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Barry Fry believes Aaron Ramsey would be a superb, if expensive, signing for West Ham United this summer.

The Juventus midfielder has been heavily linked with a potential departure from the club this summer amid links with the Premier League.

The Hammers have again been touted as potential suitors, along with Crystal Palace and, potentially, former club Arsenal.

Ramsey, of course, made his name in the Premier League, making 371 appearances in total for the Gunners, and scoring 65 goals, while also registering 65 assists.

However, he is reported to earn £400,000-per-week in Turin following his free transfer to Serie A, though he has made just 46 appearances for Juve.

Fry does not believe that the Hammers will give him anything close to those wages at the London Stadium but he feels that if they can make a deal happen, it would be a superb signing for them.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “They could possibly make it happen but I’m sure they wouldn’t pay him 400 grand a week.

“Ramsey’s been outstanding for Wales, he makes fantastic runs from midfield, he’s a perfect player to fit into that West Ham style of play and he would be a great asset and a great signing but they won’t go to that much, there’s no doubt in my mind.”

Leeds United fans have been handed an encouraging update on Marcelo Bielsa’s potential new contract at the club.

What’s the story?

Whites supporters are no doubt all waiting for confirmation of the Argentine’s new deal at Elland Road, and during a Q&A session for Leeds Live, journalist Beren Cross delivered an update that should have fans resting easy.

In response to a question about Bielsa’s new contract, he said: “We are all waiting with bated breath on that glorious announcement to drop. Details like that aren’t clear, all we know is he’s staying and there is zero concern about his commitment to the club going into next season at the very least.”

Fans surely thrilled

When news emerged a couple of months ago that Bielsa was on course to land himself a new contract at Elland Road, several Leeds fans took to Twitter to make it clear just how delighted they were – a real snapshot of the kind of love that supporters have for the manager.

The kind of affinity and love Leeds fans have for Bielsa is unquestionable, with the Argentine a firm favourite in Yorkshire for the way he has embraced the city and restored the club to its Premier League status.

The future of the 65-year-old is something from which fans will have been desperate to hear some good news, and Cross’ latest update that “he is staying” and there is “zero concern” about his commitment to the club over taking charge ahead of the new Premier League season, will have them absolutely thrilled.

Meanwhile, Leeds facing major transfer blow as fresh twist emerges…

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has tipped the Whites to make more signings after the deal for left-back Junior Firpo was confirmed.

The Lowdown: Firpo signs

Marcelo Bielsa has already enjoyed a busy start to the summer, with Jack Harrison signing permanently from Manchester City and youngster Amari Miller joining from Birmingham City.

Firpo will now be Leeds’ third signing, too, with the Barcelona defender penning a four-year deal after the clubs agreed to an undisclosed fee (official).

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The Latest: Whelan believes more players will join

The hope is that the Whites’ transfer business doesn’t stop there, however, and speaking to Football Insider, Whelan claimed that wouldn’t be the case:

“I expect another couple of signings at least.

“When the Euros comes to an end I think we will see even more business done. Victor Orta will be working on a number of other signings. A lot of negotiating needs to be done.

“When we think about where we need to get to as a football club, the squad needs to be bigger, better and stronger. That is the only way we can break into the European places.

“I expect a couple more signings to come through the door before the end of the window.

“I think there is two key positions that will prioritise now that we’ve got a left-back coming in. We need a quality centre-forward to help Patrick Bamford and another option in the middle of the park.”

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The Verdict: Exciting times for Leeds

It is imperative that Leeds kick on after such an impressive first season back in the Premier League, but new signings will likely be needed for that to happen, improving both the starting lineup and squad depth.

This is a hugely exciting time for Bielsa’s side, as they look to potentially finish in the European places next season, or at least match their ninth-place finish in 2020/21.

It is going to be intriguing to see who else Leeds sign in order to take them to the next level, making them even more formidable in the process.

In other news, a rumoured Leeds target has been tipped to thrive in the Premier League. Read more here.

Borussia Monchengladbach are standing in the way of any Liverpool move for Florian Neuhaus, according to Fabrizio Romano [via Anfield Watch].

The lowdown

The Athletic reported in June that Neuhaus was a more ‘realistic target’ for Liverpool than Premier League options Yves Bissouma and Youri Tielemans if indeed they intend to replace PSG-bound Georginio Wijnaldum.

Liverpool have scouted 24-year-old Neuhaus ‘extensively’ with a view to a potential transfer, according to The Athletic.

The Germany international played 33 Bundesliga matches for Monchengladbach last season, scoring six times and setting up five goals (via WhoScored). He averaged 1.5 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, 1.3 dribbles and 3.6 accurate long balls per game.

He previously had a €40m (£34.2m) release clause in his contract, but that has now expired. His deal still has another three years left to run (via The Athletic).

The latest

Romano corroborated The Athletic’s claims, adding that Liverpool had been in contact with his representative, but the ‘problem’ is Monchengladbach’s stance. They want to extend his stay at Borussia Park for another 12 months, at which point Bayern Munich could emerge as a rival in the race for his signature.

“Neuhaus is a player who is highly appreciated with different skills to someone like Renato Sanches, so he could bring something different to Liverpool and they’ve scouted him, but the problem is his current club,” Romano told Anfield Watch.

“Borussia Monchengladbach are trying to keep him for one more season and he knows about the potential opportunity to join Bayern Munich next summer for 2022.

“Liverpool were in touch with his agent some weeks ago but there’s nothing imminent.”

The verdict

The clear question here is why didn’t Liverpool just pay the release clause. Clearly, they don’t believe that Neuhaus is worth just shy of £35m and hoped to negotiate a lower fee.

Instead, Monchengladbach are now back in control of the situation and they may even have raised the price tag. If that’s the case, then there’s little the Reds can do now.

He would seem to be an excellent signing to replace Wijnaldum, but Liverpool can’t really afford to play the waiting game. They need to bolster their midfield depth this summer to guard against the threat of an injury pile-up, something which afflicted them elsewhere last season.

In other news, this Liverpool star’s tweet delighted many Reds supporters.  

A number of Liverpool supporters have picked out an angry moment from Mohamed Salah in training, outlining his mentality as a footballer.

The Egyptian has become a modern-day Reds great, scoring 125 goals in just 203 appearances, in what is a remarkable record for a wide player.

Salah dragged Liverpool over the line last season, netting 31 times and carrying an attack that struggled, often due to the poor form of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

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The 29-year-old was rightly named the Premier League PFA Fans’ Player of the Year and he will continue to be an enormous player moving forward for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Salah possesses a winning mentality that shines through on the pitch, but it also seemingly belongs on the training ground, as a new video has highlighted.

The footage, shared by Anfield Watch on Twitter, shows Joel Matip scoring in a small-sided training match, with a furious Salah in the foreground unhappy with his team’s defending.

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Liverpool fans react to Salah’s angry moment

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to react to the video, praising Salah’s attitude.

“The way Mo is fuming, gotta love that”

Credit: @BurgessMing

“Look at Salah reaction. Train as you plan to fight!”

Credit: @Tony_toner

“Regardless of Matip, look at Salah he doesn’t like to lose even in training”

Credit: @CastleoftheKopp

“Look at Salah though haha he hates losing”

Credit: @AnfieldAn

“Love how competitive Mo is. Even in training”

Credit: @_MarkL33

“Check how upset Salah gets. What a competitor”

Credit: @Kethamz

“Love Salah reaction!”

Credit: @RAB360

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has provided a Liverpool transfer update. Read more here.

Luke Hatfield has offered his thoughts on a potential move to Aston Villa for Harry Winks… 

What’s the talk?

Aston Villa journalist Luke Hatfield has revealed that the club are yet to firm up any potential interest in Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks. Hatfield has admitted that the club are looking to recruit a central midfielder, but they have not made an offer for the England international.

Speaking about the links to Winks, e told Transfer Tavern:

“[They want] someone who can fit into a role in midfield, and it’s an area Villa do want to look at.

“Particularly in that holding midfield role, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they were interested in a player like him, but we’re yet to see any firm bid or offer, but it does strike you as one of those signings that would suit Villa with Premier League experience.”

Fans will be delighted

Aston Villa fans should be delighted by this news as it means that it is not too late for Johan Lange to pursue other targets. The Director of Football is yet to make a concrete bid for Winks and supporters should be hoping it stays that way until the end of the transfer window.

Tottenham are reportedly looking for a fee in the region of £30m for the midfielder and Villa must avoid signing him for that price. The club could be making a grave error by doing a deal at that price given Winks’ performances for the London-based side in the Premier League.

Ex-Spurs defender Graham Roberts labelled Winks as average and said that his play lacks flair, as he is too scared to give the ball away with his passing. 

Roberts told Football FanCast:

“He’s gone Mr Conservative, he plays simple, and if I don’t give the ball away, I’m a great player.

“You’re not, he’s become an average player, and that’s being fair.”

The £30m metronome has a career average pass completion of 90%, whilst averaging under one key pass and under one dribble completed per game. This aligns with Roberts’ comments about him being too conservative in possession, as it shows that he completes a high percentage of his passes without trying to create chances or drive with the ball to get his side up the pitch.

Therefore, Villa fans should be devastated if the club shells out a gigantic transfer fee for him. With a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.37 in the Premier League last season to go along with his unadventurous style of play, supporters should be gutted if he did arrive at Villa Park for £30m.

Therefore, they should be happy to hear that no offer has gone in for him at this moment in time.

AND in other news, Forget Smith-Rowe: Villa must land “fantastic” £39k-p/w wizard, fans would love it…

Aston Villa could sign a real upgrade on Anwar El Ghazi this summer by landing Bournemouth star Arnaut Danjuma.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Dean Smith’s side are one of the clubs interested in signing the Cherries winger this summer, with the Midlands club already making an enquiry.

According to the print edition of The Sun, 18/07, p61, (via Football League World), the Championship club are demanding a fee in the region of £35m to part ways with the Netherlands international.

Huge upgrade on El Ghazi

Given that he predominantly plays on the left, but is also capable of playing out wide on the right and through the middle too, as per Transfermarkt, Danjuma would presumably be most in competition with El Ghazi for a place in the starting line-up.

When you compare their numbers last season, it’s the Bournemouth man who comes out on top by far. Danjuma netted an impressive 17 times in 37 games for the Cherries across all competitions, while he also managed eight assists and was one of the key reasons behind his team making it into the play-offs – in his last 13 matches of the regular Championship season, he scored nine goals and set up another five.

El Ghazi, on the other hand, managed ten goals, and was very streaky in terms of his form, blowing hot and cold at varying stages of the season – not the kind of consistency that Smith will want heading into the new Premier League campaign.

As per WhoScored, the Cherries winger also averaged more key passes, dribbles and crosses per game than El Ghazi, while he was also fouled more times per match – a real indication of the kind of influence he had in trying to lead the Bournemouth attack.

Jonathan Woodgate, Danjuma’s former boss at Bournemouth, said: “He’s an exceptional player, in a really good place at the minute, Arnie. He’s another one who I’ve always done a lot of work on him at his previous clubs, so I knew all about him coming into this role, I knew what type of player he was.

“I know last season that he didn’t really get a run in the Premier League and he maybe found it a bit difficult to get game time, but this season he’s been outstanding. I can only talk of what he’s done under my reign, but at the minute, he’s playing some exceptional football, and what else he is doing is working for the team.”

The £35,000-a-week earner clearly showed with the Cherries last season that he’s more than capable of posing a real threat going forward, and given that Villa have already snapped up another exciting Championship talent in Emi Buendia, they could strike gold again by signing Danjuma.

Meanwhile, Villa must unleash this starlet in the Premier League…

QPR have recently completed a deal to sign Stefan Johansen on a permanent deal from Fulham ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

What’s the story?

Johansen spent the second-half of the 2020/21 season on loan with QPR from Fulham, and went on to make 21 appearances in total for the Championship side.

He evidently made a good impression with the Rs, as they moved swiftly to secure a permanent agreement for his services this summer.

Speaking after his arrival was confirmed, QPR boss Mark Warburton recently labelled Johansen as a ‘huge signing’ that brings ‘quality’ to his team.

“This is a huge signing for us and I am looking forward to seeing Stef back in the blue and white hoops.

“He bring experience, he brings quality, he brings a calmness in high-pressurised moments and he has a mentoring impact n the young players, both on matchday and in training.”

A shrewd move by the Rs

Johansen played a key role in Fulham’s promotion-winning campaign in the 2019/20 season, and was somewhat unlucky not to have featured on a more regular basis for the Cottagers when they were in the Premier League.

The Norwegian midfielder certainly made a positive impact with QPR in his loan spell though, and will be looking to prove to Fulham what they’re missing out on this season.

Johansen had an average rating of 6.79 on Whoscored, which put him joint-sixth on the list amongst the rest of Mark Warburton’s squad, as they finished ninth in the Championship table last term.

With three goals and two assists to his name from his 21 appearances for QPR, he’ll be keen to pick up where he left off, as to will the club’s supporters, who will be delighted to hear that he’d signed a permanent deal with them.

He’s made 147 appearances in total in the Championship, and for a rumoured fee of £450,000, this is a shrewd bit of business by QPR, as they look to add quality to their team ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

It’s no coincidence that their impressive run of form came in the second-half of the season when Johansen was involved, and he’ll be eager to go from strength to strength with them moving forwards.

Fabrizio Romano has shared some further details on Aston Villa’s pending move for Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey.

The Lowdown: Villa’s post

Villa posted on their official Twitter page on Saturday afternoon, revealing they have reached an agreement with the Bundesliga side for the 23-year-old.

A medical and finalising personal terms are still required before he Jamaican officially becomes an Aston Villa player, and Romano has shared when fans can expect a move to go through.

The Latest: Romano’s post

Romano, who has been on the ball this summer when it comes to Villa-related transfers with Emiliano Buendia and Jack Grealish’s possible exit, posted on Twitter on Saturday afternoon regarding Bailey.

The transfer expert believes a deal will cost Villa £30m and are offering Bailey a five-year deal in the Midlands.

He shared some further details on a potential move less than an hour on from Villa’s post, admitting a ‘medical and official announcement next week’ – a significant six-word update.

“Leon Bailey deal will be officially completed next week for £30m to Bayer Leverkusen. Aston Villa are offering Bailey a five-years contract, they’re set to reach the agreement on personal terms too. Medical and official announcement next week. What a deal for Villa.”

The Verdict: Brilliant business

Reports back in April suggested that Villa wanted two wide forwards ahead of the new season, and it seems as if they’ll be getting them in Buendia and Bailey.

Buendia was involved in 32 league goals last season, whereas Bailey contributed to 26 goals in all competitions.

Should Grealish depart for Manchester City in a £100m deal, at least Dean Smith will have two impressive wide men to call upon in Buendia and Bailey and Villa may even look to bring in more creative firepower to possibly replace the club captain.

In other news: ‘That’s a deal breaker’ – Lots of Villa fans go wild at ‘class’ club post. 

Declan Rice has returned to training this week and an encouraging update has emerged on his West Ham future…

What’s the word?

The 22-year-old England international has reportedly turned down two contract offers from the Irons’ hierarchy in recent months and according to the Telegraph, he is expected to reject further attempts as he waits to see if interest from Manchester United or Chelsea leads to anything more serious in terms of a transfer.

However, with the midfielder finally back at Rush Green after a post-Euro 2020 break, it seems that he is very committed to his boyhood club, as revealed by journalist Matt Law.

“Update on Declan Rice who has returned to pre-season training at West Ham. Current situation, despite turning down two contract offers, is it looks like he will start the season in East London – and he will keep giving his all,” he tweeted.

It’s thought that, despite interest from the two aforementioned Premier League giants, Rice is preparing for the new season as the Hammers’ vice-captain.

Moyes’ major boost

Even though the Irons’ £100m valuation of Rice has put off many interested parties, it appears that Rice isn’t forcing an exit at the London Stadium and that’ll come as a massive boost to David Moyes and the fanbase.

Rice is a captain-in-waiting, with West Ham legend Mark Noble due to retire at the end of the season, and that emphasises just how crucial a presence he is in this squad.

WhoScored ranked the £63m-rated powerhouse as Moyes’ fourth-best player in 2020/21 as they secured a spot in the Europa League. Rice topped the charts for interceptions per game (1.8), proving to be a very hard man to bypass in the engine room, whilst he wasn’t far behind for tackles per game (1.8) either.

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His rising influence is further seen by the fact that he averaged more passes per game (47.7) than any other Hammers player, meaning most of their play runs through him at some point and it’s even more impressive that he did so with a team-high 88% accuracy.

At one stage last season, the Hammers’ European dreams looked to be over as they struggled in the absence of Rice.

With the 22-year-old on the treatment table, the East Londoners lost three of four matches before he returned to see out the final three games unbeaten. Again, that merely shows his importance to Moyes as a key cog to their recent success.

Therefore, this latest update from Law is going to hand the 58-year-old one huge boost heading into the new season, which begins in less than two weeks.

For now, it seems like Rice is a West Ham player for the foreseeable future, and that gives them every chance of repeating last season’s success.

AND in other news, Moyes masterclass: West Ham keen on mouthwatering swoop for “dangerous” £18m-rated gem…