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Former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has exclusively told Football FanCast that West Ham won’t be able to afford Jesse Lingard permanently.

Lingard has been in tremendous form since his January arrival, contributing to 13 goals in as many matches to help the Hammers maintain their push for European football.

His goals led to a recall to the England squad for the recent World Cup qualifiers, but he’ll return to Old Trafford at the end of the season once his loan expires.

By then, Lingard will have just 12 months remaining on his deal, meaning United will have to either offer him fresh terms or decide to cash-in to avoid him leaving for nothing.

West Ham are one of his potential suitors, although the likes of PSG and Real Madrid have also been touted as a possible destination for Lingard this summer.

But Palmer believes that his excellent form has put him into contention to be a starter back at Old Trafford next term.

He told Football FanCast:

“I don’t think they’ll be able to get Lingard on a permanent deal. I think he’s played his way back into the Manchester United starting line-up, and he we will have to see how he does, but he will probably start at the Euros.

“Manchester United are a massive club and West Ham just don’t pay that type of money on a regular basis and David Moyes knows that.”

Manchester United host Fulham this evening as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men look to bounce back from back-to-back Premier League defeats.

The Red Devils have already secured a place in the top four and next season’s Champions League group stage, but they’ll be desperate to regain some momentum and form heading into next week’s Europa League final.

United take on Spanish outfit Villarreal in the showpiece event as they look to end the club’s longest trophy drought in over 30 years, however, they must first complete their final two Premier League games of the campaign.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects the Norweigan to line his side up on Sunday evening, with three changes from the side that started against Liverpool last time out…

Dean Henderson keeps his place between the sticks despite a hugely underwhelming display against Jurgen Klopp’s charges where he made multiple mistakes and conceded four goals.

There’s one change along the back four, with Eric Bailly dropping out for the highly-rated Axel Tuanzebe. The 23-year-old has struggled for game time this season, but with Harry Maguire struggling with injury and United conceding six goals in their last two games, the youngster may get another chance to impress.

In midfield, summer-signing Donny van de Beek may be handed his second start in United’s last three games against an already-relegated Fulham side. The former Ajax man has only featured from the off on three occasions in the league this season, and the visit of Scott Parker’s struggling side could be the perfect opportunity to get some more minutes under his belt.

The forward positions are occupied by the usual suspects, but with the £76.5-rated Marcus Rashford continuing to play through the pain barrier, Solskjaer may be tempted to axe his star forward with one eye on the Europa League final.

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

After the shock announcement last week that Nuno Espirito Santo was to leave Wolves after their final game of the season, the board will now be on the hunt for his successor, and Wolves Hall of Famer Steve Bull believes that Zinedine Zidane could do a good job at Molineux.

Nuno had been at Molineux for four seasons which saw the club win the Championship title as well as reach a Europa League quarter-final and despite signing a new contract just last year, he and the board thought it was time to part ways.

There have been several candidates linked with the job with The Athletic’s Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers claiming some “big names” have thrown their hat into the ring.

Someone who has seen a lot of talk about his future in the press is Zidane. Goal have reported that he is set to walk away from Real Madrid in the summer after failing to deliver any silverware this season.

Zidane would certainly command respect and be able to attract players just because of his name at Molineux and Bull, who spoke exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, responded when asked if he thought Zidane could be one of those big names Spiers mentioned, saying:

“Zinedine Zidane, he could do a job all day long. He was my favourite player when I was growing up, he’s absolutely top drawer and he’s showed it as a manager at Real Madrid.

“I think there’s going to be names bandied about left, right and centre now.”

Zidane has only ever managed his former side having been appointed in 2016, but he initially left in 2018 before returning in 2019 for a second stint as manager – over his two spells at the Bernabeu, he has won an impressive 11 trophies.

The early favourite for the Wolves job is former Benfica manager Bruno Lage, who left the Portuguese side in 2020 and it has been reported that he is set to have talks with the Wolves hierarchy.

Southampton have been linked with a move for exit-bound Burnley winger Robbie Brady recently and the Republic of Ireland international could be an excellent addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side this summer.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mirror (15:27 in live blog), the Saints, Crystal Palace, Celtic and Watford are all considering a move for the 29-year-old, who is set to leave the Clarets this summer when his contract expires.

The left winger has plenty of Premier League experience with both Norwich City and Burnley and has earned 56 caps for his country, although he has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, preventing him from being a regular in Sean Dyche’s side.

Would he be a good signing?

If Brady can prove his fitness, he could definitely prove to be a solid addition to Hasenhuttl’s side this summer, as his performances in the three seasons between 2015/16 and 2017/18 emphasise that he can be a real threat in any team when he is on form.

The Irish winger is quite versatile, as he can play on either flank and also as a left-back. That immediately marks him out as someone who Hasenhuttl would love to have in his squad, especially with the dearth of left-backs currently available to the Austrian ahead of next season following Ryan Bertrand’s decision to leave the club.

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Former Ireland teammate Stephen Quinn was full of praise for Brady back in 2014, saying: “He is just an exceptionally talented footballer and I think that left wing-back position suits him because he is coming into plays, he will always attack and he gets goals like that.”

The 29-year-old could rediscover his best form if he was afforded a run of games, so given that he is available on a free transfer, you could argue that his signing would be something of a no-brainer for the Saints this summer.

Hasenhuttl has suggested in recent months that he will consider more experienced signings after being won over by Theo Walcott this season, and considering that Brady is younger and more versatile than the former Arsenal man, there seems little reason for Saints CEO Martin Semmens not to sign the Irishman this summer should he prove his fitness.

In other news… Ralph handed golden opportunity to axe £11.7m Saints flop, Gao surely buzzing

Leicester City have been linked with a move for Sporting Lisbon left-back Nuno Mendes as the upcoming transfer window approaches.

What’s the story?

According to Sky Sports, the Foxes are interested in acquiring the teenager’s services over the summer as Brendan Rodgers looks to address his left-back conundrum.

The report added that Leicester are eyeing up moves for Atalanta’s Robin Gosens and Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand to replace the departing Christian Fuchs.

Rodgers needs him

With Fuchs calling time on his six-year stay at the King Power Stadium and the highly-rated James Justin set for an extended stay on the treatment table, bringing in some competition for sole left-back Luke Thomas must be one of Rodgers’ top priorities.

Despite being just 18 years old, Mendes has attracted the attention of some of the continent’s biggest clubs this season after a string of impressive performances. The youngster started 29 Liga NOS games for Sporting in 2020/21 as the capital club won their first top-flight title in 19 years, earning a magnificent 7.24 WhoScored rating for his exploits.

While the purchase of Gosens or Bertrand would also be a sensible and logical option for the Midlands outfit, neither seems as exciting as Mendes.

His potential is astronomical, and Leicester’s ability to buy young talent for relatively cheap prices before developing them and selling them on for huge profits makes the Portugal under-21 international an ideal transfer target.

Rodgers undoubtedly needs a left-back this summer, and Mendes is surely at the top of his wish list. Sporting president Frederico Varandas couldn’t hide his admiration for the academy graduate last year, claiming that Mendes has a big future in the senior Portuguese national team, for whom he has already won three caps.

“Nuno Mendes is dazzling. I have no doubt that he will be the future left-back of the (Portuguese) national team,” he said [via Leicester Mercury].

Although his arrival would ultimately leave Leicester with two teenage prodigies as their only natural left-sided defenders, the potential positives outweigh the risks which would be attached to his arrival.

It’s not often that Rodgers has splashed huge sums of money on individual players during his time at the King Power, but breaking the bank for the £22.5m-rated Mendes (Transfermarkt) is certainly a gamble worth taking.

Securing his signature would be a masterclass from the Foxes’ director of football Jon Rudkin, given the level of competition for the precocious Portuguese prospect.

In other news… Huge LCFC transfer update emerges over “superb” £70k-p/w dynamo, fans will be buzzing 

Serie A expert Conor Clancy believes that Antonio Conte is a better coach than Mauricio Pochettino as he closes in on the Tottenham Hotspur job.

Various reports have suggested that Conte has become the frontrunner for the Spurs job in recent days.

That comes after a week of links with the former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, whom chairman Daniel Levy wanted to bring back from French giants PSG.

Conte now appears to be in the driving seat, though, as Spurs look to replace Jose Mourinho.

Clancy, who is the editor-in-chief of Forza Italian Football, believes that Conte is one of the top coaches in world football, and is a level above Pochettino.

Indeed, the former Inter Milan boss won Serie A just this season, and also lifted the Premier League title in his first season in English football.

Pochettino, during his time at Spurs, did not win anything, though he did build a side capable of putting together two title challenges and reaching the Champions League final. His Spurs side finished runners-up to Conte’s title-winning Chelsea side.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Clancy said: “I think Conte is one of the very, very best coaches in the world.

“Pochettino is obviously a really good coach too but I think he’s on that tier just below Conte.

“Of course, there is that caveat then, Conte can’t manage two games in a week, but when it comes to what Conte does with his team on a training pitch, I don’t think there are many better.”

Leeds United could be making a major transfer howler this summer by signing Newcastle United winger Jacob Murphy.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from Football Insider, Marcelo Bielsa’s side are set to join Scottish champions Rangers in the race to sign the 26-year-old this summer.

Fresh reports have now emerged from elsewhere claiming that Turkish giants Galatasaray have entered the running for Murphy, with the likes of Leeds and Southampton also keeping tabs on the Englishman’s future at St James’ Park.

The winger only has a year left on his current contract on Tyneside and the Magpies are said to be keen on tying him down to a new deal.

Baffling transfer target for Leeds

While Murphy has lately been deployed by Bruce as a right wing-back, his record when used as a winger is rather underwhelming, and one which won’t have Leeds fans excited at all.

In the 20 games last season where he has played further forward out wide, the £25,000-a-week earner managed just two goals and three assists in all competitions. In contrast, Raphinha notched four goals and six assists in 23 games from the right wing for Leeds last term.

Murphy’s woeful goalscoring record actually places him behind the likes of Helder Costa and Gjanni Alioski, who each scored three times for Bielsa’s side.

Amid all the links to players such as Rodrigo de Paul and Nahitan Nandez, and even Noa Lang, Murphy appears to be a rather baffling transfer target for Victor Orta to be monitoring.

This isn’t a player who has proven himself in Serie A like De Paul or Nandez, or a hugely exciting talent like Lang. At 26, Murphy is arguably coming to the peak years of his career and has done very little with the Magpies to suggest that he’s someone who would come in at Elland Road and actually enhance the first team squad.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/leeds-united-marcelo-bielsa-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-elland-road-rodrigo-de-paul” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

Bielsa needs to be targeting more proven options in the top flight, and Murphy’s below-par record raises some major questions marks over Leeds’ reported interest in signing him this summer.

Meanwhile, Bielsa could sign his dream player in this starlet…

Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in a summer swoop for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, according to The Sun.

The Lowdown: Crystal Palace ready for 2021/22 rebuild

As the Eagles get their summer recruitment drive underway, attentions now seem to have turned towards the 21-year-old, looking to bolster the Selhurst Park ranks following the release of 22 first-team players last month [Tribal Football].

Though the managerless Londoners have forayed into the transfer market with the acquisition of American midfielder Jacob Montes, they have also been linked with moves for Sebastiaan Bornauw and Marc Guehi, respectively.

However, Palace now seem to have identified Gallagher as a midfield target, potentially as a replacement for the outgoing James McCarthy [football.london].

The Latest: Gallagher to SE25?

Allegedly, Crystal Palace are ready to offer Chelsea £15 million for the England Under-21 international [Sun].

Of course, this isn’t the first time the South-East London side have been keen on the anchorman, as they were monitoring his situation last summer, before his eventual move on loan to now relegated West Bromwich Albion [BBC].

Intriguingly, these reports may escalate considerably in significance, should mooted managerial target Frank Lampard arrive in the Selhurst Park dugout [Mirror]. Lampard coached the starlet in his previous coaching spell at West London giants Chelsea [Sky Sports].

The Verdict: Gallagher would be a solid addition to the Selhurst Park fold

Undoubtedly, Gallagher would represent a solid acquisition for Crystal Palace should any move come to fruition.

Enjoying previous Premier League exposure, the tireless enforcer made 32 appearances for West Bromwich Albion in 2020/21; registering two goals and two assists [Transfermarkt].

Once labelled ‘brilliant’ by former assistant coach Johnnie Jackson [Totally Football League Show], with time the Englishman could develop into an established Premier League midfielder. Impressing on loan in the Midlands, Gallagher successfully initiated roughly 2.7 tackles every 90 minutes [WhoScored].

As they gear up for 2021/22, Crystal Palace should endeavour to make the Chelsea academy product one of their first summer signings as they look to reduce the average age of what was an ageing squad.

In other news, Crystal Palace fans react to a pre-season friendly announcement.

Former Premier League striker Dean Windass believes that the Crystal Palace job being like the one he excelled in at Bournemouth would suit Eddie Howe.

It’s approaching the one-year mark since the 43-year-old stepped down from his post on the south coast following their relegation to the Championship.

Howe has been linked with several jobs during that period but could be back in the running to replace Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park after his recent proposed move to Celtic collapsed, with GiveMeSport reporting last month that he had held talks with the London outfit.

Howe looked on course to replace Neil Lennon at Parkhead for a few months having made a verbal agreement, but the deal eventually broke down, with the Scottish giants appointing Australian Ange Postecoglou instead.

He’s also been linked with the vacant Everton position, although Nuno Espirito Santo remains the standout favourite as things stand.

But Windass told Football FanCast that the expectation levels at Crystal Palace would suit Howe far more than a move to Goodison Park, with Everton fans likely to demand European football:

“I think Eddie would suit Crystal Palace, not as much pressure.

“You keep Bournemouth in the Premier League, that’s your job, and it will be the same at Crystal Palace.

“Keep us in the Premier League, but there’s no pressure to get into the top-seven, so Eddie would be more of a fit at Palace than Everton.”

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester City fans have been left overjoyed by Fabrizio Romano’s update on their pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane.

Kane has been heavily linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium since Sky Sports broke the news of his desire to leave north London this summer.

Indeed, the Englishman apparently has his sights set on winning trophies with many clubs eager to offer him a way out of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Of those clubs, City have been the most heavily linked, with Romano now providing an update on the chase via his Here We Go podcast.

The respected journalist says City are ‘really pushing’ to sign the superstar forward and ‘really insisting’ on his acquisition, with Romano also claiming a fresh development could come in ‘the next hours/days;.

Flocking to this Kane update, it’s safe to say many Sky Blues were joyous – find all of their best verdicts on the news down below in reply to City Xtra and City Chief.

Man City fans joyous over Kane update

“Don’t gas me already”

Credit: @Ali_Szn14

“Sign him up!”

Credit: @JMC_Official

“GET INNNN”

Credit: @CalMCFC_

“Let’s goooo”

Credit: @izzy900is

“He’s coming home”

Credit: @JangoMangoMCFC

“We’re winning the quad next season”

Credit: @MCFC_SZn26

“bring him in”

Credit: @Mcfcjenson

“PLEASEEEEEEEEEEE MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!!!!!!!”

Credit: @SubasNiraula

In other news: Man City fans are also raving over this ‘big news’ coming out of Eastlands, find out more here.