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Liverpool are already gearing up for a busy transfer window next summer as it is clear the team needs a refresh after a poor start in the Premier League, and a reliable source has revealed a new target that has caught Jurgen Klopp’s eye.

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, Liverpool are interested in Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala but it won’t be easy to sign him.

Plettenberg tweeted:

“News #Musiala: Based on reports from UK: Yes, #LFC is interested in Musiala. Like any other top club in the world. But a transfer is no topic at this stage. He doesn’t want to leave Bayern and he is not for sale as mentioned by Salihamidzic at Sky. @SkySportDE.”

Jude Bellingham alternative

It’s no secret that Liverpool and Klopp are huge admirers of Jude Bellingham and the club are reportedly the frontrunner to sign the Borussia Dortmund wonderkid next summer. However, they are joined in a race full of elite European clubs that all want a slice of the midfielder’s talent.

Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Chelsea are all named as interested parties in the chase to secure Bellingham’s next summer and with the price tag set around £131.6m, it would be the deepest FSG has ever reached into their pockets to sign a player.

Virgil van Dijk remains Liverpool’s record transfer at £75m which is a lot cheaper than the price reported for the England international, however, if Liverpool want to compete with giants like Man City in the Premier League and Real Madrid in the Champions League, large reinvestment is essential in today’s market.

Due to the nature of the competitors vying for Bellingham’s signature, signing Musiala as an alternative would not be the worst idea for Liverpool as he is another talented youngster who could offer Liverpool stability and star quality in the centre of the pitch for years to come. That said, he would not come cheap either with CIES valuing the youngster at a whopping £122m.

According to FBRef, the 19-year-old’s closest comparable player is indeed Bellingham and it’s not hard to see why when you consider his output for the Bundesliga champions.

In just seven league appearances this season, Musiala has scored five goals, delivered three assists and created three big chances. He has also made 1.9 tackles a match and is winning 5.9 duels per game, proving that he is a versatile midfielder who is a huge influence in the heart of his team.

Not only that but the £83k-per-week teen who was hailed “exceptional” by Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn, ranks in the top 1% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for dribbles completed, touches, shots on goal and progressive passes received, while ranking in the top 2% for shot creating actions and assists.

Comparatively, Bellingham ranks in the top 4% for dribbles completed, the best 7% for total shots and the top 14% for shot-creating actions.

It would be incredibly difficult to convince Bayern Munich to part with the biggest rising star at their club right now, however, it is proof that Liverpool aren’t willing to just put all their eggs in one basket on Bellingham, and are showing ambition to sign midfielders who can make an instant impact at Anfield.

West Ham United managed to get their Premier League campaign back on track with a solid win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday evening.

Goals from Jarrod Bowen and summer arrival Gianluca Scamacca secured just their second win of the league campaign and will give them confidence going forward into a busy October.

It wasn’t all good news, however, with another new arrival, Maxwel Cornet, suffering an injury in the tie.

This could present an opportunity for another West Ham winger, with Cornet’s injury potentially allowing him an extended run in the side.

On the chalkboard

It’s safe to say that Said Benrahma hasn’t quite made an impact so far this season. The winger has started just three league matches, averaging 51 minutes on the pitch, without contributing a goal or an assist in these games.

This is in total contrast to his form last season, as the 27-year-old scored eight league goals (11 overall) while chipping in with a further six assists. He played his part in West Ham having a formidable attacking three, alongside Michail Antonio and Bowen, with all three scoring 42 goals between them.

It marks a strange turn of events for Benrahma, a regular starter last season to what seems like a fringe player this term.

When Cornet went off against Wolves with an injury, David Moyes turned to Pablo Fornals – a more central attacking midfielder – instead of the Algerian, who is a natural left winger and this was a very strange omission by the manager.

In fact, Benrahma has created more big chances (5) than Fornals (0) this season while also making more key passes per game (1) than the Spaniard (0.6), proving why Moyes made the wrong decision in leaving the 27-year-old on the bench.

A 2-0 victory ensured that this decision wouldn’t come back to haunt the manager, but the winger can offer so much to this West Ham side, with Sam Saunders amusingly suggesting in the past that he “could nutmeg a mermaid” during his days at Brentford.

He showed similar qualities to that last term and hopefully, the Cornet injury could be a silver lining for the £20k-per-week player who simply must now be unleashed.

Crystal Palace returned to winning ways on Sunday as they earned a comeback 2-1 win over Leeds United.

After a tricky first half that saw Pascal Struijk open the scoring for the visitors, Patrick Vieira’s side hit back through Odsonne Edouard, before Eberechi Eze’s goal won it for the Eagles in the second half.

The result moves Palace up to 15th in the table and eases the pressure on Vieira somewhat after some disappointing recent results saw them move dangerously close to the relegation places in the top flight.

While Eze will dominate the headlines after his winning goal, Michael Olise deserves a huge amount of credit for another superb display, which will surely send a message to Vieira about starting him more regularly.

Sunday was only the third time Olise has started in the Premier League this season and after his first goal contribution of the season, which was a wonderful cross for Edouard, you would hope that Vieira would start him on a more regular basis from now on.

Journalist Josh Bunting was full of praise for Olise’s assist, saying:

“The ball in from Michael Olise is outstanding, played into the perfect area for Odsonne Édouard who makes it a goal in back-to-back games. That ball in was just begging to be put away.”

As per SofaScore, Olise would earn an impressive 7.2/10 rating for his performance, with only the goalscorers Edouard and Eze rated higher in Vieira’s side.

During his time on the pitch, the former Reading man would contribute three key passes from his 53 touches which was the most of any player on the pitch, and also a significant increase on the 1.3 key passes he has averaged per game in the Premier League this season.

The Frenchman also contributed one shot on target, which again was an increase on his 0.7 shots per game average in the top flight this season, which shows that he really raised his game against Leeds this weekend.

Olise also played his part defensively as Palace held out for an important three points, contributing three tackles, compared to the 1.4 per game he has averaged in the Premier League this season.

Therefore, he deserves to keep his place in the starting team for the significant future, as he really showed Vieira what he can offer.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has been reacting to Leeds United’s interest in Rangers defender Leon King.

The Lowdown: Leeds links

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed earlier in the week that the Whites are monitoring the centre-back and have already sent their scouts to follow the player in action.

The 18-year-old has made 11 senior appearances this season after progressing through the Rangers academy, taking his first-team tally to 18.

Leeds aren’t the only side keen, though, with Manchester United and Newcastle United also name-checked in Romano’s update.

The Latest: O’Rourke reacts

Talking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke confirmed that Leeds are ‘keeping tabs’ on King, describing the teenager as ‘very talented’ and ‘highly thought of at Rangers for a long time’.

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“He is a very talented young defender. He has been very highly thought of at Rangers for a long time and he is now getting opportunities in the first team as well.

“Obviously, Leeds are keeping tabs on him, along with a number of other clubs as well.”

The Verdict: Get it done

Leeds have plenty of exciting talent in their Thorp Arch academy, with the likes of Mateo Joseph and Sonny Perkins going from strength to strength in Yorkshire.

The future is looking bright at Elland Road, so King could become the next youngster to join the club looking to make his name in the Premier League and already boasts Champions League experience on his CV.

Charlie Cresswell is out on loan at Millwall and seemingly a future first-team player, so King could be a shrewd addition and potentially Cresswell’s centre-back partner in years to come.

King also shares the same agent as Leeds youngsters Max Dean and Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen, which could potentially help matters should the club firm up their interest in the coming months.

Leeds United forwards Joe Gelhardt and Wilfried Gnonto will both be involved against Leicester City this evening, Adam Pope reports.

The Lowdown: Gnonto’s absence

Jesse Marsch has selected both Gelhardt and Gnonto in a Premier League matchday squad just once, with the Italy international missing out against Arsenal on the weekend.

Gelhardt came off the bench late on in the 1-0 defeat, with Leeds somehow coming away from Elland Road empty-handed.

The Whites are now preparing for a trip to the King Power Stadium this evening, and it looks as if both exciting young attackers will make the 20-man squad.

The Latest: Pope’s post

Pope was present at Marsch’s pre-match press conference at Thorp Arch on Wednesday.

He relayed updates from the Leeds boss on Twitter, saying that Gnonto and Gelhardt will both be ‘involved’.

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The Verdict: Good to see

Both Gelhardt and Gnonto appear to be future stars, so it’s exciting that the pair will both make the squad this evening.

You’d presume that they’ll get the nod for a place on the bench, and should Leeds’ struggles in the final third continue, they may be called upon earlier than usual.

Gnonto is still awaiting his first-team debut, so tonight could be the perfect time for Marsch to unleash the deadline-day signing as the Whites look for a first away win of the season.

TalkSPORT pundit Alan Hutton has been left thrilled as Tottenham Hotspur allegedly eye a move for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol.

The Lowdown: Spurs making plans?

The Lilywhites have been backing manager Antonio Conte in the transfer market ever since he guided them to a top four Premier League finish last season.

ENIC green-lit a £150 million equity increase which Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici then put to good use, completing seven major signings in total.

Indeed, the north Londoners sealed moves for Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet, Djed Spence, Destiny Udogie and a permanent deal for Cristian Romero.

Despite their flurry of activity, Spurs have been linked with further interest in promising targets ahead of the January window.

The Latest: Hutton thrilled by Gvardiol links…

Speaking in an interview, former Scotland and Tottenham right-back Hutton has reacted to links with RB Leipzig sensation Gvardiol.

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He explains that the 20-year-old would be an ‘upgrade’ on Conte’s current crop and raved over his ‘unbelievable’ ability.

Hutton explained to Football Insider:

“As long as Daniel Levy has got the money and he is willing to open the purse strings to spend on him.

“I think he is a fantastic player. We saw it against Celtic, his range of passing is unbelievable. He is left-sided, he is very comfortable. To bring someone like that in definitely enhances the Tottenham back line.

“It is going to be a lot of money there is no getting away from that. You are probably talking £80m plus for a player of his standards.

“If they want to go and compete at the highest level these are the markets they need to be working within. If they can get hold of him I think it would definitely be an upgrade.“

The Verdict: Marquee…

The Croatia international wouldn’t come cheap, so Paratici must get financial backing if he is to negotiate a move.

Reports suggested earlier this year that Gvardiol could indeed command a price tag between £70-80 million (Jack Pitt-Brooke), a fee that would eclipse Spurs’ club record total on a single signing.

That being said, the starlet is clearly a stellar talent – having played a major role domestically for Leipzig last season.

As per WhoScored, Gvardiol ranked in their top three for tackles made, interceptions and clearances per 90 in the Bundesliga last season whilst finishing the campaign as their third-best performer overall.

He would undoubtedly be a left-footed central defensive upgrade, but the logistics of such a move could prove challenging.

Journalist Ben Jacobs has said the next three games are ‘very important’ for Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch.

The Lowdown: Groundwork laid for new manager

The Whites are without a Premier League win since August and have fallen into the relegation zone after four defeats in a row.

Speculation regarding Marsch’s position at Elland Road has increased, with reports even suggesting that Leeds ‘are putting out early feelers as they lay the groundwork for appointing a new manager’.

Marsch does look set to be in the dugout for Saturday’s trip to Liverpool, though, with Leeds also having to navigate top-flight fixtures against Bournemouth and Tottenham prior to the World Cup.

The Latest: Jacobs’ comments

Jacobs was talking to GiveMeSport regarding Marsch to share what he’s been ‘told’ regarding his future. He appeared to suggest that the head coach will be given the next three games, labelling them as ‘very important’ for Marsch.

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“Leeds know that they can’t afford to let this continue for too long, or they risk getting cut adrift towards the back end of this half of the season and then the beginning of next year.

“The next three games, from what I’m told, are very important for Jesse Marsch, but particularly that home game against Bournemouth, where he desperately needs a win or he’ll be in big, big trouble.”

The Verdict: Minimum one win

As Jacobs mentions, the home fixture against Bournemouth appears to be massive in regards to Leeds’ season and Marsch’s future.

Providing the American is still in charge of the club for the meeting with the Cherries, anything but three points could spell the end and leave the Whites with a mountain to climb when it comes to survival.

That would give Leeds plenty of time to bring in a possible successor during the break for the World Cup, but it seems as if the Whites are willing to give Marsch more time to turn things around.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are ‘back in talks’ with Julen Lopetegui regarding their Premier League managerial vacancy, according to journalist Liam Keen.

The Lowdown: A saga for the ages

Fosun had identified the 56-year-old as their number one target to replace Bruno Lage following his sacking last month, but the former Sevilla boss turned down the opportunity to join due to personal reasons.

Chairman Jeff Shi later released a statement revealing that Steve Davis would remain in charge until 2023 whilst the hunt for a new coach was put on hold, though a remarkable development has now emerged in the last 48 hours.

The Latest: Wolves deal close

Taking to Twitter, Keen confirms that Wolves have now re-entered negotiations to appoint Lopetegui, with an agreement potentially set to be reached prior to the international break.

“Incredible how football works out…Wolves are back in talks with Julen Lopetegui. It’s progressing well and Wolves are hopeful of appointing him before the World Cup break.”

The Verdict: Massive coup?

Should Lopetegui agree to make the move to Molineux, it would be a massive coup for the Old Gold, not only because they tried to land him before but also given his impressive track record.

The Spaniard won 90 and drew 44 of his trophy in 2019/20.

This is exactly the level of consistency and pedigree that Wolves need to bring to the club, and the sooner he’s hired, the more chance he’ll have of being able to turn the side’s form around.

Former Premier League and FIFA referee Keith Hackett has commended Sunderland for recently taking action against the behaviour of some spectators.

The Lowdown: Sunderland take action

As per the Wearside club’s official website, they have introduced further measures to enhance fan safety at the Stadium of Light, following the recent conduct of ‘a small minority of away supporters’.

This includes the searching of all away supporters upon entering the stadium, increasing stewarding capacity in the North Stand and enhancing the CCTV network.

It is also now club policy that coins and vapes will no longer be permitted in the away section of the North Stand at the venue, and all of the new measures were in place in last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Cardiff City in the Championship.

The Latest: Hackett applauds measures

Speaking to Football Insider, Hackett claimed that Sunderland should be ‘applauded’ for the new measures that they have now put in place.

The 78-year-old said: “Credit to Sunderland for not allowing fans to take coins or objects they can throw at people into the ground. It sounds daft but it’s important. I think they should be applauded for attempting that. 

“When you look at the amount of money in the game, these things can be avoided. They need to put an airport security style system at the grounds.”

The Verdict: Needed

The safety of supporters when going to the games is first and foremost the most important thing on matchdays, so it is good to see these new measures being implemented by Sunderland.

It should also encourage more supporters who were perhaps too anxious to attend matches previously to now do so, and duly give Tony Mowbray’s team an extra boost.

Other clubs should now be following the Black Cats’ example, with changes which could be implemented ahead of the league season resuming after the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

Arsenal have reportedly made an official offer to try and sign Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Arsenal interested in Mudryk

The Gunners’ interest in the 21-year-old is certainly firm, with reports that they are willing to pay up to £56m to sign him in January.

It has also been claimed that the Ukraine international ‘couldn’t say no’ to a potential move to the Emirates Stadium should he be given the chance, so if the price is right, a deal could certainly be done.

The Latest: Offer made

Taking to Twitter, Tutto Juve journalist Mirko Di Natale has revealed that Mikel Arteta’s side have made an ‘official offer’ worth €60m (£52m) to sign Mudryk and are ‘serious’ about landing his signature.

The reporter tweeted: “#Arsenal is serious for #Mudryk: official offer from €60mln. Confirmed the indiscretion of a few days ago. Now the ball passes to #Shakhtar.”

The Verdict: Exciting

Being top of the Premier League, these are certainly exciting times for Arsenal; and if they can sign Mudryk in January, then it could really help them in their charge for the title.

Football presenter and pundit Jack Collins has hailed him as ‘absolutely unreal’ and ‘undefendable’ in explosive bursts, and the 21-year-old has averaged one goal contribution per game this season.

He has eight goals and seven assists in 15 appearances across all competitions, including five goal contributions in the Champions League (Transfermarkt).

That is where Arsenal want to be for next season, and signing the 21-year-old would likely help them to cement their place at Europe’s top table for 2023/24.