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Manchester United are thought to be very interested in signing Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund.

The Lowdown: Hojlund profiled

Hojlund is just 20 years of age and is an out-and-out left-footed centre-forward. He made the move to Atalanta over the summer and has contributed to nine goals in 21 games.

The Danish forward has impressed, though, with Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini already saying he has ‘very similar characteristics’ to Erling Haaland and ‘remarkable’ technical quality.

Reporter Sacha Pisani has also labelled Hojlund as ‘scary quick’, and it looks as if those at Old Trafford have joined the race for his services.

The Latest: United interest

Sports Witness relayed a report from Tipsbladet regarding Hojlund in the last 48 hours.

They said that the Red Devils have joined Juventus, AC Milan, Napoli and Real Madrid in the race for his services, with Erik ten Hag on the search for a new striker in the summer.

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The Verdict: Smart move?

A new attacking addition appears to be needed at Old Trafford, with Anthony Martial suffering a number of injury issues in recent months. Meanwhile, Wout Wegorst is only on loan until the summer with no option to make a transfer permanent.

Therefore, signing someone like Hojlund, who has been linked with a number of European giants already, could be a smart move both in the short and long run.

He seems to have an extremely bright future ahead of him, and if he is anything like Haaland in years to come, you’d expect he could impress in the Premier League, potentially at Old Trafford.

Chelsea will be without star defender Reece James against Leeds United this afternoon as manager Graham Potter shares an injury update.

The Lowdown: Crucial clash…

The Blues take on Leeds in what is set to be a crucial Premier League clash for both sides, with one battling relegation and the other yet to get going under Potter.

Chelsea have endured a nightmare run of late, prompting links to new managers across the last few weeks, including ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Potter must get his team on a run and quickly or the Englishman may well face more reports of his potential sacking – with the boss also having to cope without Thiago Silva, Mason Mount and Cesar Azpilicueta today.

The Latest: Reece James update…

Writing on Twitter, reporter Simon Johnson of The Athletic has relayed news from Potter, with James now becoming another to be ‘officially’ out of today’s clash with Leeds.

“Reece James has now been officially ruled out of #CFC’s game v #LUFC today.”

The Verdict: Worry for Potter…

As per WhoScored, the 23-year-old is a key player for Chelsea and has been for the last few seasons.

Only winger Hakim Ziyech has averaged more crosses into the box than James over the 2022/2023 campaign with the former Wigan star also ranking among their best-performers by average match rating.

James has also been called ‘sensational’ by members of the media for his displays at Chelsea, the right-back will be a sore miss for Potter in a potential future deciding game.

It has been one year since a Wolves striker scored in the Premier League, something which would perhaps not be an issue for Julen Lopetegui if Kevin Doyle was still at Molineux.

Raul Jimenez, Diego Costa, Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan have all tried and failed for the Old Gold in the top flight, with their goalscoring issues a significant factor in their ongoing battle against relegation this season.

However, it has not always been an issue for the Midlands club, as former Republic of Ireland striker Doyle was a consistent source of goals in the Mick McCarthy era at Molineux.

How good was Kevin Doyle for Wolves?

Wolves would sign Doyle from Reading for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2009 and he would spend six years at the club before departing for Colorado Rapids in 2015.

It was something of a coup for the Old Gold given that the former Cork City man had hit 56 goals for Reading in 156 appearances, including 18 the season prior in the second tier, and his impressive goalscoring return would continue with his new club.

His debut campaign in the 2009/10 season saw him hit nine goals and one assist in 34 Premier League appearances, and he followed that up with another seven goals and six assists in all competitions the following season.

2011/12 and 2012/13 were disastrous years for Wolves as they suffered back-to-back relegations to League One but Doyle certainly couldn’t be blamed for their demise, as he contributed 14 goals and 14 assists across those two seasons.

McCarthy was full of praise for his striker’s “awesome” performance in August 2011 when he inspired the Old Gold to a 2-0 win against Fulham.

He said:

“Him and Fletch (Steven Fletcher) were the epitome of the team. They led from the front and worked the defence really hard.

“And ‘Doyler’ deserved his goal from a fabulous performance.

“He carved the first opening for himself and a couple of the lads might have been complaining he didn’t lay it off but I thought he was right to have the shot. I think he was just knackered and off balance at the end and put it over the bar. But his goal was terrific.”

Given Jimenez’s woes in front of goal across the last two seasons as a Wolves player, Lopetegui will be wishing he had a reliable finisher such as Doyle in his side for the rest of the campaign, as the Spaniard looks to steer the Old Gold well away from relegation trouble.

Journalist Charles Watts has expressed his disappointment that Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net as he nearly scored a “truly great” solo goal in midweek.

What’s the latest on Gabriel Martinelli and Arsenal?

In the Europa League this week, the Gunners had to settle for a point away in Portugal as they took on Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of the competition’s last-16 stage.

William Saliba headed in from a corner to give Mikel Arteta’s men a lead before the opposition struck back twice to take the lead. In the end, Hidemasa Morita’s own goal via a deflected Granit Xhaka pass was enough to see the game finish 2-2.

However, things for the Premier League side may have been different had Martinelli managed to finish off his brilliant solo effort. The Brazilian ran from deep inside his own half, past numerous players, and even rounded the Sporting goalkeeper, only to be tackled by Jeremiah St. Juste at the last moment.

While speaking about it on YouTube, Watts lamented: “Martinelli, I gave a six [out of ten], mainly because of that amazing run in the second half, which I think we were all just begging for him to finish off.”It would have been one of the truly great goals and it was such a shame that he did all that hard work, ran all that way, beat all those players, and then just after he goes around the ‘keeper, the guy gets back and clears it before he can roll it into an empty net.”It would have been an absolutely amazing goal. That was a real, real shame.”Has Martinelli ever scored a brilliant solo goal for Arsenal?Martinelli has been in pretty impressive form for the Gunners over the course of the season, starting all but one of the club’s 26 Premier League games so far, providing 11 goals and two assists.Interestingly enough, though, he is yet to score in Europe this term despite having played six times in the competition. This goal would have been a brilliant way to put an end to that run and it’s not as if he doesn’t have previous of scoring such fantastic goals, either.Indeed, against Chelsea in the 2019/20 season, he ran 67 yards in 13 seconds to score in superb fashion – while the effort ended up being voted as the Arsenal Goal of the Season.What’s more, in pre-season against Fiorentina in 2019 when Martinelli had just joined the club, he once more ran from his own half, nutmegging a defender, only to agonisingly send the ball wide.Seeing as it’s the sort of goal most players can only dream of, it’s quite incredible that Martinelli has nearly repeated the trick on three occasions.

Manchester United are reportedly one of several top Premier League clubs interested in signing Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia this summer.

The Lowdown: Lavia a wanted man

Saints haven’t had a huge amount to shout about this season, as they battle relegation, but the performances of Lavia have certainly been a positive.

The defensive midfielder has made 16 appearances in the league, starting 14 games, and has averaged two tackles per game in that time, adding bite and tenacity in the middle of the park.

The 19-year-old appears to be a wanted man, having been linked with a move away from Southampton this summer, and now a fresh update has emerged.

The Latest: In-demand

According to Football Insider, United are interested in snapping up Lavia at the end of the season, but they are not alone in expressing an interest.

Arsenal and Chelsea are also eyeing a move for the promising teenager and the report states that he will be in ‘huge demand’ in the coming months.

The Verdict: One for the future

At 19, Lavia remains very much a work in progress despite starting regularly in the Premier League, so he would be seen as a long-term acquisition at United.

Erik ten Hag needs to plan for life without Casemiro eventually, considering the Brazilian is now 31, and the Saints man could be considered his long-term replacement.

Paul Scholes has hailed Lavia for having every ‘pass in his locker’, which is high praise indeed from a legend of his stature, and the one-cap Belgium Under-21 international should only get better as the years pass.

To already be a key player for a top-flight before even turning 20 speaks volumes about the £38,000-a-week Saints man – the fact that he was at Manchester City until last year also highlights his quality as a youth team star.

Southampton duo Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Mohammed Salisu were hailed by journalist Jacob Tanswell for their performance in the 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon. 

The Lowdown: Vital point

The Saints managed to pick up what could be a vital point in the Premier League relegation battle after a gutsy second-half performance, coming from 3-1 down to level the game up at 3-3 in stoppage time, courtesy of a James Ward-Prowse penalty.

While Ruben Selles’ side still remain bottom of the table after the result, the manager will be delighted by the fight his players showed to claw their way back into the game against a team in contention to qualify for the Champions League.

Given that it was the first time Southampton have scored three in the Premier League all season, the likes of Theo Walcott and Che Adams deserve a lot of credit, however, Tanswell was also full of praise for the defence…

The Latest: Tanswell reacts

Taking to Twitter after the match, Tanswell lauded Maitland-Niles and Salisu for their performances, having struck up an unexpected partnership at centre-back.

The journalist said: “Forster and Ward-Prowse share a big hug at the final whistle. Both very good this afternoon Ruben Selles is serenaded by the Northam. A special mention to Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Mohammed Salisu, the makeshift CB pairing, who were excellent. #SaintsFC keep themselves alive.”

The Verdict: Promising signs

Selles was forced to reshuffle the pack in the first half, with starting centre-back pairing Armel Bella-Kotchap and Jan Bednarek both being withdrawn due to injury issues, in what could’ve been a huge blow to the Saints’ chances of getting anything out of the game.

However, Salisu and Maitland-Niles stepped up to the plate when needed, with the latter player looking particularly impressive, winning all four of the duels that he contested on the ground and in the air, and making five clearances, as per SofaScore.

The former Arsenal man also threatened down the other end of the pitch, winning the crucial late penalty to ensure that his side took something from the game, and Ward-Prowse made no mistake from the spot.

Salisu also had a solid game, displaying a willingness to put his body on the line by blocking three shots, the highest amount of any player on the pitch, while also making six clearances.

Both players have shown their manager they are worthy of keeping their places after the international break, with Southampton travelling to West Ham United in a real relegation six-pointer in their first game back.

Manchester United and Liverpool are thought to be leading Barcelona in the race to sign Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Midfielder wanted

The Red Devils have been hit with a midfield shortage at points during the current campaign, with Donny van de Beek and Christian Eriksen spending months on the sidelines through injury.

Erik ten Hag decided to bring in Marcel Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich late in the January window, something which has proven to be a shrewd move. The Austrian has made nine appearances for United, scoring his first goal in the FA Cup quarter-final win over Fulham on Sunday.

Star midfielder Casemiro has also received two Premier League red cards in 2023 to add to the club’s midfield woes, with a new midfielder thought to be a transfer priority at Old Trafford over the coming months alongside a forward.

The Latest: Neves update

Football Insider reporter Pete O’Rourke shared a transfer update regarding news in the last 48 hours.

He claimed that the Red Devils and Liverpool are leading Barcelona in the race for Neves’ services, with the player ready to quit Molineux at the end of the season.

Wolves are not likely to stand in the way of a potential exit, with United considering making an offer with Sabizter set to return to Bayern and Scott McTominay potentially in line to leave.

The Verdict: Smart move?

Neves, dubbed a ‘beast’ by journalist Jimmy Conrad, is only under contract until 2024, so there could be scope for a potential cut-price transfer after they placed a whopping £100m price tag on the 26-year-old just last year.

The Portugal international can play as a defensive or central midfielder and is known for scoring long-range goals in the Midlands, making 169 appearances in the Premier League.

Journalist Raj Chohan has previously lauded the midfielder as having the ability to be a ‘top fit as a defensive midfielder at an elite side’, while he has also branded him an ‘unbelievable technician’.

Neves has been Wolves’ top performer in what has been a struggle this season, as per WhoScored, recording a match average rating of 7.00/10, a better score than United midfielders Eriksen, Sabitzer, Fred and McTominay.

Therefore, you could say that a move to Old Trafford would be a wise one by Ten Hag as he looks to strengthen his squad ahead of his second season in charge, and it looks as if it could materialise following this update.

Chelsea are no strangers to splashing the cash in order to secure the very best talent to join the club. Millions have been spent over the previous two decades to bring the Blues up to a level where they can regularly challenge for glory and following five Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies and a handful of other domestic silverware, the strategy appears to be working.

Of course, it isn’t without its faults as unless you have a near-flawless scouting network, big money will be spent on players who will naturally underachieve and fail to live up to the lofty expectations.

The likes of Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku have all arrived at the club recently for extortionate sums and notably underperformed.

However, there is one player in particular that Frank Lampard signed who is continuing to bleed the club dry; Hakim Ziyech.

What salary is Ziyech on at Chelsea?

The Moroccan winger agreed to join the club from Ajax in February 2020 for a fee believed to be £33.3m before joining up with Lampard and his new team that summer ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.

His form for the Dutch side during 2018/19 was simply stunning and was clearly a big factor in the club signing him. He played a key part as Ajax reached the semi-finals of the Champions League while registering a mightily impressive 45 goal contributions across all competitions – 21 goals and 24 assists.

His spell at Chelsea so far has been a disappointment compared to the statistics he registered for the Eredivisie side and across 102 games, he has scored just 14 goals and grabbed 11 assists, a far cry from the numbers he was expected to reach upon his arrival.

Indeed, this season has been terrible even by his standards. Ziyech has just one assist from 19 matches, and it’s no wonder he has been described as “lazy” by the supporters, including podcaster Ryan Whitney.

With the January spending spiralling out of control, Graham Potter will need to move on some deadwood during the summer in order to balance the books and the winger should be the first name to go. Across his near three-year spell at the club, the player has rinsed Chelsea of £49m, combining his transfer fee along with his £100k-per-week wages.

Hopefully, the Englishman will take note of his predecessor's failings and spend wisely in the transfer market to avoid expensive duds ransacking the club even further.

Journalist Jacque Talbot has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur could be set for a big "boost" to their transfer funds if they allow a major investor to change the name of their stadium.

What's the latest on the naming rights for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?

Since it opened in April 2019, Spurs' 62,850-seater arena, which cost £1bn to make, has carried the rather unimaginative Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

However, as per Football Insider, while chairman Daniel Levy and commercial director Todd Kline are looking to find an appropriate naming rights partner, they are content to wait until their reserve price is met because the club brand is doing just fine for exposure in the meantime.

The article notes that Google and Amazon are among the companies linked with a possible £250m deal that would be spread over 10 years.

While talking about the situation on The Insider Track, Talbot backed Spurs to complete a deal that would massively help with funds.

He explained (16:52): “I'm sure that's going to boost their funds though, isn't it, really?

"Like if they get a deal with one of them companies, that’s going to be huge investments. So why not at this stage?

"Football's got to that point now where it's like everything's for sale, really? Isn't it? It's nothing on Spurs, every club's doing it."

How much will Spurs make from stadium naming rights?

As per reports, Levy wants to bring in £25m a year with the stadium naming rights – which would be a record amount for a football team.

That tallies with the claims from Football Insider that reference a £250m contract spread across ten years for the likes or Amazon or Google.

And so it will certainly be interesting to see what the next steps are and if anything happens soon. After all, while Levy is reportedly happy to be patient and wait for the right deal, the club may need major funding soon to maintain their ambitions.

After all, there is no guarantee Tottenham will finish in the top four this season – they sit in fourth just two points above Newcastle but have played two more games – and so if they can't bring Champions League football to north London, then surely the exposure won't be as good and naturally, they'll generate less income anyway.

With that in mind, perhaps Levy will try and intensify the search for a major new sponsor in the near future.

Manchester United made it back-to-back Premier League wins with victory over relegation strugglers Everton on Saturday afternoon, with the Red Devils producing a commanding performance to see off Sean Dyche's men at Old Trafford.

Just days on from the professional, albeit uninspiring win over Brentford, the hosts were far more impressive this time around, having carved out numerous openings in what was one of their "best halves of the season", according to Manchester Evening News journalist, Samuel Luckhurst.

The likes of Marcus Rashford, Antony, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka all had fine opportunities to break the deadlock in that free-flowing first-half display, albeit with the eventual opener coming through Scotland hero, Scott McTominay, who finally found a way past a stoic Jordan Pickford.

While the home side were less impressive after the interval, the points were eventually wrapped up on the 70-minute mark as Anthony Martial tucked home from close range, bagging his eighth goal in 16 appearances against today's opponents.

That convincing display included a number of standout performances across the park, with January arrival Marcel Sabitzer having notably been "excellent", according to Luckhurst, having thrived in his advanced midfield berth.

The Austrian international did fail to win a single duel in his 76-minute outing, although created one big chance in that time, playing in teammate Bruno Fernandes with a delightful dinked pass in the second half.

Despite that strong showing from the Bayern Munich loanee, the playmaker was perhaps bettered by Jadon Sancho with regard to his impact on proceedings, with the latter man having been "immaculate" in the final third, according to journalist Rhys Jones.

How did Sancho perform against Everton?

Not only did Sancho record a greater Sofascore rating than that of Sabitzer (7.4 vs 7.2), but the Englishman was far more of a threat in a creative sense, having contributed five key passes from his wide berth, having also enjoyed an impressive pass accuracy rate of 95% from his 52 touches.

The 23-year-old's most telling contribution saw the fleet-footed dynamo tee up McTominay for the game's opening goal, having threaded the towering midfielder through with a clever, sliding pass amid a congested penalty area.

Such composure in and around the opposition penalty box is undoubtedly what United have been hoping to see from Sancho more often over the past 18 months or so, with the £350k-per-week man clearly having the ability to provide that killer pass when needed.

While Ten Hag will be hoping to see such quality on a more consistent basis, the winger's "sensational" performance – as per presenter Terry Flewers – will have raised hopes that he can go to play a key part in the run in, following what has been a stop-start campaign for the £73m man, in truth.

With it yet to be seen what the damage will be with regard to Rashford's injury blow, it could be time for Sancho to truly step up and become the player that many had hoped he would be at the Theatre of Dreams.