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Kalvin Phillips could leave Leeds United at the end of next season, according to former West Ham and Scotland striker Frank McAvennie.

The Lowdown: Phillips shines for England

England enjoyed a memorable Euro 2020 campaign, eventually losing to Italy in the final but largely doing themselves proud in the tournament.

Phillips was exceptional in the competition, standing out in the middle of the park and taking his Leeds form with him to the international stage.

The 25-year-old’s performances may have made a host of clubs sit up and take notice, meaning the Whites could struggle to keep hold of him in the years to come.

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The Latest: Pundit makes bold prediction

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie even claimed that a deal could be in place to allow Phillips to leave Elland Road next summer:

“He was the surprise package of the Euros. To be a starter? Wow, I didn’t see that coming. I think he’ll get another year at Leeds.

“He’ll be wanting a new contract I’d imagine, he’s a superstar now. He’s shown the world what he can do, there will be clubs interested.

“There might be some sort of agreement in place. He could go with the club’s blessing next year. He will make them a lot of money but they won’t want to lose him.

“Personally, I wouldn’t want to leave Leeds this summer but if a bid comes in you never know. I think he’ll stay for one more year, then we’ll see him move.”

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The Verdict: Does he have a point?

While this is a bold prediction, there will be understandable concern that Phillips may end up wanting a fresh challenge at a club challenging for silverware consistently.

The midfielder’s current Leeds deal doesn’t expire until 2024, however, so a huge bid would be needed to prise him away from the Whites with the club in an extremely strong negotiating position.

For now, Phillips needs to focus on helping Marcelo Bielsa’s side push for a European finish next season, with the England man arguably his team’s most important player.

Perhaps qualification for the Europa League could tempt him to stay longer than McAvennie predicts.

In other news, a pundit has dropped a verdict on one potential Leeds signing. Find out who it is here.

Former England midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that West Ham will lose Declan Rice at some point.

Rice continues to be linked with a move away from the London Stadium, with talk about a return to Chelsea refusing to go away.

According to The Athletic, Manchester City could also throw their hat into the ring as they weigh up a bid for the 22-year-old in a potential twist.

Ultimately, for Palmer, it is only a matter of time before Rice leaves West Ham for an outfit like Chelsea or Manchester City.

“At some point, I think they’re going to lose Declan Rice,” the ex-Leeds United player exclusively told FFC. “I think they will accept at some point he’s going to go and want to play at a top club.

“They’re going to accept that. If he has a good Euros, I think at some point they will accept that they’re going to do that [sell].”

While they will not want to lose a player who made over 30 appearances for them last season, if it comes to it, they will at least get a very good fee for the player.

Rice still has three years left to run on his contract, while Manchester City’s reported interest, on top of Chelsea’s, could easily spark a bidding war for the England international.

Ben Foster has rubbished transfer rumours linking him with a move away from Watford this summer.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with the Jude’s Journey YouTube channel (via Watford Observer), the 38-year-old goalkeeper played down rumours of a move to Manchester City in the upcoming transfer window, claiming that the links are nothing more than paper talk.

He said: “It’s the way that paper talk goes, you’ll always get linked with other teams and other things will come up but at the end of the day it’s all just paper talk.

“I’ve never heard a single thing about this and that’s what these media outlets need to do. They need to fill some column inches so they put two and two together and most of the time come up with six or seven.”

Fans must be buzzing

Considering just how important Foster has been since joining the Hornets from West Bromwich Albion in a £2.52m deal back in the summer of 2018, the shot-stopper’s suggestion that he will not be leaving Vicarage Road this summer is sure to leave Watford fans buzzing.

Despite his advancing years, over his total number of 179 appearances in all competitions for the Hornets, the England international – who ex-Watford manager  Nigel Pearson dubbed an “unbelievable” goalkeeper – has conceded 236 goals and has managed to keep an impressive 49 clean sheets.

The £33,000-per-week goalkeeper was once again in fine form over his 23 Championship fixtures this season, keeping 10 clean sheets and making an average of 2.1 saves and 0.5 clearances per game, as well as saving 50% of the penalties he faced, culminating in a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.90 – ranking him as Xisco Munoz’s joint 13th-best performer in the second tier.

As such, the news that Forster does not look likely to be moving on to pastures new this summer will delight not just fans of the club but also the Watford manager, as the 38-year-old’s Premier League experience – having featured 364 times in the competition – along with his obvious talent between the sticks should boost the Hornets’ chances of retaining their top-flight status come next summer.

In other news: Watford dealt transfer blow over “excellent” £450k-rated gem, Giaretta will be gutted – opinion

Celtic have flagged up their interest in St Johnstone midfielder Ali McCann, according to the Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Hoops’ previous scouting trips

Celtic have been keeping a close eye on McCann over the last six months.

Reports back in November claimed that Hoops scout Tosh McKinlay watched the midfielder in action, whereas John Kennedy admitted earlier this month the Hoops are aware of the midfielder.

McCann can play as a defensive, central and attacking midfielder and is under contract with St Johnstone until 2023.

The Latest: Celtic flag up interest

The Daily Record dropped a line on McCann in a piece mainly on Celtic’s pursuit of Manchester City man Fergal Harkin as their director of football.

They suggested that McCann has been flagged up at Celtic Park as a potential addition, as well as Hibernian striker Kevin Nisbet.

McCann, who has two caps for Northern Ireland, made 43 appearances for St Johnstone in the 2020/21 campaign, scoring twice and registering two assists.

The Verdict: A solid long-term addition?

The majority of McCann’s displays this season came as a central midfielder, an area of the pitch where it seems the Hoops need to strengthen.

Scott Brown will be an Aberdeen player next season, whereas reports have hinted that the Hoops will terminate Olivier Ntcham’s deal next month.

That could leave Celtic with Ismaila Soro, Callum McGregor and David Turnbull as central midfielders, so bringing in McCann could prove a shrewd move in the long run.

He’s made over 60 appearances in the Scottish Premiership at just 21 years of age and was described as ‘impressive’ by Kennedy, so a deal could be one worth pursuing.

In other news: Celtic linked with move for Spanish defender, find out more here. 

Dean Windass thinks that this summer could finally mark the end of Liverpool’s famous front three.

Following Mohamed Salah’s arrival from Roma in 2017, along with that of Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, the trio have been the catalyst for the Reds’ recent success both domestically and in Europe.

The trio have scored a total of 273 goals during that period, with 57 of those helping Jurgen Klopp’s team claim their first Premier League title 12 months ago.

Despite almost topping that figure last season, both Firmino and Mane struggled, and were not nailed on starters like in previous campaigns, although Salah still managed 31 goals as the Reds qualified for the Champions League on the final day.

Fortunately for Liverpool, unlike in previous years, they had summer signing Diogo Jota in reserve, and his early-season goals made up for their poor form.

Jota ended up scoring nine times in just 19 Premier League appearances, but with the Reds suffering from a lack of goals during periods last term, Windass believes that Klopp will opt to freshen up his front line this summer.

He told Football FanCast:

“I think one of the front three will leave… Firmino, he’d be the one.”

Whilst the £180,000-a-week Brazilian has done an excellent job leading the line for Liverpool, a more prolific number nine is badly needed if Klopp’s side want to close the gap on Manchester City and challenge for the title once again.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has questioned Dejphon Chansiri’s decision to sack Garry Monk earlier this season.

Wednesday were relegated from the Championship last weekend under Darren Moore, who has been the Owls’ third permanent manager in the current campaign.

Moore came in back in March to permanently succeed Tony Pulis, who he himself was brought in as a replacement when he took over from Monk last November.

And Palmer believes all these changes are largely to blame for Wednesday’s relegation to League One, pinpointing Monk’s dismissal as the turning point in the Yorkshire club’s season.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about some of the problems at Hillsborough this term, the ex-England international said:

“Four managers in one season, that doesn’t work in any walk of life. If you keep chopping and changing the person at the top, you’ve got no continuity, you’ve got nothing.

“That doesn’t work. I still don’t know why he sacked Garry Monk.”

Indeed, there has simply been too much instability at Wednesday this season, with Neil Thompson also spending some time in the dugout as caretaker manager prior to Moore’s arrival from Doncaster Rovers.

Celtic are thought to be interested in a summer move for Young Boys striker Jean-Pierre Nsame.

That’s according to a report from TEAMtalk, who claimed that Newcastle, Southampton and West Ham have also placed the 27-year-old on their transfer wish lists.

Nsame, a Cameroon international, has been on fire in front of goal in recent years. He has scored 97 goals in 169 games for the Swiss side after joining for just £810,000 back in 2017. It now seems as if he could be on the move, though, with the £6.3m-rated marksman attracting plenty of interest from Britain.

Transfer Tavern take

It seems as if new Celtic CEO Dominic McKay isn’t wasting any time in putting plans in place for the summer. He arrived at Parkhead seven days ago, and to us, Nsame could be a potentially ideal replacement for Odsonne Edouard.

The Frenchman is looking to seal a Celtic Park exit over the summer, regardless of who comes in as the club’s new manager.

It looks as if Nsame certainly has the goalscoring know-how to pick up wherever Edouard leaves off, but with a number of Premier League clubs seemingly keen, the Hoops may well be forced into a bidding war.

In other news: Celtic linked with move for 25 y/o attacking midfielder, find out who it is here. 

Leeds must land Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham this summer amid Noel Whelan’s transfer claim.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have suggested that the Blues are ready to offload the England international this summer, and Whelan has urged Marcelo Bielsa’s side to throw their name into the hat.

He said: “Gosh, I’d like Leeds United to be linked with Tammy Abraham. A natural goalscorer, somebody with that stature. Very much like a Patrick Bamford sort of player as well, probably a little bit more clinical in front of goal.

“I’d like to see us linked with a Tammy Abraham, that would be quite a good signing. He works hard, he’s got the right attributes that I believe we could benefit from. I could see it.”

Bielsa’s perfect striker

Called the “real deal” by former Villa manager Tim Sherwood, Abraham has got all the qualities to be a real dream striker for Bielsa, given his ability to do all facets of the game up front, whether that be holding the ball up, running the channels, and just providing a finisher’s touch inside the box.

Last season in the Premier League, when he was much more of a regular starter under Frank Lampard, Abraham scored 15 goals, and his heat-map as per Sofascore shows a striker who spent most of his time in the penalty area, but drifted much deeper and out wide too.

Bielsa himself has previously lauded Patrick Bamford for his work rate, saying: “If you see the players in the best teams in the world, not the best players, they are players who always play at one hundred percent.”

And in Abraham, the Leeds boss could find something very similar.

Speaking after he netted during a loan spell against Swansea a couple of seasons ago, Aston Villa boss Dean Smith said: “Tammy is a handful and he knows better than me that he should have been walking away with the match ball tonight. But he scored the winning goal, he’s a hell of a talent. Tammy put in a hell of a shift up front on his own and proved he is a fine player.”

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Tall and physical just like Bielsa’s former favourite at Athletic Bilbao, Fernando Llorente, the £36m-rated Abraham has got the combination of athleticism and technical ability to be a real star for Leeds.

Meanwhile, a Leeds source has revealed some exciting plans at Thorp Arch…

Manchester United are reportedly in the running to sign Sporting Lisbon sensation Nuno Mendes after a string of impressive displays from the youngster.

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, United have already ‘made contact’ with the Portuguese champions over a move for the 18-year-old full-back ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

The report states that a £52m fee is being muted and that Mendes shares the same agent as Bruno Fernandes, who left Sporting for Old Trafford 18 months ago.

Woodward must move

Mendes has taken the Primeira Liga by storm this season, making 29 league appearances for the capital club as Ruben Amorim’s men ended a 19-year wait for the top-flight title.

He could become the latest name to join Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils revolution after Manchester City cooled their interest after Verde e Brancos named their price for the Portugal international.

While some may argue that the 20-time English champions are well-stocked at left-back with Luke Shaw and Alex Telles, signing a generational talent like Mendes is simply an opportunity United can’t afford to pass up on.

Shaw has been magnificent this season and is undoubtedly the short-term solution to Solskjaer’s left-back needs, but at just 18, Mendes could grow and develop for a couple of years under the Norwegian’s tutelage while getting enough game time in cup competitions to continue his on-pitch development.

Summer-signing Telles has struggled to adapt to life in the English top-flight so far and could still be sold for a relatively high price, given his contract has three years left to run.

It would leave United with the perfect scenario. Their first-choice full-back would be an established Premier League player entering his prime years with over 200 senior appearances to his name, and his understudy would be a teenage prodigy admired by the continent’s top clubs.

Former Portugal international Costinha spoke to Goal after Mendes was named on the 2021 NXGN list of the world’s top teenage talent, and gave a glowing reference of his compatriot.

“Nuno Mendes (is the top talent). I don’t think he will be here next season,” claimed the retired midfielder.

“If I was a scout for the big clubs in Europe, I would look at him. Eighteen years old, a left-back – and there aren’t many left-backs in the world with that quality – then I would definitely go and pick him.

“He is strong physically and in his head. He has an excellent left foot, and he has very good pace.”

Therefore, Ed Woodward must seal a deal for the £22.5m-rated gem before he steps down from his position on the United board this summer, and leave the Premier League giants with at least one positive note.

And, in other news…Major Manchester United transfer update emerges that’ll surely have fans buzzing – opinion

Southampton are looking increasingly likely to sign Theo Walcott from Everton in the summer, and if he were to join the Saints permanently, it could prove to be bad news for rising star Nathan Tella.

Speaking to Hampshire Live recently, Raph Hasenhuttl hinted that the 32-year-old could join from the Toffees permanently this summer, saying: “I am very happy that he is comfortable here now and that he is happy to play for us and there is no reason why we should not think about keeping him longer.”

The Athletic have also suggested that Southampton will look to sign the former Arsenal man on a permanent deal, with his contract at Everton set to expire this summer.

Therefore, given that the £5.4m-rated Englishman has been a regular in Hasenhuttl’s side so far this season, making 16 appearances in the Premier League, it seems fairly likely that he will be with the Saints again next term.

Unfortunately, this could prove to be bad news for 21-year-old Tella, who enjoyed a run in the Southampton side earlier in the season when Walcott was injured.

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He particularly impressed in the 2-0 win against Sheffield United in March, when his pace caused the Blades defence all sorts of problems and led to him winning a penalty in the first half, which James Ward-Prowse duly tucked away.

Tella has shown this season that he is too good to be playing in Premier League 2, as he memorably scored four goals as a striker against Leicester City under-21s earlier in the season, so he needs to be playing regular senior football for his development next season.

However, with the likes of Nathan Redmond, Moussa Djenepo and Stuart Armstrong already at the club, you worry that the permanent signing of Walcott is going to mean the 21-year-old is afforded very little playing time by Hasenhuttl.

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Therefore, perhaps we will see Tella leave Southampton on loan next season, for if Walcott does join on a permanent deal, it is difficult to see where the youngster fits in.

In other news… Southampton could find their ideal JWP replacement in 23 y/o beast who is a “joy to watch”