Liverpool are now ramping up their interest in a defender who’s been likened to Eder Militao, with Trent Alexander-Arnold looking increasingly likely to move to Real Madrid this summer, according to a report.

Trent's time at Anfield coming to an end

With just a matter of months remaining on Alexander Arnold’s contract, the right-back looks set to leave at the end of the season, and Real Madrid is in his sights, as revealed by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Conor Bradley is the obvious choice to replace Trent, with the Northern Irish youngster stepping in at right-back on a number of occasions this season, but there is a feeling the Reds could also look to bring in another option this summer.

Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento is one of the latest defenders to be linked with a surprise move to Anfield, while contact has also been made over a deal for Celta Vigo’s Oscar Mingueza, who has a release clause of just £17m.

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According to a report from The Boot Room, another target has also now entered the frame, with Liverpool ramping up their interest in SC Freiburg’s Kiliann Sildillia, who is also on the radar of Premier League rivals Manchester City, Aston Villa and Brighton.

Sildillia is deemed likely to leave Freiburg this summer, amid interest from a number of England’s top clubs, having put in some top performances at right-back this season, although he is also able to slot in at centre-back when required.

The Reds have watched the defender on more than one occasion in recent weeks, such is their level of interest, with his contract set to expire in 2026, making this summer Freiburg’s last chance to cash-in.

"Revelation" Sildillia could be upgrade on Trent defensively

Liverpool would be hard-pressed to find any full-back capable of replacing Trent’s attacking numbers, but there are signs the Freiburg ace could be an upgrade from a defensive point of view.

The Frenchman has outperformed the Reds’ academy graduate on a number of key defensive metrics over the past year, ranking very highly, when compared to his positional peers in Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues.

Statistic

Average per 90

Interceptions

1.45 (91st percentile)

Blocks

1.66 (88th percentile)

Clearances

3.83 (94th percentile)

Aerials won

2.28 (99th percentile)

Not only that, but the full-back, who has been a “revelation” in the Bundesliga, is capable of contributing going forward, ranking in the 97th percentile for non-penalty goals. The 22-year-old’s versatility could also be of use to Arne Slot, with scout/analyst Jacek Kulig likening him to Real Madrid’s Militao, who is able to play at both centre-back and right-back.

There is theoretically still time for a late U-turn from Trent, but with it looking ever more likely he will move to Madrid this summer, Sildillia has proven he could be a solid signing.

Arsenal have wasted no time in drawing up plans for the summer transfer window, looking to finally end their two-decade wait for a Premier League title.

Mikel Arteta has done a superb job of transforming the squad during his near five-year spell in charge, but more work needs to be done to take them to the summit of the division.

Viktor Gyokeres has emerged as a huge target for the upcoming window, with new sporting director Andrea Berta making an immediate impact in pursuing a move for his signature.

Given his goalscoring record, which has seen him score 86 times in his 93 outings in the last two seasons, it’s understandable that the Gunners are pursuing a striker to bolster their forward line.

Should he move to North London in the summer, he could be joined by another player who’s been a constant target, with a new update emerging on his potential move to the club.

Arsenal make contact to land £51m talent

According to Sun Sport, Arsenal’s director Berta has already been in contact with the representatives of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi ahead of a summer move to the Emirates.

It was reported in January that a deal was on the verge of being agreed for this upcoming window, but no news has emerged since – with this the latest update on any transfer.

The Spanish international has made 29 LaLiga appearances this campaign, featuring in all but one of their league outings, showcasing his importance and quality.

The report claims that the hierarchy are still “working hard” on a deal to land the 26-year-old this summer, with the £51m release clause not thought to be an issue.

Any move for Zubimendi could provide added quality to the middle of Arteta’s side, allowing one player to return to his former best after his recent slump in form.

Why Zubimendi could decide Odegaard at Arsenal

Midfielder Martin Odegaard has been a player so often tasked with providing the goods for Arsenal in attacking areas but ultimately has struggled to deliver in recent months.

The Norwegian had a long injury layoff with an ankle issue but hasn’t been the same player since his return – leading to huge amounts of criticism in the process.

He’s also featured in more of a deeper role, taking away his best qualities with his intricate passing able to create chances for attackers within the final third.

Zubimendi, who’s a defensive midfielder, could be able to sit in front of the backline should he move in the coming months, freeing up Odegaard to go and create carnage further up the field.

The Spaniard, who’s been labelled “superb” by the Spanish Football Podcast, has excelled out of possession, having the quality to be the ball-winning talent the side have been crying out for.

He’s won 1.3 tackles per 90 to date, along with 5.4 duels won – coming out on top of the latter on 60% of the occasions he’s entered a battle with an opposition player.

Games played

29

Goals & assists

3

Pass accuracy

85%

Tackles won

1.3

Duels won

5.4

Duel success rate

60%

Dribbles completed

70%

However, he’s also got the passing ability to aid Odegaard in higher areas, registering an 85% pass completion rate, along with a 70% dribble success rate.

Whilst the club would have to fork out a pretty penny to secure his signature this summer, it’s evident that Zubimendi would be a player who could certainly increase the club’s title credentials.

As for Odegaard, he’s been an influential player in various title battles, with Arteta needing him to return to top form if they are to go one better next season – with the Sociedad star having a huge say in his fortunes if a deal is completed.

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Strikers have captured the hearts of supporters over the years at Chelsea, but none more so than Didier Drogba given his time as a player at Stamford Bridge.

The Ivorian joined the Blues under José Mourinho back in the summer of 2004, with not many knowing what to expect after he arrived from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille.

However, he would provide the goods on a consistent basis, notching a total of 147 goals over two separate spells – spanning a total of nine years in West London.

Such a record has cemented him in the club’s history forever, currently sitting as the Blues’ second-highest Premier League goalscorer behind the iconic Frank Lampard.

Fast-forward to the present day, boss Enzo Maresca has the opportunity to land another version of the Ivorian with a move for a star currently plying his trade in France’s top division.

Chelsea plot summer move for new talisman

According to French journalist Mohamed Toubache, Chelsea are keen on a summer move to land Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha to improve the current forward department.

The 22-year-old, who’s currently plying his trade for the Blues’ sister club, has notched a total of 12 goals in all competitions this campaign, in what has been a breakout year as a professional.

He’s in his second year at the French outfit after joining from Sturm Graz in the summer of 2023 but has enjoyed a rapid development over the last couple of months.

Whilst no fee has been touted for his signature over the off-season, it’s likely the Dutchman could demand a decent fee given his form in Ligue 1 throughout 2024/25.

Emegha may not be many supporters’ first choice to improve the current situation, but when comparing him to the other options on the table, he’s managed to match or better them in numerous key areas.

How Emegha compares to other strikers linked with Chelsea

Although the summer transfer window is yet to open, Chelsea have wasted no time in targeting a new talisman to aid Maresca’s first-team squad next season.

Matheus Cunha is just one player linked with a move to West London, with the Brazilian stating his desire to leave Wolves this summer to reach the next level in his career.

The 25-year-old also has admirers from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, with a real battle facing the sides upon the opening of the window.

Dušan Vlahović is another player on the club’s shortlist, once again appearing on the radar after previously being of interest back in the January transfer window.

However, despite the previous names mentioned, Emegha, who’s previously been labelled “phenomenal” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has managed to produce stats way beyond the levels of the pair.

Games played

22

26

23

Goals & assists

14

17

11

Goals & assists per 90

0.7

0.7

0.6

Shot-on-target accuracy

58%

41%

35%

Pass accuracy

79%

70%

69%

Aerials won

45%

31%

44%

The Dutchman may have registered slightly fewer combined goals and assists than Cunha, but has matched him for contributions per 90 – highlighting the threat he poses in attacking areas.

He’s managed to notch a higher shot-on-target accuracy than the pair, showcasing his accuracy when the ball falls his way, offering Maresca the dangerman he’s been hunting for.

Emegha has also completed more of the passes he’s attempted this campaign, whilst also coming out on top in more aerial battles, demonstrating his all-round ability – something which they’ve desperately been craving.

His 6”4 frame coupled with his pace and ability to run the channels makes him a similar build to Drogba, potentially being the club’s next version of the fan-favourite.

Should the hierarchy complete a deal for his services this summer, it would undoubtedly be an exciting addition, with the Blues getting themselves a future icon should he get anywhere close to the Ivorian’s level after his own move from Ligue 1 over 20 years ago.

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During Chris Wilder’s two stints as manager of Sheffield United, he’s had some fantastic players at his disposal.

From goalscoring hero Billy Sharp to the likes of John Egan and John Fleck.

Fleck, a free transfer from Coventry City in the summer of 2016, was a rather understated at the time but quickly became a mainstay in many a Blades lineup with United jumping all the way up from League One to the top-flight under Wilder.

John Fleck's heroics at Sheffield United

It all began with that free-kick against Sheffield Wednesday in the Steel City derby in 2017. Since that moment, he became a firm fan favourite at Bramall Lane.

Fleck quickly turned into a Premier League capable performer at Bramall Lane, with the now 33-year-old ace going on to immortalise himself as a United great across a hefty 278 appearances.

The Glasgow-born ace would effectively become an honourary citizen of the Steel City by the time of his exit to Blackburn Rovers last year, having tallied up a mighty impressive 16 strikes and 48 assists across those games, culminating in two promotions also coming his way.

Many players in Wilder’s camp now will be hoping they can follow in the footsteps of the former number four, with Fleck managing to end his long-standing association with the Blades by notching up a fine nine top-flight goal contributions.

In particular, one holding midfielder – the same role Fleck regularly lined up in – will be taking direct inspiration from the now Chesterfield man.

Wilder's new Fleck at Sheffield United

Originally hailing from Enfield, United number 42 Sydie Peck might not have expected Sheffield to become his permanent footballing home during the early days of his playing career.

But, the emerging talent has now become a first-team regular under Wilder this campaign and for good reason, with his full-blooded yet composed displays centrally meaning his senior minutes have rightly been bumped up.

Peck’s numbers this season for United

Stat (* = per 90 mins)

Peck

Games played

35

Games started

26

Goals scored

0

Assists

1

Touches*

48.8

Accurate passes*

29.9 (82%)

Big chances created

4

Duels won*

3.7

Stats by Sofascore

Whilst he isn’t anywhere near Fleck’s creative best just yet, Peck has shown signs of promise in an attacking capacity, considering this is his first daunting senior season with the side, resulting in four big chances being created away from his singular assist.

Despite deficiences being present in his growing game, Peck is slowly but surely becoming a fan’s favourite at the Championship high-flyers, with one Blades based content creator in Nick Ingood even heralding the 5 foot 8 engine as a “superstar” off the back of another well-rounded display against Coventry to close out March.

It will be up to Peck to deal with the harsh step-up in quality if Premier League action returns to the red and white half of Sheffield, but if he is aiming to follow Fleck’s upward trajectory, he should be able to deal with the gulf in class in his stride.

After all, the four-time England U20 international – who has been further lauded as “outstanding” by his passionate head coach – already has a Premier League appearance next to his name, with the potential here for Peck to become United’s next modern hero in the middle like Fleck.

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Liverpool have recently made a new approach to sign a £40m star who is open to the idea of moving to rivals Manchester United.

Liverpool close to new Salah and Van Dijk deals in boost for Slot

The Reds are on course to win the Premier League title in Arne Slot’s first season at Anfield, however, a lot of the talk at Anfield has been on the futures of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

Alexander-Arnold looks likely to join Real Madrid on a free transfer, although Liverpool have seemingly made progress on keeping both Van Dijk and Salah on Merseyside.

Reliable reporter David Ornstein of The Athletic has recently claimed both Van Dijk and Salah are “on the brink of signing two-year extensions” at Liverpool.

“Resolving contract situations regarding key personnel was one of the biggest challenges Richard Hughes inherited when he started work as Liverpool sporting director just over a year ago.

“It’s been a long road but with Salah and Van Dijk on the brink of signing two-year extensions, it will provide the perfect boost for Arne Slot’s side as they close in on being crowned Premier League champions. There has always been confidence internally at Anfield that the duo would stay put.”

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There could still be more Anfield departures alongside Alexander-Arnold, though, with Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota both linked with exits.

Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap has been mooted as a potential attacking addition ahead of Slot’s second season, and a new update has now emerged over a move for the former Manchester City youngster.

Liverpool make new approach for Ipswich star Delap

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have made a new approach over a deal for Delap in recent days. The Reds, alongside Chelsea, are keen to get ahead in the race to sign Delap, who has a £40m release clause in his contract. However, should Ipswich suffer relegation, that figure would drop to £30m.

Man Utd are also keen on signing Delap, and the forward is interested in the idea of moving to Old Trafford ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Liverpool see Delap as a top target, though, and he actually shares the same CAA Stellar agency as Reds defender Ibrahima Konate. The 22-year-old has been a shining light for the Tractor Boys this season, scoring an impressive 12 goals in 30 Premier League games.

Delap’s next destination could be one of the transfer sagas of the summer, and by the looks of things, Liverpool and FSG are keen to win the race following this new update.

Daniel Farke had a daunting task before him when picking up the pieces from Leeds United’s promotion near-miss during the 2023/24 season, with the likes of Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter all leaving Elland Road behind for good.

Losing all these exceptional talents in quickfire succession hasn’t quite derailed the Whites’ promotion mission this time around thankfully, as the West Yorkshire outfit aim to just keep picking up the wins to see a top two spot be officially clinched come May.

Then, it will all be about tinkering here and there to transform Leeds into a Premier League capable side, with one transfer rumour already giving fans a sneak peek as to what business they might conduct.

Leeds interested in new midfielder

As per Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, the promotion-chasers are already monitoring Borussia Mönchengladbach captain Julian Weigl ahead of a potential summer swoop.

Farke did momentarily manage Weigl when he was Gladbach coach – with that good working relationship highlighted by Plettenberg – but any move getting off the ground rests on Leeds sealing promotion back up to the top-flight.

Initial contact has occurred between the two parties surrounding the £5.1m-rated star, but Leeds might not need to go after another face in the middle of the park after all, considering they already have this past import from Germany on their books who is worth more than Weigl.

The Leeds hero who's worth more than Weigl

Whilst Farke did have to deal with that worrying mass exodus last summer, he did also manage to welcome in a number of stunning buys, with loan sensation Manor Solomon up to a bumper eight goals and nine assists this season in the league action.

But, it could be argued that the pick of the bunch from the summer buys looking back now was former Fortuna Dusseldorf ace Ao Tanaka, who has been consistently top-notch for his new employers since an understated £2.9m switch occurred.

Indeed, the Japan international has instantly managed to fit into his new surroundings, with this audacious back-heel effort against Sheffield Wednesday back in January one of four strikes he’s managed to bag under Farke’s wing.

With 72.6 touches amassed on average per league clash too, it could be argued that the “unbelievable” 26-year-old – as he was lauded by his manager after a breakneck start to life in England – has become somewhat of a heartbeat for the title hopefuls since his arrival, culminating in his once humble £2.9m valuation shooting up.

Tanaka’s numbers at Leeds (24/25)

Stat – per 90 mins*

Tanaka

Games played

39

Games started

33

Minutes averaged*

77 mins

Goals scored

4

Assists

2

Touches*

72.6

Accurate passes*

53.8 (90%)

Ball recoveries*

5.0

Total duels won*

4.6

Value when joining

£2.9m

Value now

£6.8m

Sourced by Sofascore/Transfermarkt

As per Transfermarkt, Tanaka’s value now stands at a far heftier £6.8m, meaning the 32-time Japan international is worth around £1.7m more than the Gladbach target and deservedly so based on his sparkling Championship numbers above.

With Farke also able to call upon the likes of Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev in the holding midfield ranks, there might not be that much of a thirst to land Weigl moving forward, especially if Tanaka – who has further been donned “exceptional” by Opta statman Jonny Cooper – takes to the potential challenge of the Premier League swimmingly.

Whilst the Whites will have to presumably spend big on occasion in the top-flight to secure their safety, Farke and Co will want to stray away from spending for spending’s sake, with a more shrewd approach in the market paying off when Tanaka entered through the door.

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Celtic’s dream of winning the domestic treble this season is still alive after they hammered St. Johnstone 5-0 at Hampden Park in the semi-finals of the SFA Cup.

The Hoops already won the League Cup earlier this season, and they are a win away from sealing the Scottish Premiership title, which means that the SFA Cup is the last trophy that they need to clinch to seal the treble.

Brendan Rodgers was unable to win all three domestic competitions in his first season back at Parkhead, as his team lost to Kilmarnock in the early stages of the League Cup in August 2023.

The Hoops are well on course to enjoy a perfect domestic campaign this time, however, after a fantastic performance and result against the Saints on Sunday.

Two goals from Daizen Maeda and strikes from Adam Idah, Jota, and Callum McGregor sealed the win for the Scottish giants, with four of the goals scored in the first half.

Idah was given the nod in the centre-forward position despite enduring a fairly difficult first full season at Parkhead since joining on a permanent deal last summer.

Adam Idah's Celtic struggles this season

The Ireland international scored eight goals in 15 Premiership games and scored a last-minute winner against Rangers in the SFA Cup final during his loan spell in the second half of last season.

His impressive displays during that loan spell led to Celtic making the decision to pay a reported fee of £8.5m to Norwich City to sign him permanently, with add-ons that could take the deal to £9.5m.

It was a huge amount of money to spend on the striker, when you consider that Odsonne Edouard was the most-expensive striker signing in the club’s history at £9m prior to that deal, and he has yet to justify the price tag with his performances this term.

Idah has only started 16 of his 30 appearances in the Premiership this season, scoring eight goals, as Maeda has been preferred ahead of him in the number nine role more often than not since Kyogo Furuhashi’s move to Rennes in January.

The former Canaries marksman had a chance to step up as the first-choice centre-forward after the Japan international moved on from Parkhead at the start of the year, but he has failed to take that opportunity.

Appearances

30

Starts

16

xG

10.7

Goals

8

xG differential

-2.7

Big chances missed

13

Conversion rate

14%

As you can see in the table above, Idah has underperformed against his xG by almost three goals and missed a whopping 13 ‘big chances’ in 16 starts in the league.

These statistics show that the £8.5m signing has been wasteful with the chances that have come his way in the Premiership, which is why he has yet to justify the money spent on his services so far.

Kyogo, who cost the club a reported £4.6m from Vissel Kobe, scored 63 goals in 116 Premiership games for the club and Idah is yet to prove that he can deliver that kind of quality or consistency for the Hoops in the final third.

Of course, the Ireland international only turned 24 in February and still has time left ahead of him to develop and improve, but the club may have hoped for more instant success on the pitch for the money that was spent on him.

Idah’s struggles since joining for a deal that could rise to £9.5m may be particularly frustrating when there is a former Celtic forward out there who could have been an upgrade on him, and a perfect replacement for Kyogo Furuhashi.

Celtic sold their perfect Kyogo replacement for £400k

Attacking midfielder Lewis Morgan joined the Hoops from St Mirren at the start of 2018 and went on to score just two goals in 31 first-team appearances for the club.

The versatile attacker also had loan spells with St Mirren and Sunderland during his time with Celtic, before being sold to Inter Miami for a reported fee of £400k at the start of 2020. Before Lionel Messi, they had Lewis Morgan.

He produced seven goals and seven assists in 58 matches for Inter Miami, a respectable return for a player who played in midfield or on the wing, before being sold to New York Red Bulls at the end of 2021.

Since his move to the Big Apple, Morgan has mainly been deployed as a centre-forward in what has been a big positional shift in his career, from being a midfielder by trade to leading the line in the MLS.

His performances for New York Red Bulls in comparison to his form for Inter Miami and Celtic suggests that he should have been playing as a striker earlier on in his career.

Morgan missed 31 matches in the 2023 MLS season, due to a hip injury, but excelled at the top end of the pitch in the 2022 and 2024 campaigns either side of those injury woes.

Appearances

33

34

xG

N/A

13.40

Goals

15

13

Big chances missed

1

10

Big chances created

7

13

Assists

3

5

As you can see in the table above, Morgan scored 28 goals and only missed 11 ‘big chances’ in those two seasons combined, whilst Idah has missed 13 ‘big chances’ and only scored eight goals in the current Premiership this season.

This suggests that the Scottish attacker is more clinical, and more creative with his 20 ‘big chances’ created, than the Irish marksman, and that he could be an upgrade on him in the present day.

Morgan did not get the chance to showcase his quality as a striker during his time at Parkhead, which is something that the coaches may look back on with regret, as his form since playing that role suggests that he could have been the ideal long-term replacement for Kyogo.

Like the Japanese forward, the right-footed ace does not have a traditional number nine build, standing at 5 foot 10, but he has the mobility, the movement, and the quality on the ball to make things happen, as shown by his form in America with a regular stream of goals when fit.

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Therefore, Celtic accidentally binned their perfect replacement for Kyogo for just £400k because they did not see the potential for him to play as a centre-forward, and they now have an £8.5m signing who has yet to prove himself on the pitch in that role.

With the summer transfer window approaching, Aston Villa now reportedly lead the race to sign a Champions League striker who would cost them just over £33m in the coming months.

Aston Villa set to finally replace Duran

If those in the Midland believed that Unai Emery’s attacking options were too good to be true at the start of the season then they were quickly proven right in the January transfer window. The Villans were spoilt for choice with both Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran – both of whom were in excellent form in the opening stages of the season – but it was not a luxury that the latter appreciated.

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Often forced to perform in cameo roles as Emery’s super sub, Duran headed for the exit door in January, swapping the Midlands for Saudi Arabia and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr side. And whilst since then Marco Asensio has joined Marcus Rashford to add more firepower to their frontline, Villa need a permanent solution away from their loan deals.

With money still to burn from Duran’s sale, a fresh attacking option could be on the cards given recent links to previous target Joao Felix and now another Serie A star.

According to TeamTalk, Aston Villa are now leading the race to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus this summer ahead of their Premier League rivals. The Serbian striker has gradually fallen down the pecking order in Turn and new manager Igor Tudor has now reportedly been told to hand him game time in an attempt to maximise his value.

As things stand, Vlahovic is worth just €40m (£33.5m) in what would hand Villa the chance to land an undeniable bargain. Emery has already helped both Asensio and Rashford rediscover their best form and could now take a gamble on Vlahovic before doing the same next season.

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Villa Park is the place to be for struggling stars to rediscover their golden touch and that may not be any different for Vlahovic. It’s worth noting that, even amid criticism as Juventus, the Serbia international has still scored 14 goals in all competitions in a record that could only improve given that he’s just 25 years old.

It wasn’t so long ago that the forward found himself at the centre of praise either, with football talent scout Jacek Kulig describing the Juventus man as “simply an amazing centre-forward when fully fit” midway through last season.

Juventus already made one mistake by letting Dean Huijsen leave for the Premier League last summer, before watching the defender thrive at Bournemouth. Now, a year on, Villa could take full advantage of their exit door swinging open once again as Vlahovic desperately seeks the chance to get back to his best.

Patrick Dorgu has become a key player at Manchester United since his January move from Lecce. The Dane, who cost the Red Devils £25m up front, has already played ten times for his new club this term, although he did miss three games due to suspension.

The 20-year-old is yet to score or assist for the first time in a United shirt. However, he did win a penalty, which Bruno Fernandes converted in the Europa League Round of 16 against Real Sociedad, showing just how deadly he can be.

With that being said, it has not all been smooth sailing for the wing-back. Aside from his red card, he was recently rotated out of the team for United’s 4-1 loss away to Newcastle United, with Harry Amass stepping into his shoes.

Amass’ full debut for United

For a football fan, there probably aren’t many better birthday presents than making your professional debut, and for Man United, nonetheless. Well, that was the case for Amass, who made a substitute appearance away to Leicester City in the Premier League on his 18th birthday.

Just weeks later, the youngster, who was born in London and played for Watford’s academy originally, made his first start in the top flight. The youngster was selected to start ahead of Dorgu at left wing-back.

Indeed, it was an impressive showing from Amass, as the stats on Sofascore reflect. The 18-year-old had 31 touches of the ball, completed 85% of his passes and won two duels. He certainly performed well.

That was certainly a sentiment that football statistician Statman Dave seemed to agree with. He was full of praise for Amass, explaining that he “didn’t look out of place in senior football” at St James’ Park last weekend.

There is certainly no worry about squad depth for the Red Devils at left-wing back, with the emergence of Amass and the signing of Dorgu. Incredibly, they are adding to that depth over the summer with another new signing.

United’s latest left wing-back signing

One of the continents where big European clubs tend to find hidden gem players is South America. Well, United may have pulled off a masterclass of their own in that sense, with the signing of youngster Diego Leon.

In the middle of January, it was confirmed by BBC Sport that the 18-year-old undertook a medical at United’s Carrington training ground. The reported fee is £6m, with the left-back set to join in the summer.

Now, United are not just signing a player without first-team experience who could one day break into the fold at Old Trafford. No, Leon has actually had years of experience at first-team level for Paraguayan side Cerro Porteno.

He has already played 26 times for the club over the past couple of years, and has even managed three goals in that time, from left-back. His 2092 minutes so far equate to 23 full 90-minute games, showing his importance to the Cerro Porteno side.

In fact, his underlying stats via Sofascore from his time in professional football so far are impressive. For example, Leon played nine key passes last term, and five this season, as well as making 45 tackles and interceptions in 2024, and 11 in 2025.

Minutes

1643

450

Key passes

9

5

Pass accuracy

71.5%

76.8%

Tackles and interceptions

45

11

Aerial duels won

21

11

One person who rates the youngster highly is football analyst Ben Mattinson. Discussing Leon in December 2024, just one month before his United medical, the analyst said he “runs like a steam train”, highlighting the physicality he will bring to Old Trafford.

Leon certainly seems like a player United fans can get excited about. The 18-year-old will bring first-team experience with him to the Premier League, and he clearly has final-third flair. He could be the perfect player for Amoirm to add to his wing-back options.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Both Amass and Dorgu may well need to watch out…

Upgrade on Rashford: Man Utd leading the race to sign £30m "monster"

Man Utd are looking for attacking reinforcements this summer

ByJoe Nuttall Apr 16, 2025

Wolverhampton Wanderers are brimming with confidence under Vitor Pereira and could now be set to take a step towards landing a summer bargain, according to reports.

Wolverhampton Wanderers on the up under Vitor Pereira

Incredibly, the Old Gold have won six Premier League matches on the trot and are unbeaten in seven top-flight encounters as optimism reaches new levels at Molineux.

Pereira has brought a sense of pride back to Wolves that had evaporated earlier in the season under Gary O’Neil. This could see them push to finish above Crystal Palace and Brentford by the end of play.

Not too long ago, the threat of relegation seemed like a realistic prospect at Molineux, but they are now one of the top-flight’s in-form sides and look destined for a bright future should they secure some smart additions in the summer window.

Flamengo midfielder Evertton Araujo is on Wolves’ wishlist to strengthen their impressive engine room, while Joao Felix could emerge as an unlikely capture if he fancies another shot at Premier League stardom.

On the other hand, Matheus Cunha is a leading target for Manchester United, and Pereira may have work to do should his star man leave for his reported £62.5 million release clause.

Wolves’ remaining Premier League fixtures

Manchester City (A)

Etihad Stadium

Brighton & Hove Albion (H)

Molineux

Crystal Palace (A)

Selhurst Park

Brentford (H)

Molineux

Movement in both directions is just part of the reality for most Premier League sides in the off-season. PSR regulations are another caveat to potential business, though financially advantageous deals are a way to avoid market damage limitation.

With that in mind, Wolves have now held internal talks to sign a talented winger who would cost them nothing in transfer fees this summer.

Wolves hold internal talks to sign Grady Diangana

According to Birmingham World, Wolves have held internal talks about signing West Bromwich Albion winger Grady Diangana on a free transfer from their bitter rivals.

The 27-year-old is on course to leave the Hawthorns upon the expiry of his contract, and the Old Gold now have his situation under surveillance alongside a host of other targets.

Related 80% duels won: Wolves star is now as undroppable as Cunha

Wolverhampton Wanderers have now won their last six Premier League games in a row after convincingly beating Leicester City 3-0.

Posts ByKelan Sarson Apr 27, 2025

Whispers have indicated there is further interest in his services from Leeds United and the United States. Diangana isn’t seen as a regular starter at Molineux, though he has desirable qualities that could offer something tangible from the bench.

Labelled “special” by Carlos Corberan, the former West Ham United star has registered four goals and three assists in 34 appearances across all competitions this season.

Free transfers can never be sniffed at when the risk of PSR is alive and kicking, so Wolves may view an opening to bring in an inexpensive homegrown option as a low-risk market opportunity ahead of the new campaign.

That being said, Diangana departing West Brom for one of their adversaries would create an intriguing reception were both sides to face off in the next few years.