: @sfcharryy

“Would absolutely love this.”

Credit: @_SFCAdam

“If this pulls through… wow #BringtheOxhome”

Credit: @CarlSteadman

“Eh, why not”

Credit: @SFC_Lord

“Just do it.”

Credit: @Busy71E

“Bring him home”

Credit: @LiamWhitehorn

In other news, many Southampton fans also want the club to sign this Ligue 1 defender.

Leicester City’s hopes of finishing in a Champions League qualification place were extinguished on Sunday afternoon after they fell to a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.

It was a desperately disappointing end to an otherwise outstanding campaign for the Foxes, who lifted their first-ever FA Cup crown just a few weeks ago.

For much of the season, it seemed inevitable that Brendan Rodgers’ men would finish inside the Premier League’s top four and return to Europe’s elite cup competition for the first time since 2016/17, but defeats to Newcastle United, Chelsea and Spurs in their final four league games saw them end up in fifth place.

It’s the second consecutive campaign where the Midlands outfit have missed out on a Champions League spot on the last day of the season, however, this one may hurt Rodgers even more, given Leicester led on two occasions over the weekend.

Chelsea’s defeat to Aston Villa meant three points would have seen the 2016 Premier League champions leapfrog the Blues in the top-flight table, and it seemed as though that would be the case with under 15 minutes of action remaining.

That was until a rare goalkeeping howling from Kasper Schmeichel badly let Rodgers and his teammates down. The 34-year-old shot-stopper punched the ball into the back of his own net when attempting to clear a corner, levelling the scores in the 79th minute.

As per SofaScore, the Denmark international received a rating of 5.4/10, by far the lowest score awarded to any player on the King Power pitch.

The big error topped off an underwhelming display from the usually dependable keeper. He let in four goals, he only had a passing accuracy of just 68%, and managed to pick out a teammate with only four of his 11 attempted long balls.

Fortunately for the Foxes, this kind of display is certainly infrequent as far as Schmeichel is concerned, and he received the backing of his manager after a mistake against Burnely a few months back.

“He’s been brilliant for me in my time here, there’s moments where it looks like it’s going to be a goal and he pulls off a save,” said Rodgers. “His concentration and his desire to stop the ball going in the net is so good.

“He always produces for us, he’s absolutely outstanding when he had to be here. That’s why he’s one of the top keepers at this level.”

The Leicester fans will surely forgive their great Dane on this occasion, given his past heroics, but it will still be a disappointing way to end 2020/21 nonetheless and it was, all in all, a hopeless performance from one of the club’s modern-day legends, a performance that cost his side a Champions League place.

And, in other news…Lost 60% of his duels: £21.6m-rated Leicester City lightweight badly let Rodgers down 

Leeds United have been handed an encouraging transfer update on rumoured summer target Osaze Urhoghide.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months have suggested that Bielsa is very much interested in luring the 20-year-old to Elland Road, and now The Star have delivered a major update on his future.

They claim that “Urhoghide has taken the decision that he wants to stay in the UK rather than venture abroad for his next move – although a final verdict on which club he’ll be at has not yet been made.”

Leeds are once again mentioned as one of the sides interested in signing him, with the defender’s contract expiring on July 1.

Forget Ben White

After a win over Barnsley in March, Owls manager Darren Moore was quick to praise the 6 foot 2 defender, telling The Star: “I don’t like to pick out individuals because I thought they were all excellent, but he was immense today in terms of his performance. In terms of his contacts, in terms of getting in the radar of the opponents and spoiling it – he was absolutely rock solid.

“The back three will take plaudits, and it was a team effort, but if you’re looking at him as an individual I thought his performance was solid today.”And, if Bielsa needed any evidence of just how promising a talent Urhoghide is, then he need only look back at Leeds’ 2-0 home defeat to the Owls back in January 2020 and the way in which he silenced the Elland Road crowd.Urhoghide, who was playing at right-back on the day, looked particularly impressive, snuffing out Jack Harrison with ease and being a physically dominant presence.As per Sofascore, he won a team-high seven duels and three tackles, while he also came up with three clearances and one interception, showing his all-round defensive strength.It wasn’t just going back towards his own goal where he really stood out either, with the 20-year-old also showing really promising signs further forward as he completed three out of his four attempted dribbles (only Jacob Murphy had more) and drew one foul.Urhoghide was a massive presence at both ends of the pitch, and given that versatility of being able to play at centre-back and at right-back too, he would offer Bielsa some real versatility, much like Ben White.The Brighton defender is another name linked with a move to Leeds, but given his supposed price tag, would be far too expensive.Urhoghide is younger, much cheaper given he would be available on a free, and is similarly exciting in terms of his potential.Meanwhile, Leeds have suffered a major transfer blow…

Another win, another clean sheet and another Declan Rice masterclass.

West Ham United went clear at the top of Group H in the Europa League on Thursday night with another impressive victory, defeating Belgian outfit Genk 3-0 at the London Stadium.

The Irons enjoyed the bulk of the possession and their pressure was rewarded when Craig Dawson looped a header past the visiting goalkeeper right on half-time.

They came out after the break even more rampant and notched a further two goals. This time Issa Diop headed home off the crossbar from another pinpoint Aaron Cresswell delivery, before Jarrod Bowen fired home a fine solo effort just before the hour mark.

All three goalscorers would have been worthy of the ‘Man of the Match’ award but it was Rice who dropped another performance which was off the charts.

He was withdrawn after 67 minutes, with this weekend’s London derby clash against Tottenham Hotspur in mind, and he had recorded 89 touches of the ball, which was the second-most of any Hammers player.

That only goes to show just how big of an influence he is to their success, and had he played for longer, then he would’ve undoubtedly ranked first ahead of midfield partner Tomas Soucek.

‘Once again looked a class above everyone else on the pitch, so calm on the ball and always seemed to have time to pick a pass,’ is how football.london reporter Tom Clark described his performance after the game.

Industrious as ever, the England international registered three tackles and one clearance and won four ground duels, via SofaScore.

Elsewhere, he was faultless with the ball at his feet, only losing possession six times from all those touches, and he also enjoyed an impressive 97% passing accuracy from 75 attempts – the best rate on the pitch, so that goes to show that he really was a touch above everyone else on the night.

Just over a week ago, former West Ham teammate Jack Wilshere lauded the 22-year-old as “a freak physically” and a player who “can do anything” to talkSPORT.

We saw exactly that once again.

Rice, who earns a reported £60k-per-week in east London, absolutely stole the show for Moyes on Thursday.

AND in other news, Newman could seal West Ham’s best signing since Soucek in £19.8m-rated “goal machine”…

Many Sheffield United fans have been left slamming Robin Olsen for his role in Millwall’s opening goal in Tuesday night’s clash in the EFL Championship.

Jed Wallace scored what looked to be a cross as the ball looped over the Sweden international and into the back of the net to put the Lions 1-0 up at Bramall Lane early on in the first half.

Olsen should not have been beaten from that kind of angle, and Slaviša Jokanović will certainly view it as a very cheap goal to give away.

Nonetheless, it is no surprise at all to see so many Blades supporters voicing their anger and frustration at the goalkeeper for letting that one past him, and he will no doubt be hoping that he can make amends in the second half.

Sheff Utd fans on Olsen display

These SUFC fans slammed Olsen as the goal was conceded on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that he is ‘awful’:

“Olsen has got to do better. Full of mistakes for us so far him”

Credit: @tomjackson2511

“Literally was saying after Stoke match not sold on Olsen whatsoever”

Credit: @sufcgaz

“Awful awful there from Olsen.”

Credit: @RedSheffield

“I’m sorry but Olsen is not good enough”

Credit: @Parf23

“Shocking start this Blades. Olsen. Wow.”

Credit: @AshleyBranche

“What on earth is Olsen doing there?”

Credit: @Redwood0114

In other news, find out what international incident involving one of their players had Blades fuming here!

Leeds United have confirmed the signing of Chelsea midfielder Lewis Bate on a three-year contract [Leeds United FC Official].

The Lowdown: Leeds United look to cover all bases ahead of the new season

As anticipation builds ahead of the new Premier League campaign, Marcelo Bielsa will be desperate to cover all bases in order to continue the steady levels of progression seen at Elland Road in recent years.

Acquiring ready made first-team figures will be key to prospective success. However, bringing in quality young stars can also be an intelligent method of recruitment with longer-term benefits.

Interestingly, the Whites have now tapped into the latter category with their latest move.

The Latest: Bate signs three-year deal

Keen to poach top talent, Leeds United have now successfully acquired Bate on an undisclosed fee from London giants Chelsea [Leeds United FC Official].

The Blues had been itching to tie him down to a new contract, however he decided to stall on putting pen to paper at Stamford Bridge, paving the way for interest in his services [Evening Standard].

Faced with the prospect of losing the anchor man for free upon the expiration of his contract in 12 months-time, the Blues had little choice but to let the youngster make the move north to Yorkshire.

The Verdict: Bate is an astute piece of business by the Elland Road hierarchy

Keeping a keen eye on the future, Bate possesses the qualities to make a real impact in Bielsa’s style of rapid counter-attacks.

Prominent in the transition from defence to attack, his ability to drive with the ball at considerable pace has seen him become a shining light in the Chelsea youth academy in recent years.

In 2020/21, the London-born midfielder made 26 appearances combined for the Chelsea Under-23 and Chelsea Under-18 sides, scoring once [Transfermarkt].

His passing ability has been lauded through his time in the ranks at the Cobham Training Centre, in keeping with Bielsa’s high-octane style of football.

Poised to initially link up with the Whites Under-23 set up, Bate now has an ideal platform to harness his talents as he bids to make a first-team breakthrough in the future.

In other news, Leeds United have been linked with a Bundesliga ace.