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Lee Ryder has shared some inside information on a new potential takeover of Newcastle United.

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, the football journalist has shared that the St. James’ Park faithful have been approached by new buyers from overseas who have enquired about the prospect of buying the North East club if they were to find themselves relegated from the Premier League down to the EFL Championship at the end of the 2020/21 term.

They have also enquired about whether there would be a knockdown in the asking price of Mike Ashley, as low as £50m in one case, and whether that kind of offer would be acceptable for the chief executive of Sports Direct should they go down.

However, his advisors have apparently been irked by those they deem as time wasters given that their fate in the top flight has yet to be decided.

Ashley still views the interest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium in buying the Tyneside club as serious, and ideally wants to sell the Magpies at a top-flight price.

Time to look elsewhere for Newcastle?

With the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) currently off of the table at the moment, it may be time for Ashley to look elsewhere in terms of other potential buyers.

If Steve Bruce’s team were to find themselves relegated, then it is less likely that the KSA group would find the prospect of taking over at the Toon as attractive, and may not want to settle on Ashley’s original asking price if they did still hold an interest.

Nonetheless, the key for NUFC is to avoid getting relegated first of all, which could then lead to a re-evaluation of the takeover process.

In other news, find out what inside claim Liam Kennedy has dropped on the potential takeover here!

Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips and Rodrigo will both be fitÂfor their Premier League clash with Chelsea, The Athletic‘s Phil Hay has confirmed.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side host the Blues on Saturday lunchtime, in what could be an entertaining game to kick-off the weekend’s action.

Leeds have lost four of their last five league games, however, including away to West Ham on Monday night, so they need to return to winning ways as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are unbeaten since Thomas Tuchel took charge in January, highlighting the difficulty of Leeds’ task at Elland Road.

Hay provides key injury update

Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Hay provided an update on the Whites’ injury situation, confirming that Pascal Struijk and Pablo Hernandez would both be unavailable, but providing a promising 12-word message on Phillips and Rodrigo: “Phillips and Rodrigo came through the West Ham game without any issues.”.

Jamie Shackleton is also back, while Robin Koch could play for the Under-23s on Monday, as they host Newcastle United’s youngsters.

Big boost for Bielsa

There is certainly good and bad news in the injury department, but Phillips and Rodrigo being available is a massive lift for Bielsa.

Although they were beaten by the Hammers, Phillips’ return allows everyone else in the defence to play their natural positions rather than shifting around to cover his absence, while Patrick Bamford was isolated in the games Rodrigo missed.

Leeds will have their work cut out picking up a win against an in-form Chelsea side, but they held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw at Elland Road earlier in the season, showing they can certainly compete with the best if their top players are fit and firing.

In other news, pundit tips Leeds toÂhijack £15m striker swoop!

Liverpool could be set to bolster their attacking options with the signing of PSV hitman Donyell Malen.

According to Calciomercato, the Reds are interested in the prospect of swooping for the Dutchman at some point in the near future in what would be an excellent transfer.

A product of the Arsenal youth set-up, Malen has thrived in his time back in his home country.

He has made 108 appearances in all competitions for the club since his arrival in 2017, netting 50 goals and providing a further 22 assists.

The 22-year-old is also in the midst of his most lethal season thus far, having struck 14 times in the Eredivisie.

His quality has also come to the fore on the European stage, too, hitting five goals in just eight UEFA Europa League appearances in 2020/21.

Should he presumably play second-fiddle to current first-choice Anfield forward Roberto Firmino, he will certainly be a better prospect than Divock Origi.

Throughout this season, Malen has averaged 3.4 shots per game, 0.8 key passes, and 1.3 dribbles per match according to WhoScored. The fact that he is confident enough to consistently try his luck and take players on only bodes well for a Liverpool side usually famed for its attacking style of football.

When compared to Malen, Origi’s number almost pale into insignificance. Albeit in limited opportunities this season under Jurgen Klopp, the Belgian is averaging just 0.7 shots, 0.3 key passes and 0.1 dribbles per game.

Last week, Neil Jones of Goal reported that Origi is for sale this summer and if he does leave, then Malan could be the ideal replacement.

The stats indicate that the Dutchman would certainly improve Liverpool’s squad and rated at just £22.5m, it is certainly an affordable and attractive deal.

After all, having signed the likes of Luis Suarez and cult hero Dirk Kuyt from Ajax and Feyenoord respectively, Malen could well become another Eredivisie success story on Merseyside.

AND in more news, read our evaluation of Mo Salah’s awful performance in the Reds’ 1-0 defeat at the hands of Fulham…

Barry Fry has exclusively told Football FanCast that he doesn’t believe Daniel Levy will regret appointing Jose Mourinho if Tottenham fail to win a trophy this season.

The Spurs chairman made the decision to sack the popular Mauricio Pochettino back in November 2019, before replacing him with the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United manager in a bid to break Tottenham’s long wait for a trophy.

However, the north London crashed out of the Europa League in embarrassing fashion on Thursday evening, losing 3-0 to Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb, less than two months after exiting the FA Cup, meaning their only chance of silverware this season is in next month’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.

Tottenham are also six points off the top-four, and are in serious danger of not only missing out on the Champions League places, but European football altogether.

Despite their poor form under Mourinho, Peterborough’s director of football doesn’t think that Levy will see his decision to hire Mourinho as a bad one.

He told Football FanCast:

“Knowing Daniel, I don’t think that he ever thinks he makes a bad decision. Everybody was surprised when he made that appointment.

“But Daniel has built one of, if not the best stadium in the world at Tottenham now, it’s unbelievable. I’ve been a few times, and I’m always ‘wow, wow, wow’. So Daniel has done absolutely brilliant, because that was his brainwave, and everybody is grateful for that.

“But Tottenham fans also want to see an entertaining team on the pitch and they want to see a trophy. But they’ve got a chance of a trophy, so if they get a trophy then he will be god again.”

Tottenham return to Premier League action in desperate need of three points against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday evening.

After a long, long wait, Leeds United finally ended their London hoodoo with a 2-1 victory over Fulham in the Premier League on Friday night.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side had a wretched record in the capital heading into the clash at the capital, having lost 13 of their past 14 games there in all competitions.

However, goals from Patrick Bamford and Raphinha were enough to ensure the trip back north was a far more positive one this time around, with the Whites now heading into the international break in much better spirits.

One man who arguably outshone Bamford, though, was Diego Llorente.

After missing a large part of the season through injury, the £18m-rated Spain international is finally beginning to show why Leeds brought him in last summer, with the centre-back now having played the full 90 minutes in the past five games in the top flight.

His performance against the Cottagers on Friday was one of his best, completely dominating Fulham’s front men and once again showing why he appears to be a perfect, ball-playing centre-back for Bielsa.

As per Sofascore, Llorente completed 88% of his passes on the night, which was by far the highest of any starter for Leeds, and found a team-mate with four out of his six attempted long balls.

That extra bit of composure in bringing the ball out of defence shone through for the Whites, while he also stuck to his task defensively. Only Gjanni Alioski won more than his seven duels, while his tally of four tackles was the second-highest of any Leeds player (Sofascore).

Writing in his post-match player ratings, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross gave the Spaniard a seven, saying: “Took Josh Maja out of the game and forced him off at the break. Aleksandar Mitrovic was similarly impotent. Reading the game so well and acting on it. Assertive in breaking out from the backline too.”

In a post-game tweet, the BBC’s Adam Pope raved about Leeds’ display and hailed Llorente in particular as being “imperious”.

While Bamford may have been involved in both goals, the 27-year-old’s calmness at the back was vital to ensuring that Fulham barely laid a glove on Leeds – even with the scoreline remaining so close at 2-1, Scott Parker’s side only managed two shots on target in the entire second half despite trying to chase an equaliser.

Llorente’s return to fitness has been a welcome boost for Bielsa, and his performances in recent weeks must surely have Leeds fans nodding in approval too.

Meanwhile, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa should urge a move for this Premier League star…

Liverpool loanee Harry Wilson sent Jurgen Klopp a message with another brilliant performance for Wales against Belgium on Wednesday evening.

Despite Wales eventually falling to defeat thanks to goals from Kevin de Bruyne, Thorgan Hazard and Romelu Lukaku, it was another productive evening for the 24-year-old, who opened the scoring as he polished off a fantastic team move in just the 10th minute of the game.

It was an impressive showing from the Reds’ midfielder to add to his eye-catching numbers for adoptive employers Cardiff City throughout the season – form that should see him be awarded a place in the Liverpool first-team set-up.

In 32 appearances in the Welsh capital so far after joining on-loan in the summer, Wilson has managed to score four times and provided 10 assists in all competitions. Only striker Kieffer Moore has contributed more for the Bluebirds this season – emphasising Wilson’s importance to the team this season.

Ironically, these numbers are only slightly worse than fellow Reds’ loanee Harvey Elliott, who too is earning rave reviews for his displays in the second tier for Blackburn Rovers.

Wilson’s campaign though is the latest in a long line of impressive seasons away from Anfield though.

He previously had eye-catching spells with Hull City and Derby County in the Championship, scoring 25 goals over a season-and-a-half in all competitions – a remarkable count for a wide player.

He then carried that form into his next loan move with Bournemouth in the Premier League.

Wilson scored seven goals in his first-ever top-flight campaign and despite the Cherries suffering relegation, suitably impressed.

It was expected upon his return to Anfield that he was going to stake a claim in the first team. He made just one Carabao Cup appearance though before departing for Cardiff.

Wilson, who is now valued at £14.4m, will hope that both of his form for the Bluebirds and on the international stage is enough for Klopp to sit up, take notice and finally give him an opportunity that he is certainly deserving of.

Elliott has been getting a lot of buzz for his performances at Blackburn, but Wilson is proving himself to be just as capable, if not more, than the teenager.

AND in more news, Reds’ fans have been discussing the prospect of signing Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland…

According to Football Insider, a Lilywhites source has lifted the lid on Daniel Levy’s plan for a ‘major summer rebuild’ at Tottenham as he makes a Jose Mourinho decision – with the chairman looking set to give him another year at the helm.

Mourinho, who has been under mounting pressure recently, with numerous managerial candidates linked to potentially succeeding him, will apparently be given another season at Spurs according to this report.

Tottenham source lifts lid on Levy plan

Indeed, a Tottenham source close to the club has apparently lifted the lid on Levy’s decision on Mourinho which doesn’t involve an untimely sacking as the chairman plots to give his pet project another chance to succeed next year.

It is said that only a ‘catastrophic’ end to the season would force Levy into changing his mind, but Football Insider are unclear as to what defines that sort of finish to 2020/2021.

Levy is reportedly prepared to back Mourinho in what is expected to be a ‘major summer rebuild’ – which would enable the Spurs boss to have more time to build his own team.

The alleged cost of sacking him, not to mention his track record of being able to ‘churn out results’, are apparently big factors in Levy’s call to stick with the under-fire manager.

Time will tell whether this stance changes, but as it stands, Levy looks set to back Mourinho.

In other news: Tottenham will make a move for this star, find out more here.

Looking at the situation of Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey, Italian national newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) have touted Tottenham Hotspur as a possible move for the former Premier League star alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Ramsey could ‘say goodbye’ to the Serie A giants this summer if they receive a ‘tempting offer’, as La Gazzetta explain, and Tottenham are one of his possible suitors.

Tottenham touted as possible move for Ramsey

Indeed, the Old Lady reportedly wish to offload certain players to fund audacious transfer swoops for the likes of Manuel Locatelli, with Ramsey and French star Adrien Rabiot the most likely to be sold this summer (Calciomercato).

La Gazzetta back up those claims, stating Juventus could make up to €50 million (£42.5 million) off the two players.

Juve have set a price tag of around €20m (£17m) for the 30-year-old, and it is also stated that the Wales international is ‘more likely to return to the Premier League’, but only time will tell whether it is Daniel Levy who takes them up on that price tag.

Transfer Tavern take

Mesut Ozil, speaking in a Q&A on Twitter just before Christmas, lauded his former teammate as an ‘amazing player’ – but perhaps he would be too big of a risk in this financial climate.

Arguably past his peak at 30, alongside his price tag, Ramsey also earns a reported €7 million-per-season (£5.9 million) according to Calciomercato, which roughly translates to around €146,000-per-week (£124,000-per-week).

Given Tottenham’s need for a centre-back, signing the former Gunner could be an unnecessary gamble with valuable resources.

In other news: Tottenham are set to battle for this striker, find out more here.

There were high hopes when Southampton broke their transfer record to sign winger Sofiane Boufal from LOSC Lille in 2016 but unfortunately, like many other recent signings at the South Coast club, it proved to be an extremely poor signing from both a footballing and financial perspective.

The Saints hierarchy, namely executive director Les Reed, paid £16m to sign the Moroccan international following an impressive season in France, where he contributed 11 goals and four assists in 29 Ligue 1 appearances.

However, his time at Southampton proved to be an unmitigated disaster, as he managed just five goals and five assists in 84 appearances for the club.

It wasn’t as if Boufal wasn’t given regular opportunities to impress, as he made more than 20 Premier League appearances in all of the seasons he spent with the Saints, although he did have to play under four different managers in Mark Hughes, Claude Puel, Mauricio Pellegrino and Ralph Hasenhuttl, which may go some way towards explaining his poor performances.

However, the tricky winger failed to average above a 6.7 rating for his performances in any of the three seasons he spent at Southampton, although he did show some signs of improvement in a loan spell at Celta Vigo in 2018/19.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/southampton-saints-ralph-hasenhuttl-martin-semmens-st-marys” title=”Latest Southampton news, transfer rumours and more”]

There was never any doubt that Boufal possessed a lot of talent, with the Moroccan scoring an extraordinary solo goal against West Brom in 2017 that was later the winner of the Premier League goal of the season award, however, he wasn’t able to produce these moments of magic consistently in a Southampton shirt.

The winger would make 20 league appearances for the Saints last season, in which he would manage no goals and two assists, and despite his contract having another year to run, the club were more than happy to get him off the wage bill by allowing the 27-year-old to rejoin his old side Angers SCO on a free transfer last summer.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

That was the final nail in the coffin for Boufal’s time on the South Coast, with his performances on the pitch in no way justifying the fee that Southampton paid, whilst their decision to let him leave for nothing emphasises just how desperate they were to be rid of him.

To let a £16m signing leave for nothing merely highlights how big a disaster that Reed decision was in 2016.

And, in other news… Saints must swoop for £26m-rated “Rolls Royce” who is “rotting away” at a PL rival

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to latest claims regarding Gini Wijnaldum, mocking the report and urging the club to move him on.

The 30-year-old has been a great servant for the Reds, arriving from Newcastle United in 2016 and being a key man ever since. Wijnaldum has made 229 appearances for Liverpool in his five seasons at Anfield, highlighting both his availability and consistency for the club.

The Dutchman’s performance levels have diminished this season, however, and there have been constant question marks surrounding his future, with his current Reds deal expiring at the end of the campaign.

According to Abendzeitung, Bayern Munich have turned down to opportunity to sign Wijnaldum this summer, instead switching their attention to Borussia Monchengladbach’s Florian Neuhaus. It is claimed that the Liverpool midfielder was offered to the European champions, but they opted against bringing him to the Allianz Arena.

Liverpool fans call for Wijnaldum to leave

The saga appears to be getting too much for some Reds supporters, who provided their thoughts on the situation on Twitter.

“Someone take him”

Credit: @lfcgerrard17

“Half wage for ghosting and half for side passes who would want him anyway”

Credit: @Sk8erboi008

“Gini’s gonna end up at Inter. They are the only ones running a PL Retirement Home”

Credit: @visheshpraani

“Not surprised…”

Credit: @01mJulian

“Bayern Munich, bro help us out”

Credit: @lfcthijs

“Will end up in Turkey”

Credit: @TheJackallllll1

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to new claims surrounding Mohamed Salah’s Reds future. Read more here.