Yorkshire Post

Tense battles are playing out across England’s top flight and it was another busy weekend of action.

Leeds went down to 10 men away at Crystal Palace when Gabriel Gudmundsson was sent off, but still managed to leave with a point in the bag after a goalless draw.

Post-match, Whites boss Daniek Farke said: "I have to give lots of compliments to my players for a day that has proved why I would trust my boys with my life. I can always count on them.

”We are perhaps not perfect otherwise we would have been ahead at half-time, but I think it's one of the rare games where the team who has to play for such a long period with an underload (of players) had more expected goals than the home team.”

Tottenham Hotspur have tumbled into the relegation battle yet managed to hold Liverpool to a 1-1 draw and Nottingham Forest shared the spoils with Fulham.

Wolverhampton Wanderers held Brentford to a 2-2 draw on the road, Manchester United swept Aston Villa aside and it ended goalless between Burnley and AFC Bournemouth.

West Ham United boosted their survival hopes by managing to claim a point against Manchester City and table-toppers Arsenal clinched a 2-0 win over Everton.

Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United were both 1-0 victors on the road, defeating Sunderland and Chelsea respectively.

Following the latest twists and turns, Opta have deployed their supercomputer to predict how the final Premier League table will look.

Leeds United, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur have been credited with interest in Bayer Leverkusen prodigy Francis Onyeka.

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An attack-minded midfielder, Onyeka has made just two appearances since his graduation into Leverkusen’s senior set-up.

However, the 18-year-old has been developing at speed out on loan at VfL Bochum.

Since his temporary switch to the second tier of German football, Onyeka has registered eight goals in 23 league appearancs.

He has also been capped by Germany at various youth levels and Premier League clubs have now been linked.

Leeds United linked with German prospect

According to SportsBoom, Leeds are closely monitoring the highly-rated prospect’s situation.

It has been suggested the club believe he could evolve into box-to-box midfielder and drop deeper.

He is also said to be on the shortlists of Villa and Spurs, who are thought to view him as a playmaker with high potential.

Meanwhile, the report has claimed he has caught the eye of data-savvy Brighton & Hove Albion as well as Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.

Leeds United’s summer

Leeds and Spurs are currently battling to preserve their Premier League status and the business they conduct this summer will be dependent on the outcome of their fight.

If either drop into the Championship, a firesale will be on the cards and there will need to be a challenging squad rebuild.

Leeds are all too familiar with the difficulties relegation throws up, having tumbled out of the Premier League in 2023.

However, if they can hold on to their place in England’s top flight, the taps for ambitious investment could be turned on.

An array of figures have been linked with the club in recent weeks and speculation will continue to circulate throughout the run-in.

Among the latest names to emerge as a reported target for Leeds is Manchester City defender Stephen Mfuni, who is currently enhancing his reputation as a loanee in the Championship with Watford.

Leeds United and West Ham United are reportedly poised to swoop for AZ Alkmaar sensation Troy Parrott.

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The 24-year-old completed his footballing education with Tottenham Hotspur after cutting his teeth with Belvedere in his native Republic of Ireland.

However, after stepping up to senior level with Spurs, he found himself bouncing around the loan system as so many young prospects do.

After spells at Millwall, Ipswich Town, Milton Keynes Dons, Preston North End and Excelsior, he completed a permanent move to AZ in 2024.

He has been a revelation in the Netherlands, scoring 44 goals in 83 appearances since pitching up at the AFAS Stadion.

Fresh Leeds United link

According to SportsBoom, both Leeds and West Ham have taken notice of his exploits overseas.

It has been suggested the Whites and the Hammers are both ready to pounce in the summer, although a deal may not prove cheap to do.

Parrott penned a five-year deal when he was signed by AZ for a reported £6.7m. It has been claimed the club could demand a fee in the region of £15-17m for the Republic of Ireland international.

While not an astronomical fee in the modern game, it is a significant investment given Parrott is yet to prove he can cut it in the Premier League.

However, he could prove to be a bargain addition if he can emulate his Eredivisie form back in England.

Troy Parrott’s love for AZ

Leeds have previously been linked with Parrott, who spoke last year of his love for life at AZ.

While a Premier League opportunity could prove tempting, the marksman may need some convincing to leave the club who have accelerated his development.

In May last year, he said: "Whatever happens, it’s not going to be my decision. If someone was to ask me right now, I would say I want to stay. I have had the best year of my life so far in football here, I have loved every second of it.

"The achievements of the group haven’t been what I wanted, given the positions we were in, but in terms of the team and the staff that I have come to know, I have loved every second of it. In my mind, I am here next season and ready to go again.”

It was a tough weekend for many of the divison’s relegation-threatened clubs.

Leeds hosted Manchester City at Elland Road and despite battling valiantly, fell to a 1-0 defeat.

The blow was softened by results elsewhere, with West Ham among those who lost. The Hammers visited Anfield and were beaten 5-2 by Liverpool.

Burnley played out a thriller with Brentford but it was the Bees who emerged as 4-3 winners at Turf Moor. Tottenham Hotspur continued their decline with a 2-1 reverse at Fulham and Nottingham Forest were edged out by Brighton & Hove Albion.

Further up the table, Arsenal got the better of the Chelsea and Manchester United squeezed past Crystal Palace.

Everton overcame Newcastle United and the spoils were shared between AFC Bournemouth and Sunderland at the Vitality Stadium.

Following the latest results, here is how Opta believe the final Premier League table will look.

Leeds United-linked Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford is reportedly set to be a top target for Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

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Two years after selling him to Burnley, Manchester City activated a buy-back clause to get Trafford back in their squad last summer.

He had developed at a swift pace during his time at Turf Moor, starring for England Under-21s and knocking on the door of the senior side.

However, his return to the Etihad Stadium has not worked out as planned. His comeback was followed by the capture of Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma, who leapfrogged Trafford in the pecking order.

Leeds are among those who have been linked with a summer swoop for the 23-year-old, who needs regular football to realise his ambition of becoming England’s number one.

However, the Whites could face stern competition from Spurs if they do make a move for Trafford.

James Trafford linked with Tottenham Hotspur

Speaking to Football Insider, former Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers scout Mick Brown said: “Tottenham are looking at a few new goalkeepers. One who I think is going to be high up on their list is James Trafford, the Man City goalkeeper, because it looks like he might be available.

“He’s not happy at Man City and he’s made that pretty clear, he doesn’t want to be a number two, so a move to Tottenham could be a good opportunity.

“Trafford is still very highly rated, whenever you hear people speaking about him they always have good things to say, and he showed what he can do at Burnley.

“He’s an England international and he’s still only young as well, so it’s more of a long-term investment.

“It might depend on his future at Man City, if they are willing to let him go then he’s going to be a top target for Tottenham, but it’s still in their hands.”

Leeds United’s goalkeeping dilemma

Leeds made a high-profile addition to their goalkeeper department last summer, paying a reported £15.6m to Lyon for the services of Lucas Perri.

However, after a string of shaky performances, Perri was dislodged by the experienced Karl Darlow last month.

If Perri cannot reclaim his spot before the season ends, he may look to move on from Elland Road.

November ended with pressure mounting on Whites boss Daniel Farke, but the German has since overseen a remarkable turnaround.

Leeds have given themselves breathing space in the battle for survival and sit 15th, six points above the drop zone. They visited the Midlands at the weekend, sharing the spoils with Aston Villa in a 1-1 draw.

The bottom three is currently occupied by West Ham, Burnley and Wolves, with Nottingham Forest hovering precariously in 17th.

Over the weekend, West Ham drew with AFC Bournemouth, Burnley picked up a point at Chelses and Wolves lost to Crystal Palace. Forest, meanwhile, were edged out by liverpool.

Tottenham have even been dragged into the battle and were thumped by their North London rivals Arsenal on home turf.

Elsewhere, Fulham emerged from their battle with Sunderland as 3-1 victors and Brighton & Hove Albion defeated Brentford. Manchester City squeezed past Newcastle United and the weekend was rounded off by a win for Manchester United over Everton.

Following the latest results, Opta have rebooted their supercomputer to predict how the final Premier League table will look.

Tottenham Hotspur are the latest club to have been credited with interest in Leeds United-linked playmaker Pavel Šulc.

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The 25-year-old currently plies his trade in France with Lyon, who only signed him from Viktoria Plzeň in August.

A senior Czech Republic international, Šulc has gone from strength to strength in Ligue 1 and registered 10 goals across 21 appearances.

Leeds have been linked with the attacking midfielder, who is also thought to have attracted admiring glances from the likes of Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Fulham.

Tottenham Hotsur credited with interest in Leeds United ‘target’

Mail Online have now thrown Spurs into the mix, claiming the struggling Premier League club are among his potential suitors.

Atletico Madrid have also been linked with Šulc, who lyon reportedly want a staggering £43m for.

The report has, however, claimed there is hope that price can be negotiated down.

Leeds United focused on Premier League survival

Šulc would undeniably be a significant coup for Leeds, who will need to continue investing in their squad if Premier League safety is secured this season.

A number of shrewd signings were made by the Whites this summer and the calibre of the squad will need to rise again.

Premier League status will be key in convincing talent to make the move to Elland Road and Whites boss Daniel Farke believes his side have a “great chance” of staying up.

After his side’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa at the weekend, he said: “I think we deserve to be rewarded a bit more often with three points but to earn survival as a promoted side is not easy so I don’t want to be too greedy.

“It’s quite normal that you have to go until the end and dig in. If we show performances like we have on the road and at home, we have a great chance to achieve our goals.”

Leeds United have again been linked with Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss.

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The 21-year-old was strongly linked with the Whites in the last summer window having been relegated to the Championship with Leicester.

Newcastle United and Sunderland were also among those credited with interest in the Morocco international, who ended up venturing overseas.

He sealed a season-long loan move to Stuttgart, who reportedly have an obligation to buy him for a fee in the region of €20m (£17.4m).

However, it seems there could be an attempt to ensure his time as a permanent Stuttgart player is short-lived.

Leeds United link resurfaces

According to SportsBoom, Leeds have continued to track the progress of the attacking midfielder in Germany.

Newcastle, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace have also been named as admirers, suggesting there could be a battle for his services.

He has made 27 appearances for Stuttgart in all competitions, registering eight goals and four assists.

Leeds United’s hunt for creativity

Leeds were seemingly intent on signing an attacking midfielder last summer, but had to wait until the winter window to secure the loan signing of Facundo Buonannotte from Brighton & Hove Albion.

He made the move to Elland Road on a regular loan basis, meaning there is no option or obligation to make his move permanent.

Regardless of whether or not Buonannotte proves to be a hit at Elland Road, Leeds could find themselves in the market for some flair in the summer.

El Khannouss would fit the bill and like Buonannotte, has impressed in the Premier League at Leicester.

However, the former Genk star is not the only playmaker being linked with a move to Elland Road.

It has been suggested Leeds are on the trail of Lyon star Pavel Šulc, who has registered 10 goals and three assists in Ligue 1 this season.

However, the Whites are believed to be just one of many Premier League clubs eyeing up the highly-rated Czech Republic international.

The battle for Premier League survival is shaping up to be a tense one but Leeds have given themselves some breathing room.

Daniel Farke’s men have risen to 15th in the table, above the declining Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs are currently occupying 16th, just two points above 17th-placed Forest and five points clear of 18th-placed West Ham. The Hammers are in the bottom three along with Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the latter sat on a paltry points tally of nine.

At the top end of the table, Arsenal are sitting top of the tree on 57 points. Hot on their heels are Manchester City, who have a four-point gap they need to close. Aston Villa and Manchester United complete the top four, with Chelsea and Liverpool sat fifth and sixth respectively.

Opta have deployed their supercomputer to predict how the final Premier League table will look - and this is what it came up with.

Leeds United are reportedly planning an ambitious summer swoop for Middlesbrough star Hayden Hackney.

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An all-action midfielder, Hackney is widely considered to be among the biggest talents in the Championship.

He has blossomed again this season, helping Middlesbrough ascend to the Championship summit.

However, transfer speculation has continued to swirl around the highly-rated 23-year-old.

Leeds United linked with Middlesbrough star

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were linked last month and there has also been talk of interest from Porto, Newcastle United and Ipswich Town.

According to reporter Alan Nixon via his Patreon page, Leeds are among the admirers of the former England Under-21s star.

It has been suggested the Whites have marked Hackney down as a priority target for the summer if they retain their Premier League status.

However, a move would reportedly hinge on Middlesbrough failing to clinch promotion to the top flight.

The report has claimed Leeds could jump to the front of the queue and that they have the finances to make a deal happen.

‘Outstanding’ Hayden Hackney

Hackney would arguably be a huge coup for the West Yorkshire club, who would add his blend of class and grit to the Leeds midfield.

Talk of a potential move for Hackney will only make Middlesbrough more determined to go up, as the loss of such a talent would be a bitter blow.

After his excellent display in Middlesbrough’s win over Sheffield United last week, Hackney was lauded as an “outstanding” midfielder by Blades boss Chris Wilder.

He said: “Hayden was in and around the group while I was there and really got his opportunity and blossomed into the player that he is. As I said, he's an outstanding midfield player.

“When we look at standout midfield players and overall standout players in the division, for me there's nobody better than Hayden.”