Thursday Morning Hot Links
Leeds United
A Leeds bid for defender Jaka Bilol has been rejected by Udinese, but talks are still ongoing.
Leeds are reportedly preparing a bid for Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz, for whom Fulham want upwards of £50 million.
Leeds United have been “urged” to sign Southampton midfielder Shea Charles.
Real Betis have made a fresh bid for Leeds forward Mateo Joseph, but Leeds are standing firm. Joseph scored for Spain in the Under-21 European Championship last night in a 3-2 win against Slovakia.
And speaking of Europa League-bound Real Betis, they are getting closer to signing left back Junior Firpo, which would finally force Leeds’ hand to sign a new left back.
That left back might just be Atletico Madrid’s 31-year old Reinildo Mandava, but Leeds have to beat out Nottingham Forest first.
Lecce’s Sporting Director says he won’t stand in the way of anyone wanting to leave, and that includes striker Nikola Krstovic, whose suitors include Leeds, Roma, and AC Milan.
Elsewhere
Finalized deals this morning (Central time) include Matheus Cunha to Manchester United, Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid, and Charalampous Kostoulas to Brighton.
Even after the record-breaking Florian Wirtz deal, Liverpool are going after PSG forward Bradley Barcola.
Victor Gyokeres has apparently chosen to join Arsenal.
Everton and Newcastle are battling it out for the services of Jack Grealish.
Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor is selling his stake in the club to allow them to play in Europe next season, with a consortium featuring Jimmy Butler and/or New York Jets owner Woody Johnson preparing a bid.
It’s one year to the 2026 World Cup: Is the USMNT anywhere near being ready?
After Robert Lewandowski said he would not play for Poland while Michal Probierz was manager (and a 2-1 loss to Finland on Tuesday), Probierz resigned. Hard to win a war against your country’s greatest player ever.
An amateur Under-17 match in Brazil fell into shambles as Military Police were called to quell a brawl and three referees were banned after a linesman slapped a player.
The Times: Film Critic, Actor, DJ: The Most Interesting Footballer You’ve Never Heard Of