Thursday Morning Hot Links

Italy pulled off a shocker, the Quarter-Final Main Event is today, and we’re 48 hours away from Leeds’ first preseason game of the new year. LFG.

Leeds United

• Leeds United unveiled their 2025-26 away jerseys.

• The Yorkshire Evening Post is reporting that, thanks to a ridiculous un-VARable call in Udinese’s season finale, new center defender Jaka Bijol received a second yellow card and will serve his red card suspension in Leeds’ season opener against Everton on August 18. It’s a tough decision because Everton are one of those teams that project to be in the bottom half of the table if not relegation rivals, so picking up three points would be massive, especially since the game is at Elland Road.

• YEP’s Graham Smyth also reports that Leeds have held talks with Feyenoord over Brazilian winger Igor Paixao, who scored 16 goals and had 16 assists as Feyenoord made it to the last 16 of the Champions League.

• A reporter out of Germany says that, despite interest from Stuttgart, Hoffenheim are preparing for Anton Stach to join Leeds United, who has left training camp in anticipation of a move being completed.

• New center defender Sebastiaan Bornauw spoke to the media for the first time and said he watched every Leeds game for five months.

• It was always a longshot due to the quality of the other clubs interested, but Napoli are hot for 6’8” Torino/Serbia goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, with whom Leeds had registered interest.

• Real Betis have signed Former Leeds Great Junior Firpo to a three-year deal.

Elsewhere

• Italy scored in the 90th minute to beat Norway 2-1 in yesterday’s Women’s Euros Quarterfinal.

• Arsenal have signed Former Liverpool Great/Canada international Olivia Smith in a world-record transfer.

• Liverpool are closing in on a £70+ million deal for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, who rejected an offer from Manchester United, and now Newcastle are preparing a bid for Brentford’s Yoane Wissa after appearing to lose out on Ekitike.

• Opta: Why Liverpool and Ekitike can take each other to the next level.

• Brentford and Manchester United are back to an impasse over a move for forward Bryan Mbuemo who, like Viktor Gyokeres, has been “about to leave” for almost two months.

• Aston Villa are considering a move for Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho.

• BBC: What strikers are still available?

• Real Madrid are considering selling Vinicius Jr unless he reduces his salary demands. And that money could fund a £150 million bid for Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez.

• Sunderland are interested in 32-year old Bayer Leverkusen/Former Arsenal Great Granit Xhaka.

• Manchester United and Manchester City led the Premier League last year in fan arrests.

• Montenegro’s FK Arsenal Tivat has been banned from European competitions for 10 years for match-fixing.

What To Watch: Thursday

• 2pm (Central): Women’s European Championships Quarter-Final: Sweden v. England. Fox.