Liverpool

Liverpool

Premier League • England

Transfer Gossip: Liverpool tipped to secure signing of Prem ace as Man Utd, Arsenal issued warning over Klopp plan; Newcastle eye surprise Leeds raid

Youri Tielemans and Harvey Barnes

Liverpool have been labelled ‘dark horses’ in the three-club chase for a Premier League midfielder, Newcastle are hoping to sign a Leeds youngster, while Saturday’s Transfer Gossip claims Bournemouth could bring in a shock manager.

LIVERPOOL COULD WIN RACE FOR YOURI TIELEMANS

One journalist thinks Liverpool must be considered ‘dark horses’ when it comes to the potential capture of Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans.

The Belgian has long been tipped for a transfer to one of England’s elite clubs but so far this hasn’t materialised.

Leicester have shown reluctance to let him go and have attempted to sort out a new contract. But Tielemans does not want to agree fresh terms at the King Power and is gunning for a move away from the Foxes in 2023.

The midfielder has two options. He can join one of the three interested clubs – Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United – for a cut-price fee in January.

This would be a good option for Leicester as they would make some money back on their record signing. Reports have suggested this kind of move may be worth £20-25m.

Alternatively, Tielemans can run down his Leicester deal completely and leave as a free agent at the end of the season. This would set up a scramble between Liverpool, Arsenal and Man Utd as they would have the chance to land one of the Prem’s best midfielders for no transfer fee.

According to a recent report from 90Min, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is eager to bolster his squad with two midfield signings in January. He would like Tielemans to arrive at the Emirates alongside Palmeiras starlet Danilo.

However, Arteta is at risk of losing out on Tielemans. According to journalist Paul Brown, Liverpool cannot be ruled out when it comes to the 25-year-old’s next move and Jurgen Klopp’s plan is to sign him on a free.

During an interview with GiveMeSport, Brown said: “A dark horse to watch out for here his Liverpool. I would not be surprised at all if we saw Liverpool make a move for Tielemans as a free agent.”

Man Utd are also big admirers of Tielemans. But they are in less need of a midfielder than Arsenal or Liverpool after signing both Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in the summer.

Boss Erik ten Hag still wants another midfielder adding to his squad next year. But he will be hoping to reunite with Frenkie de Jong most likely, rather than sign Tielemans.

Therefore, it looks like Arsenal and Liverpool will go head-to-head for the Leicester man in the near future.

LEEDS DEFENDER APPEARS ON NEWCASTLE RADAR

The Daily Mail claim Newcastle are keeping tabs on Leeds right-back Cody Drameh and could launch a move for him this winter.

Drameh spent the second half of last season on loan at Championship outfit Cardiff. And he impressed during 22 appearances for the club, helping them finish 18th in the second tier.

Drameh, 20, is now back at Elland Road. However, he is not picking up anywhere near as much game time as he did last season.

Jesse Marsch has only handed him two outings, with one of them coming in the Carabao Cup against Barnsley.

It is clear Drameh isn’t really in Marsch’s thoughts right now. The American coach can rely on Rasmus Kristensen and Luke Ayling on the right side of defence. Stuart Dallas is also in the squad, though he is recovering from a long-term injury.

Leeds staff rate Drameh highly and believe he can force his way into the starting eleven in the future. But the Whites are at risk of losing the England U21 international to a Prem rival.

Newcastle are supposedly monitoring Drameh’s situation and could submit a bid for him if he comes onto the market.

The Magpies are searching for a young right-back to eventually replace Kieran Trippier, who is now 32 years old.

They have previously targeted Harrison Ashby of West Ham but were warned off him. And this has seen Drameh come into sight.

The report doesn’t reveal how much Drameh might cost. But with his Leeds contract expiring in 2024, it shouldn’t be a huge sum.

BOURNEMOUTH TO MAKE SHOCK MANAGERIAL APPOINTMENT?

Bournemouth have held talks with former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa about becoming their new head coach, according to reports.

Bielsa took the reigns at Leeds in July 2018 and guided them back into the top flight. He even helped them finish in the Prem’s top 10 during the 2020-21 campaign.

However, the Argentine struggled to get the best out of his players the following year and they began to concede a shocking amount of goals.

As such, the Leeds board had to make a change and replaced Bielsa with Marsch in February of this year.

Bielsa has been out of work ever since. Few thought he would return to England in a managerial role, but that is now a possibility.

Sky Sports reveal Bournemouth have taken part in discussions with Bielsa. And the talks have been ‘positive’ too, suggesting the Cherries could well make him Scott Parker’s replacement.

Bournemouth have decided against appointing interim boss Gary O’Neil as the long-term manager. It seems they want a more experienced coach to take the reigns.

Bielsa fits into this bracket, having taken charge of clubs in Argentina, France and Spain, among others.

While the move would be a relative coup for Bournemouth, some of their fans may have reservations about Bielsa’s style of play. The 67-year-old refused to stop using his attacking style during his final months at Leeds and this is one of the reasons he lost his job, as they were so open at the back.

Leeds fans would be extremely disappointed to see Bielsa join another English side. He is viewed as a hero at Elland Road for ending Leeds’ long wait for Premier League football.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are reportedly in a battle with West Ham to sign a midfielder billed as the next Paul Pogba.