Leeds United Plotting Move For England International

With just over a week to go in the summer transfer window, Leeds United are eyeing up a move for former Liverpool and Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, according to TeamTalk.

The Lilywhites have had a subpar start to the 2023/24 campaign, drawing twice and losing once across their three games so far, leaving supporters worried about the season ahead.

New signing Ethan Ampadu and academy product Archie Gray have started together in the middle of the park at Elland Road thus far but it looks as though head coach Daniel Farke is keen to add more quality to his midfield department.

TeamTalk are reporting that the Yorkshire club have asked Nottingham Forest about the availability of Shelvey who has fallen out of favour at the City Ground under manager Steve Cooper after joining from Newcastle United in January.

Shelvey, a former England international, helped guide the Magpies to promotion back to the Premier League during the 2016/17 season and has a wealth of experience which could benefit Farke’s young squad.

This summer, Leeds have seen Tyler Adams, Marc Roca, Weston McKennie, and Adam Forshaw leave the club but little has been done to replace the departing players.

The 31-year-old has made just eight appearances for Forest over the past seven months and the Tricky Trees are now open to listening to offers for the experienced midfielder.

Back in April, The Sun reported that Shelvey had been sent home by manager Cooper for ‘throwing his toys out of the pram’ after being left out of the starting lineup in a 3-2 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield and now the ex-Swansea City star is being pushed out the exit door.

Writer’s View

Shelvey’s move to Nottingham Forest seemed ideal at the time but it looks as though the rapport between himself and the head coach soured pretty quickly.

However, Shelvey still has an abundance of quality and experience and could be a very astute signing for Leeds United as they look to turn results around quickly.

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Liverpool rivals round-up: Manchester City is trying to sign a player who toured the Reds’ training ground, while Manchester United faces a three-way transfer fight.

It was a mixed weekend for Liverpool’s rivals in the Premier League. As the Reds beat Bournemouth 3-1 to climb into the top four, two other members of the ‘big six’ fell to defeat.

Manchester United followed up a highly unconvincing 1-0 victory over Wolves in its opener with a 2-0 defeat at Spurs, one that laid bare the work Erik ten Hag’s side still has to do before the end of the transfer window.

Meanwhile, Chelsea went down 3-1 to West Ham on Sunday even though the Hammers were playing with 10 men for the final quarter of the game. Moisés Caicedo, who came off the bench to make his Chelsea debut after snubbing Liverpool in favor of a Premier League-record move to Stamford Bridge, gave away a penalty in a nightmare start.

Meanwhile, Chelsea went down 3-1 to West Ham on Sunday even though the Hammers were playing with 10 men for the final quarter of the game. Moisés Caicedo, who came off the bench to make his Chelsea debut after snubbing Liverpool in favor of a Premier League-record move to Stamford Bridge, gave away a penalty in a nightmare start.

On the flip side, reigning champion Manchester City made it two wins to two, prevailing 1-0 in a much-anticipated clash with Newcastle thanks to a Julian Álvarez goal.

Here, Liverpool.com takes a scan around the other big sides in the Premier League and around Europe to take a look at the news going on at the other clubs.

Man City in Jérémy Doku transfer talks

Manchester City is in talks with Ligue 1 outfit Rennes over a deal for Jérémy Doku, according to Sky Sports News. Fabrizio Romano has since reported that the deal is done for a fee of $65m (£51m/€60m).

Pep Guardiola wants a replacement for Riyad Mahrez, who left to join Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli earlier in the summer, and has identified Doku as a leading candidate.

Fellow English club West Ham made an unsuccessful bid for the Belgian earlier in the window but doesn’t currently intend to improve its offer after being alerted to Manchester City’s interest.

Liverpool.com says: This could be a case of the one that got away for Liverpool. The player’s father himself revealed that the Reds made a big push to sign him back in 2018, inviting him to the Melwood training ground and arranging a meeting with club legend Steven Gerrard.

Ultimately, Doku chose to stay with Belgian club Anderlecht before moving to Rennes in 2020. Still only 21, he’s scored 12 goals and provided 10 assists for the club in 92 appearances so far, and Manchester City clearly believes he has the potential to become an elite player in his position under Pep Guardiola.

Manchester United wants Marco Verratti

Manchester United and Bayern Munich have both joined the race to sign Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti, as per L’Équipe (translated by Get French Football News).

PSG manager Luis Enrique and director Luis Campos have told Verratti that he’s free to leave the club before the end of the transfer window, and he was left out of the matchday squad for the 1-1 draw with Toulouse this weekend.

Verratti had reached an agreement with Al Ahli but no deal between the clubs has materialized, raising hopes that United or Bayern will be able to swoop in for the $65m (£51m/€60m)-rated talent.

Liverpool.com says: This has clear echoes of Liverpool’s move for Bayern Munich superstar Thiago back in 2020. There’s no denying that Verratti has been one of the best midfielders in Europe in recent years, making the Ligue 1 team of the season a whopping seven times, reaching a Champions League final in 2020 and winning the European Championships with Italy, but his injury record has to be a big concern.

As per Transfermarkt, he’s missed nearly 150 games during his career, and for double the price of Thiago, he would represent a much bigger risk. This is one best avoided for Ten Hag but Manchester United does not always make sensible transfer decisions.