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Leeds United's priority this summer, regardless of the division they find themselves in, will be finding a new manager to ensure that they can improve upon a disastrous campaign.

Sam Allardyce is currently the man in the dugout for Leeds but he was hired on a short-term basis to try and keep the Yorkshire club in the Premier League, and there would presumably be an uproar if he was hired permanently.

One man who was touted as a potential option for Leeds following the sacking of Javi Gracia was Jon Dahl Tomasson, and the Elland Road outfit could rediscover the identity they cultivated under Marcelo Bielsa by hiring the Blackburn Rovers boss this summer.

Could Leeds hire Jon Dahl Tomasson this summer?

It was reported by Football Insider last month that those at Leeds were seriously impressed by the work that Tomasson has done in his first season at Ewood Park and considered him to be the next Bielsa at Elland Road.

While the more drastic option for Allardyce was taken in a desperate attempt to keep Leeds up, it seems likely that Leeds could revisit a move for the 46-year-old this summer when their future is more clear, especially if they rate him as highly as reports claim.

Under Tomasson, Blackburn would narrowly miss out on the playoffs in the Championship this term, as he averaged 1.5 points per game in the second tier, while the Lancashire outfit also just missed out on a FA Cup semi-final after losing late on against Sheffield United.

EFL pundit James Allcott lauded the "fast-paced, high press" style that Tomasson has implemented at Blackburn when they sat third in the table earlier in the campaign.

He said: "Blackburn's exciting pressing style has been very fun to watch this season because of how many goals and chances it yields. They play every game at a million miles an hour and have been overwhelming their opponents so far."

This style of play will certainly remind Leeds fans of the tactic set up by Bielsa when he took over at Leeds, with the Yorkshire outfit regularly outrunning and relentlessly pressing their opponents.

After the recent seasons which have seen that style abandoned for a less adventurous one, which has done very little to solve Leeds' defensive woes, fans would surely love to see a return of this mentality at Elland Road.

Tomasson had been linked to Feyenoord amid Arne Slot's potential move to the Premier League but after he confirmed he was staying put, Leeds now have an ideal chance to hire the Danish manager before his stock rises even higher.

Burnley have already secured their first signing of the summer with Jordan Beyer committing his future to the club and now a new update has emerged on another transfer target.

What's the latest on Viktor Gyokeres' future?

According to Sky Sports, Wolves are now leading the race for the Coventry striker, although they face competition from both Crystal Palace and West Ham.

This will perhaps come as a blow to Burnley, who were noted as contenders for his signature last week by Football Insider.

Would Gyokeres be a good signing for Burnley?

With the departure of club legend Ashley Barnes confirmed, there is a real opportunity for Vincent Kompany to bring in a prolific striker who could become the future of the centre-forward role at Turf Moor.

Indeed, it won't be easy for Burnley to compete with well-established Premier League clubs to secure the signature of Gyokeres, however, the guarantee of first-team football at top-flight level presents an opportunity for the newly-promoted side to tempt the Swedish striker to be a key player in a promising project.

The 24-year-old Coventry goal-scorer has had an impressive season and has been a massive contributor to their huge achievement in securing a place in the Championship play-offs.

Over 46 league appearances, Gyokeres – who has a reported price tag of £20m – has scored 21 goals, registered ten assists and created nine big chances in the final third.

That's on top of averaging 1.3 shots on target per game, 1.8 key passes, 2.1 successful dribbles and a whopping 6.2 duels won per game, with his output making him the second-highest scoring and third-highest highest assisting player in the entire second tier.

The Sweden international's incredible form in front of goal has led to a lot of praise, with Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray even drawing comparisons to Manchester City's Erling Haaland:

"He looks a yard more powerful and a yard quicker than everyone else, he’s a really confident boy.

"The way he buys himself space to shoot is pretty impressive and Coventry did well to hold onto him, he looks a really talented boy.

"Who is too fast, too strong and too big, you would suggest Haaland is like that and Gyokeres in this league looks a yard faster and stronger than the players he plays against in the Championship."

Like Haaland, Gyokeres uses his 6 foot 2 stature to knock opponents off the ball and comfortably wins aerial opportunities delivered to him in dangerous areas of the pitch, which would be a huge asset to Burnley in their pursuit to retain their Premier League status next season.

With that being said, the signing of Gyokeres would be a major addition for Burnley and would certainly put the club in a great position to comfortably compete in an era not including the aforementioned Barnes.

Newcastle United could be poised to transcend past transfer fortunes with an audacious move for Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar Jr., who is reportedly of interest to the Premier League giants.

What's the latest on Neymar to Newcastle?

According to 90min, Neymar is being considered for transfer to St James's Park in the summer, with the Brazilian's future in Paris looking uncertain.

The report states that United's majority stakeholders, PIF, are hoping to make a 'marquee' signing to spearhead their ascension to the forefront of European football, and Neymar fits the bill.

The 31-year-old would cost a mouthwatering £75m, though if the club are serious about forging a move, finances would scarcely be an unconquerable stumbling block.

French outlet Foot Mercato has also stated that Manchester United are mulling over making a move this summer, with PSG indeed pushing the illustrious star towards the exit.

Should Newcastle sign Neymar?

Clearly, monetary worries are less burdensome than they were a few years ago on Tyneside, and if PIF truly wish to pursue a move for a player of Neymar's ilk, there are few outfits on the globe better placed to do so.

At club level, the renowned "artist", in the words of former boss Christophe Galtier, has plundered 293 goals and 188 assists from 493 matches, with an additional 77 goals from 124 outings for Brazil – the country's joint-highest goalscorer alongside the revered Pele.

For those who would doubt the forward's efficacy and prospects of success at St James' Park, FBref ranks the "phenomenon" – as hailed by compatriot David Luiz – among the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers over the past year for goal rate, the top 1% for assists rate, the top 2% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for progressive passes and the top 12% for progressive carries.

On a frankly inconceivable £957k-per-week, Neymar could emulate the Premier League success of Eden Hazard, who was one of football's most blistering offensive forces before his blockbuster transfer to Real Madrid in 2019.

As per WhoScored, Hazard has remarkably recorded an average of 3.1 dribbles and 2.3 key passes per game across the duration of his career, and was once lauded as a "special player" by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for his exploits.

Indeed, the former Blue was instrumental in his outfit's success over the past decade, scoring 110 goals and supplying 92 assists from 352 outings across all competitions, winning two Premier League titles, two Europa League trophies, the League Cup and the FA Cup during his illustrious stay.

There will be hope within the Magpies' camp that a player of Neymar's quality, holding similarity in his innately beautiful ability on the ball and eminent standing as one of his generation's most talented attackers, can indeed take Newcastle to the next level.

When Chelsea announced that they had won the race to sign Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk back in January for an £88.5m fee, you would be forgiven for thinking that he could be a player to take the club to the next level.

He had starred for Shakhtar Donetsk during the first half of the season, registering 18 goal contributions across all competitions, and he was one of the most sought-after wingers on the continent.

Since arriving at the Stamford Bridge outfit however, he has underwhelmed so far, grabbing just two assists, while the 22-year-old has an average Premier League Sofascore rating of 6.38/10, succeeding with just 27% of his dribble attempts and failing to score.

Would the Blues have been better off pursuing another January target instead – perhaps one who could have offered a greater attacking threat and settled in better than Mudryk? In Portuguese forward Rafael Leao, Chelsea appear to have missed a trick.

Did Chelsea miss out on Rafael Leao in the January transfer window?

The club were linked with the AC Milan player throughout the winter transfer window, with the Serie A side demanding a fee of €80m (£70m) in order for anyone to sign him, which would have worked out cheaper than the Mudryk deal.

There is no doubt Leao would have been a much better signing for Chelsea than Mudryk when you take a deeper look into their respective stats this season.

Across various attacking metrics, Leao has registered more goals (ten to six), shots per game (3.59 to 1.82), shot-creating actions per game (4.55 to 2.83) and delivered more crosses (57 to 11) this season than the Chelsea winger, suggesting that they may have signed the wrong player.

Leao ranks in the top 10% across Europe’s big five leagues for assists, progressive carries and successful take ons over the past year, whereas the Ukrainian barely ranks in the top 40% for the latter two statistics, clearly suggesting the Milan star is one of the finest on the continent in his position.

Having been dubbed “electric” by teammate Fikayo Tomori, the data does suggest he may have added more goals to a struggling Chelsea frontline and in turn, could have saved Graham Potter from the sack.

That is all conjecture of course, but the stats don’t lie – Leao has been in much greater form than the current Chelsea winger and perhaps in hindsight, would have made a bigger impact at the club.

What a week it has been for Manchester United midfielder, Scott McTominay, with the 26-year-old stealing the headlines after netting four goals across two appearances for Scotland during the international break.

Having scored just once for his country in 37 games prior to the recent round of fixtures, the United academy graduate appeared to find a golden touch in front of goal, first netting twice off the bench in the 3-0 win over Cyprus at Hampden Park.

The manner in which the 6 foot 4 colossus dispatched his first goal was particularly impressive as he expertly cushioned the ball on his thigh, before rifling his effort into the roof of the net on his weaker left foot.

That deadly double was followed by another two-goal haul in the shock win over Spain just a few days later, with the £60k-per-week man seemingly getting back in touch with his youth having begun life as a centre-forward in the Red Devils' academy ranks.

That glut of goals has come amid what has been a difficult campaign for the Lancaster-born brute, in truth, with McTominay having been sidelined as a result of the signing of fellow midfielder, Casemiro, after starting just seven Premier League games so far this season.

Such a lack of action has led to reports that a departure could be on the cards this summer, with top-four rivals Newcastle United having reportedly been showing a strong interest in the player in recent times.

Whatever the future of the midfield maestro might be, it does appear that the Old Trafford outfit have hit the jackpot by promoting the towering asset into the first team over the past few years, such is his soaring valuation.

How much is Scott McTominay worth now?

Having cost the club nothing after rising up through the youth set-up, there have been reports that United could make a substantial profit were they to cash in any time soon, with ESPN stating that Ten Hag and co could demand as much as £40m this summer.

As The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell stated, McTominay could be seen as a 'player of value who could be sold to generate funds Ten Hag can spend on signings suited to his style', albeit with the respected journalist also stating that the midfielder's strong 'mentality' remains a useful asset to the former Ajax boss.

The imposing menace does have his 'limitations' – as Whitwell noted – having been branded "not good enough" for the club by legendary figure, Roy Keane, with there a clear argument to be made for the benefit of selling a player who has slipped down the pecking order this season.

Then again, the "physical monster" – as hailed by former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – is not a completely busted flush, having been described as a "nightmare to play against" by talkSPORT pundit Danny Murphy earlier this season, as he'll "give everything to destroy and stop the opposition scoring".

With the summer transfer window looming there will need to be a decision made on McTominay's future, with it potentially something of a crossroads for a player who first broke onto the scene under Jose Mourinho back in 2017.

Whether United opt to cash in or keep the dominant ace as a valued part of Ten Hag's squad, it does appear that they have struck gold with the former academy star.

Fabrizio Romano has said that ‘many clubs’ are scouting Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier ahead of the summer window.

The Lowdown: Meslier planning to quit?

The French goalkeeper has been a regular at Elland Road in recent years and became the youngster goalkeeper in Premier League history to reach 100 appearances. The 23-year-old helped the Whites to a much-needed 4-2 win over Wolves on Saturday, a result that lifted Leeds up into 14th place in the table.

However, with relegation a real possibility, there have been some worrying reports regarding Meslier’s future. The Leeds ‘keeper, along with Robin Koch and Jack Harrison, is already allegedly ‘planning to quit’ Elland Road and find a new club if Championship football comes the Whites’ way at the end of the season.

Chelsea have become the latest side to show a real interest in Meslier, as per Football Insider, and are ‘prepared to out-bid their rivals in order to secure his signature’.

The Latest: Romano’s comments

Romano provided an update on Meslier in his daily column for CaughtOffside, saying that ‘many clubs have sent their scouts to follow him’, but ‘Leeds want to keep things quiet and not to open any negotiation’ at this moment in time.

“Links with someone like Illan Meslier and a top club like Chelsea are normal, he’s a very talented goalkeeper and many clubs have sent their scouts to follow him.

“But at the moment, Leeds want to keep things quiet and not to open any negotiation now. Chelsea are yet to make a decision on the goalkeepers situation.”

The Verdict: One to watch

Should Leeds suffer relegation, then it looks almost certain that Meslier would depart Yorkshire. However, if Javi Gracia keeps Leeds up, the club would be under no pressure to sell Meslier, who is under contract until 2026.

He has been a brilliant performer for Leeds under a number of managers and was praised by teammate Brenden Aaronson earlier in the season, who said:

“You see it from him every single day. I think there was one day last week where he was saving everything and we were just shooting on him. He has so much quality in goal. He’s such a great goalie.”

Meslier also already ranks 39th in the all-time Premier League saves list with 365, so if Leeds manage to avoid the drop, they could keep hold of one of their star players, making the next few months crucial both on and off the pitch.

Liverpool are in talks with Premier League rivals Chelsea over a deal for Mason Mount, according to BBC pundit Stan Collymore.

The Lowdown: Mount keen to join

The Blues playmaker has entered the final 18 months of his contract at Stamford Bridge and it’s likely that he’ll be on his way out this summer after rejecting an offer to extend his stay.

The Reds have been heavily linked with an interest in the 24-year-old, with reports suggesting that they are confident that an agreement can be reached.

Football Insider have since claimed that the England international is a huge admirer of Jurgen Klopp and would be keen to make the switch to Anfield.

The Latest: Collymore’s comments

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside, Collymore revealed that Liverpool and Chelsea are now in direct contact regarding a deal for Mount. He said:

“I’ve been told by two very reliable people, one of which being a person who knows Mason Mount personally, that his rumoured move to Liverpool this summer is very much on.

“It’s already being discussed within both clubs. There is a lot still to decide though, particularly at Chelsea. There will be a lot of outgoings and probably some more incomings so a lot will depend on what the club decides to do but the fact they’re already talking about the possibility of letting Mount go says a lot.”

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The Verdict: Splash the cash

Mount has got all of the creative qualities that Klopp looks for in his attacking midfielders so Liverpool should splash the cash to secure his services this summer.

The Portsmouth-born talent has clocked up 70 goal contributions in 192 appearances at the Bridge (prior to today’s game vs Leeds), ranking in the 92nd percentile for progressive passes.

The Nike-sponsored star has also operated in five different positions this season so would be a versatile option for the German boss to have in the building.

Naby Keita, James Milner, Arthur Melo and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will all be out of contract at the end of the season so Mount would be the perfect midfield reinforcement.

An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their transfer targets heading into the summer window…

What’s the latest on Marcus Thuram to Aston Villa?

According to Spanish outlet Sport, NSWE are interested in landing a deal to sign Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram at the end of the season.

The Villans are reportedly one of a number of clubs in the race to land the French international on a free transfer, alongside the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal.

Thuram’s contract with the German outfit is up in the summer and the report claims that Daniel Farke’s team have all but given up hope of him penning an extension.

Will Emery ditch Leon Bailey for Thuram?

It has been reported that Unai Emery wants to sign a tall, athletic, wide attacker to bolster his squad in the summer and that could be to fill the role that Leon Bailey has played alongside Ollie Watkins in recent weeks.

The Jamaican international has not been a consistent threat for Villa at the top end of the pitch this season and bringing in a player of Thuram’s quality could oust him from the side and force supporters to wave bye-bye to the winger – as a player at the club or just as a regular starter.

Bailey has scored three goals and provided two assists in 17 Premier League starts this term, whilst averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.68 – placing him 16th in the squad.

This comes after the forward managed one goal and two assists in 18 top-flight outings for the Villans in the 2021/22 campaign and his poor form in front of goals since arriving at the club indicates that the wide attacker is not a reliable attacking threat for Emery.

Thuram, meanwhile, has been sensational in the Bundesliga this season and his statistics for Gladbach suggest that the marksman, who stands at 6 foot 4, could be the perfect Bailey replacement.

The gem, who was once hailed as a “monster” by his former manager Herve Renard, can play out wide or through the middle – playing 92 matches as a left-winger and 92 as a centre-forward in his career – and this indicates that he would suit the wide attacker role next to Watkins, as the forward knows how to play in those wide and central areas. 

In the German top-flight this term, the French international has plundered ten goals and three assists – averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.09 – across 18 outings.

He also managed 18 goals and 15 assists in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 Bundesliga campaigns combined, which suggests that his form this term is not a fluke.

Therefore, Thuram could come in as a big upgrade on Bailey in the wide forward role next to Watkins, given their respective efforts in the final third in recent years, and that is why it could be bye-bye for the latter in the summer.

Celtic’s ‘top brass’ are confident Ange Postecoglou will stay on as manager despite links to the vacant post at Leeds United, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Postecoglou to Leeds?

Leeds are said to have Postecoglou on their radar to take over as manager, after the Premier League club dismissed Jesse Marsch earlier this week.

Chris Sutton has recently claimed that the Hoops boss will want to ‘finish the job’ at Parkhead before he thinks about leaving, while Anthony Joseph also expressed the view that he will stay until the end of the project.

The Latest: Confident he’ll stay

According to a report from The Daily Record, the Celtic board are confident that their manager will stay, despite being under serious consideration for the Leeds job, as they believe he is happy, motivated and completely committed to the task at hand.

Record Sport also claim that, as of late Tuesday afternoon, no contact has been made by the Yorkshire club asking for permission to talk to the 57-year-old, further indicating that he is set to stay.

The Verdict: Great news

Celtic are well on track to bring home another Scottish Premiership title, after Postecoglou led them to success last season, currently sitting nine points clear of Rangers and winning every single league match at Parkhead so far this season.

The former Australia boss has averaged 2.28 points per match in the dugout for the Hoops, while he has also enjoyed success in cup competitions, with a Scottish League Cup final against Rangers pencilled in for the end of February.

In order to prevent Leeds from going for Carlos Corberan, West Bromwich Albion extended their manager’s contract until 2027, and after Postecoglou’s success at Celtic Park, it would be wise to do the same, given that his current deal expires at the end of the season.

Chelsea have not been afraid to splash the cash in the market to improve their squad this month as they have been very active in the January transfer window.

Todd Boehly and Graham Potter have worked together to bolster the Blues’ team with a number of fresh additions, including Mykhaylo Mudryk, Joao Felix, Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos, Gabriel Slonina, and David Fofana.

That may not be the end of their spending this month, though, as they continue to be linked with other players heading into the final two weeks of the window.

Journalist Simon Phillips recently confirmed that the club are interested in a deal to sign PSV winger Noni Madueke. He told GIVEMESPORT: “Chelsea are definitely very keen on this player. He’s one of many top young talents that Chelsea are trying to bring in.

“We’ve seen already, since the new owners came in, that they have been splashing the cash on young players.”

Potter could now land the eventual heir to Raheem Sterling’s position in the squad by securing a deal to sign the former Crystal Palace youth attacker in the coming weeks.

Sterling, 28, arrived at Stamford Bridge from Manchester City last summer and has struggled at times since the move. The England international has scored four goals and assisted two in 15 Premier League appearances for the Blues, after managing 13 goals and five assists in 23 league starts for Pep Guardiola’s team last term.

Chelsea could find the heir to the gem, who turns 29 this year, by bringing Madueke in as the England youth international does not turn 21 until March.

The 20-year-old gem, who was described as a “wonderkid” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has been in fine form for PSV since breaking through into their first-team set-up.

Madueke has produced 20 goals and 14 assists in 80 appearances for the senior side after delivering 18 goals and 13 assists in 44 youth team outings with the Dutch team.

He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.22 across five Eredivisie matches this season whilst creating an eye-catching 2.6 chances per game for his teammates.

Meanwhile, no Chelsea player has managed more than 1.5 key passes per match in the Premier League in 2022/23 and this suggests that the PSV dynamo could provide an added level of creativity to Potter’s options in the wide areas.

However, the youngster would come in with plenty of time on his side to develop and improve over the course of a number of seasons, rather than needing to make an instant impact on the team, and could, therefore, be the long-term successor to Sterling’s position out wide.