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Liverpool were held to a dour 0-0 draw by Manchester United on Sunday.

The Reds knew that victory at Old Trafford would take them three points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table but they were unable to take advantage of Pep Guardiola’s side playing in the Carabao Cup final.

Instead, their front three of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino drew a blank, with the latter substituted in the first half after appearing to hurt his ankle.

The result means that Liverpool are now just a point clear of Guardiola’s men. Their destiny is still in their own hands as they attempt to win their first league title of this century, but the dropped points inevitably qualify as a setback – especially against a United side severely weakened by injuries.

Many Reds fans are worried about the prospect of the run-in after a performance that was short on attacking threat and which featured a worrying injury to a top player.

Take a look at some of the best reaction on Twitter below!

As per Torino Granata, a promising update has now emerged on Tottenham Hotspur’s plans to sign Torino defender Gleison Bremer.

The Lowdown: Spurs in centre-half hunt?

Lilywhites boss Antonio Conte and Spurs transfer chief Fabio Paratici have been tipped to raid Serie A for talent, with centre-backs especially appearing to be on the agenda.

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The likes of Stefan de Vrij and Matthijs de Ligt are two big defensive names to be linked with a move to north London recently, while Bremer of Torino is another one to have emerged.

Praised as one of the Italian top flight’s best performers and a standout in the division so far this term (Calciomercato) – he has the fifth-highest performance rating of all Serie A players in 2021/22 as per WhoScored metrics – Spurs have apparently let their interest be known as Torino Granata provide the latest.

The Latest: Spurs ‘pressing’ insistently…

As per the Italian source, Tottenham’s ‘pressing’ for the Brazilian has become ‘insistent’, with Conte personally adding Bremer to his list of targets for next season.

Torino president Urbano Cairo, who is keen to avoid the prospect of losing him on a free deal akin to Andrea Belotti potentially, is now ‘already listening to possible proposals’ for his centre-back as Bremer’s contract expires in 2023.

That’s where Spurs come in, as they now push hard to meet the 24-year-old’s asking price. Cairo has apparently requested ‘over €20 million (£17.1m)’, a figure which Spurs can ‘reach’ according to this report.

The Verdict: Get it done…

A mooted fee of £17.1m is nothing short of a bargain for a player of Bremer’s calibre, form and age, so we strongly advise Paratici to back Conte with his signing.

According to WhoScored, the Brazilian has averaged an incredible 3.7 interceptions per 90, almost double that of Tottenham’s highest interceptor Sergio Reguilon, thus highlighting Bremer’s real tenacity in defence.

In another incentive, out of all Spurs’ regulars with more than one start, only Eric Dier has averaged more clearances per match (4.3) in that time than Bremer (4.2). In terms of aerial duels, Torino’s mainstay has made more on average than any Lilywhites player, and it’s clear that his colossal presence could be a real asset to Conte.

Described as ‘strong’ and ‘powerful’ by Italian football expert Conor Clancy (via Football FanCast), this could be a very shrewd move by Tottenham if they can execute it.

In other news – Talks ongoing: Spurs in contact to sign ‘incredible’ £29.9m man, club open to temporary deal, find out more here

With deals for Lucas Digne, Philippe Coutinho and Robin Olsen completed so far in this current January transfer window, Aston Villa have not been reluctant in bringing new players in to help strengthen Steven Gerrard’s side.

However, it seems as though one reported transfer target may not be making the move to Villa Park anytime soon.

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports (via Birmingham Live), despite recent reports from elsewhere suggesting otherwise, Villa are apparently not interested in signing Atletico Madrid and former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez.

In 682 club appearances throughout his career, the 34-year-old has managed to rack up an impressive 433 goals and 240 assists, proving himself as one of the deadliest strikers over the past few years.

A big mistake for Lange

During his time at Liverpool where he played 95 games alongside Gerrard, Suarez made a total of 113 appearances across all competitions, scoring 82 goals and providing 47 assists along the way, showing the sort of Premier League experience that he’d be able to offer this Villa side as well as a winning mentality having taken home numerous trophies in his career.

Taking into account what Suarez would be able to offer Villa on and off the pitch under Gerrard’s management, it could be a real mistake for Johan Lange if he refuses to work out a deal to bring the Uruguay international back to the Premier League with the Midlands club.

Even though he would become Villa’s second-oldest player below Ashley Young if he were to join either this month or in the next summer transfer window when his current contract at Atletico runs out, it could well be worth the risk if Gerrard can get the best from him, scoring goals for Villa on a regular basis as he did during his Liverpool days.

If by the time the summer transfer window opens and Villa aren’t satisfied with having just Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings as their senior strike options, they should definitely reconsider their current apparent stance on Suarez and see if he would be willing to make a return to the Premier League under his former teammate.

In other news: Gerrard can finally axe £46k-p/w dud as AVFC eye bid for “extraordinary” £9m-rated gem – opinion

Journalist Pete O’Rourke says that he ‘could see’ Celtic bringing in further attacking reinforcements before the window is out.

He was discussing The Hoops’ January transfer business with GiveMeSport.

The lowdown

Celtic have made four signings so far this month, shelling out a total of £2.2m. In addition to midfielders Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi, they’ve recruited Daizen Maeda, who can play as a left winger and through the middle, and centre-forward Johnny Kenny.

It is worth noting, though, that the latter is only 18 years old and is making a step-up from the League of Ireland (ranked 40th in Europe) to the Scottish Premiership (ranked ninth), so he may not be expected to make an impact at first-team level straight away.

The latest

O’Rourke alluded to how Celtic’s plethora of injuries, particularly among their forward players, has perhaps led to summer signing Jota being overburdened, but he believes the club could address that by doing further business in the remaining two weeks of the transfer window.

He told GiveMeSport: “I could see that being the case, that Celtic are looking to strengthen (in attack). Obviously, we know that they’ve had lots of injury problems this season.

“James Forrest has been in and out of the side, Mikey Johnson struggled as well. So, a lot of it’s been down to Jota, who is just recovering from injury himself.”

The verdict

Who could the next attacking addition possibly be?

One name to have been linked with a move to Celtic is Shabab Al-Ahli’s Mehdi Ghayedi. Varzesh Seh have reported that Ange Postecoglou is very keen to land the Iranian forward, who has been labelled an ‘extraordinary killer’.

The 23-year-old, who is valued at just shy of £1.1m by Transfermarkt, can play across the frontline, offering tremendous versatility. Also, with 41 career goals to his name, he could be a smart signing for the club if they can bring him in.

Given the injury issues that O’Rourke has mentioned, Celtic could do worse than further reinforcing their attacking ranks while they are getting the chance this month.

In other news, Celtic have taken this bold contractual step

Taking to Twitter, Marco Conterio, chief editor of TUTTOmercatoWEB, has shared transfer news out of Tottenham involving AC Milan star Franck Kessie.

The Lowdown: Tottenham target…

The Ivory Coast star has been a name long linked with a move to north London as his Milan deal continues to wind down.

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Kessie is free to leave as a free agent at the end of 2021/2022 as things stand but the Rossoneri could still make a profit off his sale if they find a buyer for him before 11pm tonight.

Tottenham have been one of the big clubs tipped to make that happen throughout January but reporter Conterio has now shared a fresh update on Twitter.

The Latest: Tottenham table Ndombele swap deal proposal…

According to the Italian journalist, Tottenham tried to insert club record signing Tanguy Ndombele in a last minute swap deal proposal to sign Kessie.

However, Milan’s response to this offer was a swift no as Ndombele now nears a move to Lyon.

“Background on Tanguy Ndombele finished at Lyon on loan for 3 million with right of redemption,” he explained.

“Tottenham tried to insert him in a proposal to get Franck Kessie right away. No from Milan to Spurs.”

The Verdict: Blow…

The 25-year-old would’ve been a fine last minute move for Antonio Conte and transfer chief Fabio Paratici – especially going by his obvious quality and glowing endorsements.

Kessie’s manager, Stefano Piolo, has labelled the player ‘sumptuous’ – with his 19 goals since the beginning of 2019/2020 coming as further evidence of his threat going forward.

Valued at around £43.2 million by Transfermarkt, Spurs could have feasibly signed him for a much cheaper fee if Milan opted to do business this month, but it appears they’re resigned to losing him on a free later this year.

Perhaps this is one Paratici could revisit in six months time.

In other news: Tottenham enter last gasp bidding war to sign ‘crazy’ player, £16.6m offer made, find out more here.

A number of Manchester United supporters have reacted negatively to the news that Jesse Lingard will see out his contract at Old Trafford.

The 29-year-old has had to settle for a bit-part role at United this season, failing to start a single Premier League game and playing just 88 minutes in the top flight.

Lingard spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham, where he excelled, and he has been linked with a move away once again in the January transfer window.

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According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein on Twitter, the England international will not be moving on next month and will instead remain at United until the end of the season.

At that point, the midfielder’s contract will expire, and he isn’t expected to sign a pre-contract deal with another club before then.

Man United fans unhappy with Lingard latest

These United fans took to Twitter to react to the news, with many slamming Lingard over his apparent lack of ambition and others believing that then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was not ruthless enough by keeping a player who has been on the periphery of the squad.

“£20m thrown away”

Credit: @SkUnited17

“Who does he think he is lol, you aren’t getting in ahead of Bruno and Sancho”

Credit: @_Ruben17

“I blame Ole for this. Lingard should’ve been sold last summer. Now he leaves for nothing”

Credit: @Wilf_Mandela

“Touching 30 and not interested in playing regularly?”

Credit: @DeaneeBoi

“This guy’s motivational level is quite a spectacle, though under Rangnick it’s his best chance of doing this”

Credit: @MrKartShyam

“This guy doesn’t value his career at this point. Just wants to chill with Ronaldo…He can start every week for most teams in the Premier League and walk into the England squad”

Credit: @PMLEGEND

In other news, some United fans are fuming over one exit rumour. Read more here.

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has dropped a claim concerning the future of Tyler Roberts.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by Leeds Live, the 66-year-old suggested that he would not stand in the way of a player’s departure if it was evident that they did not want to remain at the club, although went on to claim that, despite Roberts having fallen down the pecking order in recent weeks, he is keen to keep the 22-year-old at Elland Road ahead of the transfer window.

Concerning the 19-time capped Wales international’s future, Bielsa offered the following hint: “Tyler is also someone who I have accompanied with, with his efforts to get into the team and whilst he continues to have that desire to fight for a place in the team then I will still want him to be here. It is different when a player has the desire to leave. When a player has a desire to leave, there is no point in trying to keep him.”

Time to go

While Bielsa’s comments regarding Roberts’ commitment to the cause are all well and good, whether or not the attacker is good enough to play a regular role in a team of Leeds’ current standing is another matter altogether.

Indeed, over his 13 Premier League appearances so far this season – only one of which has come as a start – the £5.4m-rated man has failed to score a goal, register an assist and has created just one big chance for his side, as well as taking an average of 0.9 shots and making a mere 0.6 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £3.5k-per-week forward average a SofaScore match rating of 6.75, ranking him as Bielsa’s 10th-worst performer in the top flight.

It was a similar story for the player who Gabriel Agbonlahor dubbed “frustrating” last season, with the 22-year-old scoring one goal, providing two assists and earning a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.76 over his 27 Premier League appearances – ranking him as the club’s eighth-worst player in the league.

As such, while it would appear that Roberts’ application is not in question, whether or not the attacker is a top-flight standard player is much more debatable, something that would appear to support the argument of Victor Orta looking to ship the Welshman out in January.

In other news: Radz could be set for colossal LUFC disaster as swoop for “massive” gem is “discussed”

Borussia Monchengladbach’s Denis Zakaria ‘seems [Manchester] United bound’, according to The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece. 

The lowdown

Zakaria will apparently be able to leave Gladbach this month for as little as £6million.

That’s because the 25-year-old’s contract is due to expire at the end of the current season, and it seems that the Bundesliga outfit are looking to cash in while they still can.

Zakaria is a Switzerland international who’s capable of operating as a defensive midfielder and as a centre-back.

Sport Bild journalist Christian Falk says United have ‘made an offer’ to the player’s camp and ‘would pay for a transfer in [the] winter’ rather than waiting until he’s a free agent.

The latest

In a fan Q & A, it was put to Preece that Aston Villa, on the hunt for a midfielder after an injury to Marvelous Nakamba, would ‘surely’ be in for Zakaria given his reported price tag.

But the journalist replied that Zakaria appears to be heading for Old Trafford, and so The Villans might have to focus on landing Brighton and Hove Albion’s Yves Bissouma instead.

The verdict

This update is really exciting for United fans. Data from FBRef.com shows that Zakaria is stylistically similar to West Ham United’s Declan Rice, producing a high volume of interceptions, blocks and dribbles.

Indeed, as of 11 January, only RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol boasted a higher dribbling success rate in the Bundesliga (among those who had attempted 30 or more).

Rice has been labelled a ‘priority target’ for The Red Devils, but David Moyes has indicated that West Ham would demand more than £100million.

Zakaria, who was dubbed ‘incredible’ by his former manager Marco Rose, could be a considered a bargain alternative at just a seven-figure fee.

In other news, fans flocked to this update on a potential outgoing.

Speaking in a Liverpool Q&A, journalist Paul Gorst has shared what he believes on Mohamed Salah’s contract situation at Anfield.

The Lowdown: Talks breakdown…

The Egyptian’s representatives and Liverpool officials recently failed to reach any agreement over an extension to his current deal on Merseyside, throwing his future at the club into question.

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Salah’s contract, as things stand, is set to expire at the end of next season – giving the Reds just two transfer windows to either reach an agreement with the player or opt to sell him for a profit.

The African superstar has been a crucial player for manager Jurgen Klopp this season, standing out as Liverpool’s most threatening player by some distance, leading the side in goals and just one assist from joining Trent Alexander-Arnold at the top of those charts too.

While Klopp has seemingly remained calm over Salah’s stand-off with Liverpool, Gorst has now made a claim that this surely cannot be the case inside the club.

The Latest: Gorst makes behind the scenes claim…

Speaking in a Q&A, when asked about a story which seemingly dominates most headlines coming out of Liverpool, Gorst explained:

“Jurgen Klopp has always projected an air of calm about the situation but there must be some concern behind the scenes that the contract remains unsigned, surely?

“Clearly something isn’t right. I did believe it would be resolved without too much fuss up until a few weeks ago when his agent, Ramy Abbas, started acting the goat on Twitter with the laughing emojis.

“If Salah does want to stay, as he has repeatedly claimed publicly, then FSG have to make sure it happens. A Gini Wijnaldum repeat will not be tolerated by fans.”

The Verdict: Worrying times…

Having Salah at the club for just one more full season would truly be a nightmare scenario for Klopp.

Raking in 20 goals and ten assists this season, Salah eclipses every one of his teammates in terms of shots at goal per 90 (4.3) and also tops every one as Liverpool’s best all-round performer by match rating (7.71, WhoScored).

Losing Salah would surely leave a gaping hole in Liverpool’s forward line, especially on a Bosman, with the ball now firmly being in FSG’s court to ensure he remains a key member of Klopp’s side for years to come.

In other news: Journalist: Liverpool want to sign ‘incredible’ star after he blew away Anfield officials, find out more here.

Leeds United’s return to the Premier League saw them embark on a bit of a spending spree under Marcelo Bielsa, and the Whites’ most high-profile signing was undeniably the capture of Valencia star Rodrigo.

Reports claimed that the Yorkshire club shelled out a club-record sum to bring the Spain international at Elland Road, and almost a couple of years later, it’s quite safe to say things haven’t really worked out for the forward – he’s managed just 12 goals and three assists in 55 games across all competitions for Leeds.

What perhaps makes a move for Rodrigo even worse now on reflection, is that they were actually also attempting to sign Rafael Leao at the same time back in 2020.

Football Insider claimed that the Portugal Leao was of interest to Leeds, although it was suggested that luring him away from the San Siro may prove to be “complicated” as Milan still had “high hopes” for him.

It was added the Whites had made enquiries for the attacker, and that if Milan were going to sell, it would be for nothing less than the £20m they themselves have paid to sign him for French side Lille.

Since that deal failed to come to fruition, Leao has come on leaps and bounds in his time in Serie A.

Now valued at £60m by CIES, the 22-year-old – almost a decade younger than Rodrigo – has really come to the party for Milan this season, bagging 11 goals and providing another six assists in 34 games across all competitions – including notching in the Champions League earlier this year.

The president of Leao’s former club, Lille, Gerard Lopez simply declared him the “Portuguese Mbappe”, while Sporting CP’s former youth coach, Tiago Fernandes, proclaimed: “I pushed (then-Sporting coach) Jorge Jesus to take him in the first team and I said to him: ‘Yes, Gelson Martins has talent but Rafael is the best player in the history of the Sporting Academy’. At youth level, he was better than Cristiano Ronaldo.”

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Dubbed as an “extraordinary talent” by Croatia legend Zvonimir Boban, it’s clear missing out on Leao may rank as one of  Victor Orta’s biggest howlers at Elland Road, especially when you consider how Rodrigo’s career has turned out.

The man with 34 career goals to his name could have been a superstar signing for the Whites up front.

AND in other news: Orta can now axe “awful” £55k-p/w flop as Leeds eye “underrated” £12.5m-rated “threat”