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Leeds United have been boosted in their hopes to sign James McAtee on loan this summer, with Manchester City willing to let him leave on a temporary basis.

The Lowdown: McAtee impressing at Man City

The 19-year-old continues to catch the eye at the Premier League champions’ academy, registering 46 goal contributions (27 goals and 19 assists) in just 52 appearances for their under-23s.

It is clear that McAtee is going to struggle to break into Pep Guardiola’s first team in the near future, though, given the world-class quality ahead of him in the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium.

For that reason, sending him out on loan for the 2022/23 campaign feels like the logical next step in his career.

The Latest: Leeds could sign McAtee on loan

According to The Athletic, that is exactly what City are planning to do this summer, and Leeds are one of the clubs linked with an interest in snapping him up.

Leicester City, Brighton, Southampton and Aston Villa are also believed to be in the conversation, and while some of those suitors are keener on a permanent signing, a loan move will have to satisfy them for now.

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The Verdict: Good for squad depth

McAtee joining could be an ideal situation for all parties, allowing him to mature as a footballer and also enjoy more playing time than with Guardiola’s first team.

Attacking midfield is an area where Leeds still seem a bit light, despite the signing of Brenden Aaronson, so the City youngster could provide good depth in that area of Jesse Marsch’s squad.

Granted, McAtee only has two Premier League appearances to his name, but his aforementioned goal and assist tally at underage level shows how ruthless he can be in the final third.

He has also won the praise of past and present City stars, with Joleon Lescott dubbing him a “highly regarded” talent and the mercurial Kevin De Bruyne hailing his “quality”, so he could be well worth a go for Leeds in the loan market.

Glasgow Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed that Nikola Katic will not be continuing his journey with the Ibrox club.

What’s the news?

Speaking in his latest press conference prior to Rangers’ opening Scottish Premier fixture of the season against Livingston, Van Bronckhorst had this to say about the defender and his immediate future.

He said: “I spoke with Niko, who was on loan last season. It’s always good for me to work with other players we have under contract so Niko was back this pre-season.

“He is a great person and I spoke with him last week about his future with the club. We agreed it would be nice for Niko to get another club and play elsewhere.

“His future next season will not be at Rangers. He has to find a club where he can play, we will help him with that. Hopefully, he will find a new challenge elsewhere.”

Rangers supporters will be buzzing

Rangers signed the centre-back during the 2018 summer transfer window from Slaven Belupo on a four-year deal worth around £2m.

Since then, the Croatian has made 59 senior appearances for the Gers across all competitions.

In those appearances, the 25-year-old managed to chip in with six goals and three assists along the way. However, despite his occasional usefulness in front of goal, Katic has not had the chance to show Van Bronckhorst what he’s capable of.

Last season saw the defender complete a loan spell with HNK Hajduk Split in his home country.

Bearing in mind how Rangers have the likes of Connor Goldson, John Souttar, Ben Davies, Filip Helander, Jack Simpson and Leon King in the squad that play in the centre-back position, it’s easy to see why Van Bronckhorst thinks Katic is better off elsewhere.

Also, with the defender currently picking up a weekly wage of £9k-per-week, it would surely have lots of Rangers supporters buzzing to see the player move on and get his wages off their books.

Taking all of this into account, if the Ibrox club can pick up a suitable fee for Katic before the summer transfer window closes, and the defender can join a side where he’d be able to play regularly, this would surely be the ideal situation for all parties involved.

AND in other news: “New deal..”: Reporter drops transfer claim that’ll leave Rangers supporters gutted

Arsenal have suffered a big blow ahead of their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace tomorrow night…

What’s the latest?

The Gunners open the 2022/23 campaign with a trip to Selhurst Park as top-flight football makes a return but they will do so without the services of attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, who has been ruled out through injury.

According to the Evening Standard, the 22-year-old has struggled with fitness throughout pre-season and missed last weekend’s final friendly with a groin problem.

He could be fit in time for their first home game of the season against Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium next week.

“It’s just my groin at the moment, I am getting a bit of pain in there. It’s getting better and I should be back soon,” Smith Rowe told Standard Sport.

Big blow for Arteta

This will come as a gutting blow to manager Mikel Arteta as he will want to start the new season off in the best way possible, especially after last season’s theatrics.

Indeed, the Gunners endured a nightmare beginning to the 2021/22 campaign as they were beaten by Brentford; that was on a Friday, away from home, in front of the lights and cameras, too.

Arsenal have enjoyed a successful off-season, going unbeaten in their pre-season matches and sealing some impressive bits of business off the pitch, namely Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from reigning champions Manchester City.

But the north London giants spent big last summer, only to start the season off in disastrous fashion and their chances of avoiding a repeat have been dented in the absence of Smith Rowe, who is a crucial cog in Arteta’s system.

Not only does he offer versatility to play anywhere in the final third but he’s also a huge threat. Only Bukayo Saka (11) scored more goals in the Premier League last season, as per WhoScored.

Meanwhile, when compared to other attacking midfielders and wingers in the top-flight last term, Smith Rowe ranks favourable, sitting within the top 2% for shots on target, the top 4% for pass completion and the top 9% for successful dribbles, via FBref, which merely highlights his influence in attack.

That is why Arteta will surely be gutted to not have the England international available on Friday, though there is some hope that he can be involved in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Arteta could unearth Arsenal’s next Martinelli in “versatile” teen with a “big future”…

Crystal Palace are reportedly looking to raid a Premier League giant…

What’s the word?

According to 90min, the Eagles have shown a liking to Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, with the Blues similarly interested in Wilfried Zaha.

The English winger is aware his first-team chances will be limited this season, and as he is fully fit, wants to ensure that elsewhere.

A whole host of clubs are said to be interested, such as Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle United, West Ham United, Leicester City, Southampton and Everton.

Zaha heir?

With Zaha linked the other way, perhaps Hudson-Odoi could be a direct replacement for the Ivorian talisman who has been Palace’s main man for their stay in the Premier League.

Although he has not managed to truly explode, fitness issues and a lack of opportunities could explain why the Chelsea man is yet to announce himself on the world stage.

There must be something that makes him the “special” player – in the words of journalist Liam Canning –  that led Bayern Munich to offer a deal including an option to buy for £70m.

Having featured a respectable 28 times last season for Chelsea, he managed nine goal contributions across Premier League, domestic and Champions League competitions.

A respectable return for the 21-year-old who has seemingly been around the game forever, this is not a far cry from Zaha’s 15 goal contributions across 33 league games.

At this age, he can still be regarded as a “talent”, and with a run in a side and the backing of a manager like Patrick Vieira, who has already proven he puts his faith in the youth, could truly see him explode.

The £120k-per-week star has all the ability to become a world-class talent, a viewpoint that Frank Lampard shares, and with the recent history that Palace and Chelsea share with regards to loaning young English talent, they must be considered frontrunners.

It would prove to be a huge coup, and perhaps this time they could enamour themselves enough to this tricky forward to convince him to stay at Selhurst Park and be Zaha’s long-term successor.

He has all the ability to do so, he just needs some faith and to find some consistency.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their chances of signing Mauro Icardi in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Magpies have been offered the opportunity to sign the PSG centre-forward before next month’s deadline.

Reporting for CaughtOffside, Romano said: “I’ve written about Mauro Icardi being offered to Manchester United, and also Arsenal earlier in the summer, though they preferred to sign Gabriel Jesus. I can now reveal that the Argentine also been offered to Newcastle.

“Icardi’s situation is really difficult. PSG want to find a solution soon, but the player does not intend to accept unwanted destinations.

“He has been offered to Man Utd and Newcastle who have not made any kind of proposal for Icardi so far. There are also Galatasaray emissaries who contacted Icardi’s camp this week.”

Imagine him & Allan Saint-Maximin

Earlier this year, Saint-Maximin claimed that he could rack up 15 assists if he had better finishers around him at St. James’ Park.

By signing the £185k-per-week PSG gem, Newcastle could now answer the Frenchman’s prayers by pairing him with an exceptional finisher.

Since the start of the 2014/15 campaign, Icardi has scored an eye-catching 125 league goals from 119.70 expected goals. This means that he scored roughly five more than he was expected to from the chances he was provided with in that time.

He has proven over the course of a number of seasons that he is a clinical finisher at the top level and, therefore, the type of player Saint-Maximin has called out for the club to sign.

Juventus and Italy centre-back Giorgio Chiellini previously lauded the Argentine forward’s ability in his autobiography, saying:

“Among the great attackers I have faced, I highly value Icardi, who inside the area is almost impossible to mark. Mauro against Juve has often scored, it hurt me.

“He’s a world-class centre-forward, even if he lacks something in the collective game, he’s a Trezeguet but with different characteristics, lethal in the aerial game but perfectible outside the surface.”

These quotes back up his impressive finishing statistics and suggest that, if Howe can get the best out of him, Newcastle could land a terrific number nine by snapping him up in the coming weeks.

At the age of 29, he is not at the end of his career and should still have plenty to offer to the Magpies – given his sublime goalscoring record – if Howe deems him suited to the way he wants to play.

Should the club opt to take advantage of their opportunity to bring the Argentina international to St. James’ Park then Saint-Maximin’s prayers would be answered and he would have to live up to his word when it comes to assists.

Scottish football journalist Bill Young claimed that Ryan Jack did not look fit as Glasgow Rangers cruised to victory in the Scottish Premiership at Ibrox.

The Lowdown: Thumping win

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team enjoyed a thumping win in front of their own supporters, with new signings Malik Tillman, Antonio Colak and Tom Lawrence all among the scorers.

There may have been some nerves in the stadium with the Gers only 1-0 up at half-time, but a second-half flurry saw them ease to all three points in the end.

The Latest: Jack not fit?

Taking to Twitter, Young claimed that Jack ‘doesn’t look fit’ upon observing him during the game against St. Johnstone.

He has a long history of injury problems during his time at the Light Blues, and so it is always a worry when he does not look fully sharp.

The Verdict: Worrying

Given Jack’s injury history, it is certainly a sore sight to see that he may be struggling with his fitness.

The central midfielder lost out on four of his duels, while he also failed to record a single clearance, interception or tackle, losing the ball 13 times in total (SofaScore).

Of course, given that he missed the majority of last season through injury, it will take Jack some time to get back up to full match sharpness, and the Teddy Bears will be hoping that this is just a minor issue.

An update has emerged on Sunderland target Cameron Archer and his potential availability in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has revealed that Aston Villa could opt to sanction a temporary exit for the England youth international before next month’s deadline.

He Tweeted: “AVFC will consider letting Cameron Archer leave on loan if they get another attacker this month. Watford among the clubs interested. Decision expected in coming days.”

Earlier this summer, The Daily Mail claimed that the Black Cats were among the Championship teams eyeing up a swoop for the attacker.

Get it done

Sunderland chief Kristjaan Speakman must now launch a late swoop, with the window closing next week, to sign the Villa man as he could be a sublime addition to the squad on loan.

The Black Cats are fifth in the table and have only lost one of their opening five Championship matches with Ellis Simms and Ross Stewart both leading the line up front.

However, the club do not have any senior or natural number 9s outside of them and that suggests that Alex Neil is in need of an extra option in that position to challenge them or cover for potential injuries.

Archer could be that man after he enjoyed a fantastic 2021/22 campaign as he caught the eye for his parent club in the first half of the season, scoring four times in two EFL Cup matches and producing six goals and two assists in four Football League Trophy outings.

He then went out on loan to Preston North End in the Championship and netted on seven occasions in 20 games during his first spell away from Villa.

Journalist Ryan Taylor previously dubbed the 20-year-old gem a “goal machine” and Preston boss Ryan Lowe lauded him last season, saying: “Cameron has got an abundance of talent. His quality levels are fantastic, he’s bullish, strong, he can roll, he has got that little burst of pace too.”

At the end of that season, Archer was called up to the England U21 squad and fired in four goals in four European Championship qualifiers.

This means that he scored 21 times in 30 outings in the aforementioned competitions since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, which highlights the impact he can have at the top end of the pitch.

Therefore, the youngster could be a dream addition to compete with Stewart and Simms as he is a hungry and young attacker who will want to fight hard to earn his spot in the team, whilst holding the potential to be a prolific scorer.

Sheffield Wednesday are interested in making a move for Nottingham Forest winger Alex Mighten this summer, journalist Alex Miller has claimed.

The Lowdown: Mighton out of favour at Forest

The 20-year-old has found himself down the pecking order at Forest so far this season, with Steve Cooper making endless signings to help aid their Premier League survival hopes.

Mighten has only featured for seven minutes in the Reds’ opening three games and it looks increasingly likely that he will be allowed to leave on loan in the next week or so.

This is where Wednesday come into the picture.

The Latest: Sheff Wed eye up move

Taking to Twitter on Thursday, The Sheffield Star‘s Miller claimed that Mighten is on Wednesday’s radar, with a loan move looking possible:

“Understand Sheffield Wednesday are admirers of rapid Nottingham Forest winger Alex Mighten. Owls exploring possible deal, looks likely to leave #NFFC on loan but there is interest from elsewhere.”

The Verdict: Much-needed width

Darren Moore has strengthened all over the pitch this summer but there is still arguably a lack of quality in wide attacking areas, even with the signing of Mallik Wilks confirmed earlier this week.

Forest Director of Professional Development Gary Brazil has hailed Mighten as an ‘elite footballer’ who is also ‘brave, exciting, self-confident’ and ‘single-minded’, highlighting the kind of impact he could have at Hillsborough, in what is a weaker part of the pitch for them.

At 20, he is still a raw talent but his pace and quality out wide could help give the Owls an extra attacking dimension, while the addition of the Englishman could also improve squad depth.

Liverpool have reportedly submitted a bid for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz and the Brazilian could be the next Fabinho in Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

What’s the word?

According to journalist Matheus Leal, the Reds have offered £20m to the Birmingham-based side for Luiz, as they look to ease their midfield woes ahead of the transfer deadline.

He suggests that while Luiz is keen on changing clubs, Villa are expected to hold out for an increased fee, which is in line with their reported €35m (£30m) asking price from earlier in the summer.

In full, he said: “Liverpool have made an offer of £20 million for the midfielder, who welcome the change of team. Aston Villa play hard and look to win a little more.”

Klopp confirmed last week that he felt Liverpool needed another central midfielder following the loss against Manchester United, as injuries to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Thiago and Naby Keita have left the Merseyside club very short of options in the middle of the park.

Liverpool’s next Fabinho?

While it is unlikely that Liverpool will have to replace Fabinho any time soon, as the former Monaco man is still only 28, having a long-term heir to the Brazilian in the squad is certainly not a bad idea for Klopp.

Since he joined the Reds in 2018, he has gone on to make 175 appearances for the club, in which he has contributed 11 goals and eight assists, helping Liverpool to win the Premier League and Champions League.

Luiz, meanwhile, has impressed for Villa since joining from Manchester City in 2019. The 24-year-old has made 115 appearances for the Villans, contributing six goals and eight assists.

Indeed, rival boss Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Luiz last year, saying:

“He’s an important player for Aston Villa. A guy who’s clever with the ball, so physically strong.”

Luiz and Fabinho registered very similar defensive statistics in the Premier League last season, especially regarding tackles per game (1.7 vs 1.6), with the pair demonstrating they are combative defensive midfielders in the top flight.

They were also very alike in two other defensive metrics; interceptions per game (1 vs 1.4) and fouls per game (1.1 vs 1.4).

Therefore, they are both players who evidently love to get stuck in and use their physicality to dominate in midfield, while their reading of the game is also exemplary.

Therefore, if Liverpool do bring the Aston Villa man to Anfield this summer, there is no reason why he can’t emulate his Brazilian compatriot.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has dropped some promising Newcastle United injury news on Bruno Guimaraes.

The Lowdown: Bruno admission

Bruno has recently admitted that he had hoped to be back fit and ready for the weekend after missing the St. James’ Park outfit’s last three games.

However, he was unsure of his chances, meaning that it may take him a little while longer to get back up to full sharpness, and the postponement of all fixtures this weekend has now afforded the fan favourite some extra time to get up to speed.

The Latest: Back soon?

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke has shared that the North East club hope that Bruno can be back and available ‘soon’, adding that the central midfielder ‘isn’t too far away’:

“I’m sure Bruno Guimaraes isn’t too far away, and they’re pretty hopeful that he could be back soon. He’s already such a key player for Eddie Howe and Newcastle.”

The Verdict: Promising

It is certainly promising to hear of Bruno’s close return after missing the Tynesiders’ last three matches.

In those three fixtures, Eddie Howe’s team failed to win any of them, drawing twice against Wolves and Crystal Palace respectively and losing to Liverpool (Transfermarkt).

The Brazil international currently ranks as their sixth-best performer in the Premier League so far this season, and has recorded more tackles and through balls per game than any of his teammates (WhoScored), highlighting the job he does in the middle of the park.

Nonetheless, the Magpies will want him back and available as soon as possible, as they look to turn around a disappointing set of results once football returns.