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Liverpool have been dealt a possible blow in their attempts to sign Jude Bellingham, with journalist Graeme Bailey claiming that the 19-year-old could stay at Borussia Dortmund.

The Lowdown: Bellingham on the move?

The Englishman has again stood out for Dortmund this season, scoring four goals in the Champions League, excelling in his all-round game and being called a ‘generational’ talent by journalist Raphael Honigstein.

Bellingham’s future continues to be a huge talking point and Liverpool have long been linked with an audacious move for the 19-year-old, along with many other clubs.

However, a fresh update suggests that those keen on signing the midfielder could have to wait another while longer to get their man.

The Latest: Bellingham could stay at Dortmund

Taking to Twitter in sharing a corresponding article for 90min, Bailey claimed that Dortmund are increasingly confident of keeping Bellingham beyond 2023, even though he has largely been expected to leave at that point.

The reporter tweeted:

“Understand that Borussia Dortmund remain confident that they can keep Jude Bellingham at the club beyond the end of this season.”

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The Verdict: Would be a big surprise

It has almost felt like a given that Bellingham would leave Dortmund at the end of the season, so this update will come as a potential blow to Liverpool and other prospective suitors such as Manchester City and Real Madrid.

That being said, it would seem still a big surprise if the England international decides to stay on at Dortmund, with next summer surely the right time for him to enjoy a fresh challenge at an even bigger and more successful club.

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Liverpool need to keep working hard on a deal for Bellingham – their focus should be on him over anyone else  – with the teenager someone whose energy, quality and general influence could transform the Reds’ ageing and injury-plagued midfield.

Leeds United could unearth their next Joe Gelhadrt in reported transfer target Leon King.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Pete O’Rourke, who stated his belief in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, with Victor Orta known to be actively looking for exciting young talent to add to Jesse Marsch’s squad at Elland Road, the Glasgow Rangers centre-back would be a signing similar to the Spaniard’s 2020 capture of Gelhadrt from Wigan Athletic.

Regarding the Whites’ reported interest in the 18-year-old, the journalist said: “I think he would be of a similar ilk [to Gelhardt]. I think Leon King’s probably played more first-team football than Joe Gelhardt had when he arrived from Wigan. But Leeds are looking at younger players, not just for the first team, but also for the U21s, which is very strong as well, so they are building for the future.”

The next Gelhardt

While it is true that King does not exactly boast a wealth of first-team experience – having so far featured just 19 times for Rangers, the vast majority of which have come this season – considering the hype currently surrounding the defender, it is not difficult to see why Orta would be keen on a deal to bring the teenager to Elland Road.

Indeed, injuries to the likes of Connor Goldson, Filip Helander and John Souttar have forced Giovanni van Bronckhorst to deploy the Scotland U21 international in the heart of his defence in some incredibly crucial games this season, including four of Gers’ Champions League fixtures and six of the club’s Premiership matches.

And, despite the Scottish side having been on the end of some very heavy defeats in Europe’s most prestigious club competition, King has undoubtedly been one of the brightest sparks in Rangers’ Champions League jaunt, making an impressive average of 2.5 tackles, one interception, 2.3 clearances and winning 3.3 duels – at a success rate of 50% – per game.

His performances in Europe have also earned praise from a number of onlookers, with Jurgen Klopp stating his belief that the teenager had a “good game” in Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Gers, while Alex McLeish also praised the £90k-rated talent’s display against the Reds, claiming that King looked “calm and composed” and was “tremendous” against the Premier League outfit.

As such, while the youngster is most certainly still an extremely raw talent, it is undeniable that the centre-back possesses the potential to go on and enjoy an extremely successful career at the very top level of the game, something that could also easily be said of Gelhardt.

Indeed, the 20-year-old forward has already made 30 appearances for the Whites’ first team, scoring two goals and providing four assists along the way, with Phil Hay dubbing the England U21 international as “one of the club’s biggest talents”.

So, should Orta manage to get a deal over the line for King, considering his impressive returns in the Champions League this season, the Scotsman may well just go on to make a similar impact to that of Gelhardt at Elland Road – a prospect that is sure to be incredibly tantalising for both Jesse Marsch and supporters of the club alike.

Scottish champions Celtic are currently marching on in the defence of their league title, having steered themselves four points clear at the top of the table following a barnstorming triumph over Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday.

Amid that dramatic, VAR-dominated clash against Robbie Neilson’s side, striker Giorgos Giakoumakis continued his recent impressive form in front of goal, with the Greek international netting his fourth goal in the past three league games having made the most of his return to the starting XI.

The 27-year-old had been forced to play second fiddle to teammate Kyogo Furuhashi in the early weeks of the season, although is now providing stern competition for his fellow forward, having started the past three Scottish Premiership games.

The former VVV-Venlo man is not the only figure currently looking rejuvenated under Ange Postecoglou, however, with long-serving ace James Forrest having also continued his recent resurgence after netting the opening goal against the Jambos.

That well-taken header had come just a week on from the 31-year-old netting a clinical hat-trick in the 6-1 thrashing of Hibernian at Parkhead, with that treble having brought up a century of goals for the Scotland international since his senior debut back in 2010.

The Hoops academy graduate now looks completely “reborn” at Paradise – in the words of journalist Josh Bunting – with five goals in just eight appearances across all fronts this season so far, having previously been reduced to something of a bit-part role at the club last term.

While the 38-cap speedster still made 32 outings in all competitions during that title-winning campaign, almost half of those had come from the substitutes’ bench, with the Prestwick-born star having lost his place in the forward line amid the arrivals of the likes of Liel Abada, Daizen Maeda and Jota.

As such, there had been potential surprise when the £4.5m-rated ace was handed a new three-year deal back in May, although as Postecoglou has since suggested, that extension was not for “sentimental reasons” with the diminutive ace clearly still having a role to play moving forward.

The 5 foot 9 winger, who earns a reported £19k-per-week, seemingly “put a marker down” with his treble last week – as per ex-Bhoys striker John Hartson – with this latest effort having once again illustrated the player’s continued importance to the Old Firm outfit, going from a somewhat forgotten figure to hero status once again at Parkhead.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri is waiting on a last-minute decision as to whether he will be involved in Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Copenhagen, according to injury analyst Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Rodri’s injury

Ahead of Sunday’s 6-3 demolition in the Manchester derby, the Spain international sustained an injury in the final training session before the game, leading manager Pep Guardiola to leave him out of the match-day squad.

The boss added he did not want to risk the 26-year-old with City’s busy upcoming Premier League schedule ahead of the World Cup taking place in November.

The Latest: Dinnery’s news

Ahead of City’s Champions League fixture against Copenhagen, Dinnery has shared an update on Rodri’s availability.

Taking to Twitter, the injury analyst reported:

“Kyle Walker is out of the Champions League tie with FC Copenhagen. Rodri ‘feels better’ and a decision on his involvement will be made after the final session this afternoon.”

The Verdict: Huge boost

When looking at Rodri’s underlying stats, it is clear to see how important he is to Guardiola’s setup at City.

As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, the midfielder ranks in the top one percent for passes attempted and in the top two percent for pass completion, also ranking in the top six percent for aerials won.

Hailed as an ‘absolutely incredible’ player by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, news of Rodri’s return will come as a relief to City fans, with the defensive midfielder having averaged an impressive 7.20 match rating in the Champions League this year.

Chelsea’s owners ‘did all they could’ to sign West Ham United star Declan Rice over the summer transfer window, according to journalist Simon Phillips.

The Lowdown: West Ham overhaul…

It was quite a busy summer for David Moyes and the east London club as they welcomed a plethora of major signings through the door at Rush Green, including Brazil international Lucas Paqueta in a club-record deal from Lyon.

Along with the South American, Alphonse Areola, Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes, Gianluca Scamacca, Maxwel Cornet, Thilo Kehrer, Emerson put pen to paper on permanent moves to the Premier League club.

However, incomings weren’t the only interesting aspect of West Ham’s transfer business, with links surrounding the future of Rice amid Chelsea’s long-standing interest.

The Latest: Chelsea ‘did all they could’ to sign Rice…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Phillips has now made an interesting claim on the saga.

He explains that Chelsea’s owners personally travelled to the London Stadium in their bid to negotiate a deal for Rice, but it didn’t come to fruition.

Phillips stated of the 23-year-old: “The owners did all they could to try and get him. They went to West Ham, they had conversations about him and I was told that it even went as far as structuring the payments of the deal.”

The Verdict: Warning?

This development perhaps comes as a slight warning for Moyes and West Ham.

Rice’s current contract expires in 2024, and while they have the option to extend it by a further year, the Hammers will need to start becoming competitive in showing to the England star that they can challenge for silverware and Champions League football.

Hailed as ‘sensational’ by members of the media, the Irons will want to do all they can to keep hold of their club captain, who has been their second-highest rated player of a difficult season so far (as per WhoScored).

Celtic defender Josip Juranovic has been linked with a transfer move to English Premier League side Chelsea.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from 90min, the west London club are interested in signing the Hoops full-back this summer.

It’s also thought the impressive defender is on the radar of Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.

Having previously been linked with a move to Atletico Madrid, it seems as though the €4m-rated (£3.3m) defender is a hot prospect for some of Europe’s top clubs and it may only be a matter of time before he leaves.

The Parkhead club signed the right-back during the previous summer transfer window from Legia Warsaw on a five-year deal worth a reported fee of £2.5m.

A big blow for Postecoglou

Throughout his debut season at Celtic Park, the Croatian made 35 appearances in total across all competitions, chipping in with five goals and two assists along the way.

In the 26 league appearances he made, the 26-year-old delivered 98 crosses, made 22 interceptions and won 28 tackles in total, putting him in the top five for each statistic at the Parkhead club.

This shows just how impressive he was from an attacking and defensive point of view, which is undoubtedly why he has caught the attention of Thomas Tuchel’s side.

The defender was praised by Ally McCoist for his “outstanding” performance for the Bhoys in their win against Rangers back in February, demonstrating that not only is he a consistent figure, but he also knows what it takes to perform on the big stage.

He has started both of Celtic’s two SPFL games of the season against Aberdeen and Ross County, during which he’s delivered some consistent performances, supplying five crosses from out wide, while making three interceptions and having two shots at goal, further highlighting his impact in both halves of the pitch.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that Juranovic is a very important member of the squad and if he did depart, it would be a big blow for the Hoops boss.

With the Bhoys also only having Anthony Ralston as their other right-back option, losing Juranovic and putting them at risk of not being able to bring in a suitable replacement would leave the club in somewhat of a predicament.

Thus, Celtic should not be thinking about letting the full-back go this summer unless they receive a transfer fee hefty enough that they wouldn’t be able to refuse. He is simply too important for Postecoglou to lose.

Aston Villa could make a move for former loan star Ross Barkley this summer and a worrying claim has emerged…

What’s the word?

The Midlands outfit have been linked with a move for the Chelsea outcast in recent weeks, having joined the club on loan during the 2020/21 campaign, and according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, manager Steven Gerrard will be well aware of the Englishman’s availability.

He told Football FanCast:

“He’s obviously seemingly out of the picture at Chelsea, I’m sure Chelsea would be open to letting him leave as well.

“I’m sure Steven Gerrard will be well aware of Ross Barkley from his time at Liverpool and aware of just how good of a player he was at Everton as well.”

Supporters will be fuming

This claim isn’t likely to go down well with the Villa Park faithful as Barkley endured a nightmare stint at the club.

It started off pretty well as the 28-year-old bagged in his opening two games but things quickly turned sour. In his subsequent 22 appearances on loan, Barkley failed to deliver more than one goal and one assist before losing his place in the starting lineup under Dean Smith.

His form saw The Athletic’s Gregg Evans relay some doubts over the attacking midfielder as he criticised him on a podcast appearance that campaign.

“He doesn’t do enough for me now. I’ve seen enough of Ross Barkley now to realise that he’s becoming a bit of a liability for Villa. He’s not helping out enough as he should, really,” he said.

Given he is earning wages of around £100k-per-week at Stamford Bridge, it may not be a risk worth taking for Villa, seeing as he has already struggled to make an impact in the Midlands before.

A similar salary would see him rank as Villa’s second-highest earner, and it’s not as if Gerrard needs another playmaker as he has secured Philippe Coutinho on a permanent deal from FC Barcelona.

Since that stint, Barkley’s career has stalled even more – for instance, last season he managed only six Premier League appearances, totalling 175 minutes of action.

That is not what you want to see from a potential incoming signing, so supporters will be hugely concerned, if not fuming, by this latest development.

AND in other news, Villa facing “huge blow” this summer…

Leeds United winger Raphinha is now one step closer to sealing his long-awaited exit from Elland Road…

What’s the word?

It’s believed that a £55m deal has finally been agreed with LaLiga outfit Barcelona for the 25-year-old and that he will now undergo a medical in Spain before finalising the move.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has provided a major update on the situation to supporters on Twitter, where he said:

“Raphinha heading for his medical in Spain today. Deal in place and basically good to go.”

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Time to say goodbye

This update, whilst largely expected, is going to leave many supporters around west Yorkshire absolutely gutted as whatever small hope they had of keeping the Brazil international has now been shattered.

Raphinha has been an electric and exciting talent for the Whites ever since his move from Stade Rennes in 2020. Indeed, much of their attacking fortunes throughout last season hinged on him out on the right flank.

He led Jesse Marsch’s squad for goals scored (11) and in terms of creativity, he also topped the charts, having averaged 1.9 key passes per game, which was a whopping 0.7 more attempts than any other Leeds player, as per WhoScored.

Described as a “magician” and a “storm” by soon-to-be-former teammates Dan James and Illan Meslier, it’s evident that Raphinha will be sorely missed and there is no way of knowing whether new summer singing Luis Sinisterra will step up to the demands of the Premier League so soon.

It comes as another huge blow as Leeds fans have already seen academy graduate Kalvin Phillips swap his boyhood club for the top-flight champions, Manchester City, leaving Marsch without two of last season’s biggest stars.

Some will be glad that this saga is coming towards an end, well in advance of the 2022/23 campaign, but that will not excuse feelings of sadness as Raphinha is arguably one of the most talented players to grace the Elland Road pitch, perhaps since the controversial Eric Cantona.

The 25-year-old, valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, will leave behind a massive void for the American head coach, though it does provide the club with a hefty cash injection.

All in all, Leeds supporters will be gutted by this latest update from Hay but now they can begin to move on and look to the future. It’s bittersweet but the right deal for all parties.

AND in other news, Contact made: Report now reveals big Leeds transfer development…

Rangers appear to be closing in on a move for one of their transfer targets as a price tag for the player has now been set, with the Ibrox club looking to add another forward to their ranks.

What’s the news?

That’s according to The Scottish Sun, which states that the Light Blues will need to stump up £2m in order to enter negotiations to secure the services of Antonio Colak.

This comes after the Gers had an opening bid for the striker rejected by Greek club PAOK, and Giovanni van Bronckhorst now knows how much it will take to land another summer signing after sealing deals for John Souttar and Zak Lovelace.

Colak could be a useful addition

Van Bronckhorst will be looking to add some strength in depth to his attacking options ahead of the new season. Rangers have sold Cedric Itten, with Alfredo Morelos, Fashion Sakala and Kemar Roofe now the only senior forwards at Ibrox.

Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a problem, but with Roofe injury-prone, Sakala extremely unpredictable in terms of his form, and the Colombian striker’s future uncertain, this is an area where a fresh face or two is needed.

Colak could be an excellent signing for Rangers if they can land him. The 28-year-old has previous at Ibrox, scoring twice while on loan at Malmo to knock the Premiership giants out of the Champions League in the qualifying rounds last August.

The German-born Croatia international has netted 126 goals during the course of his senior career and would almost certainly be a threat if he joined Rangers.

Former Ibrox forward Greg Stewart praised the striker for his goalscoring exploits in the Champions League qualifier at Ibrox, saying: “For his first, he worked a nice one-two and then got himself some space in the box, and the finish across Allan McGregor into the bottom corner was superb.

“For the second one, he did a nice turn when he had two men on him and got his shot away. That showed the quality he has.”

There is no doubt about the talents that the striker possesses, and he could be a dream signing for Rangers given their need for a new striker. However, the question is whether Van Bronckhorst will spend £2m to sign him? It could be an interesting few weeks ahead.

AND in other news, Journalist reveals worrying Rangers news which will disappoint supporters

Manchester United chiefs met with the agent of Christian Eriksen in recent days, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Eriksen a free agent

Eriksen is set to become a free agent at the end of the month when his Brentford contract expires. He has impressed back in England with the Bees, contributing to five goals in 11 games as a central midfielder.

The 30-year-old normally plays in an attacking role, though, and was hailed as ‘out of this world’ by Gary Neville for his passing.

David Ornstein stated recently that United have made Eriksen an offer, and Romano has shared what he knows in regards to a possible Old Trafford move.

The Latest: Romano’s comments

Talking to GiveMeSport, Romano shared details of ‘a direct discussion’ with Eriksen’s agent, believing that a move is a ‘possibility’.

However, the transfer expert then name-checked both Brentford and Tottenham as competitors when it comes to Eriksen’s services.

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“With Christian Eriksen, they had a conversation, a direct discussion with his agent Martin Schoots a few days ago, they discussed about a potential contract, so it’s a possibility, but Tottenham and Brentford are also pushing for him to go next season.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

United will have just one senior attacking midfielder on the books in Bruno Fernandes from July, with Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata set to leave.

Therefore, bringing in Eriksen on a free transfer appears to be a no brainer. The Denmark international could even play anywhere in attack for Erik ten Hag if required and would bring bundles of Premier League experience.

A cut-price move for Eriksen may also mean that United can put more money into a deal for primary target Frenkie de Jong, so hopefully, the club can get this one over the line.

In other news: ‘They’ve looked at him’ – talkSPORT man drops huge Man Utd transfer claim involving ‘lethal’ ace.