English Premier League

English Premier League

Chelsea are very interested in signing AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit. The 20-year-old Netherlands prodigy has attracted the attention of Real Madrid and Barcelona as well. According to Fichajes, Real Madrid have already submitted a 50 million offer to get the deal done, but the Dutch outfit is holding out for a fee of 60 million. Smit has also been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool.

Manchester City could reportedly lose one of their longest-serving players to Bayern Munich for free this summer. Although they sit second in the Premier League, it has been another strange season for the Sky Blues, who look nowhere near their dominant best. It follows speculation around Pep Guardiola's future, with journalist David Ornstein reporting to Sky Sports News that there's an extremely strong chance of the Catalan coach leaving at the end of the season.

EFL clubs will vote on expanding play-offs in the Championship from four to six teams at a meeting on 5 March. The proposal, which has been under consideration for a number of seasons, would mean the teams finishing from third to eighth compete for a place in the Premier League. It would mirror the format used in the National League.

In their Champions League match against PSV Eindhoven, Bayern Munich made four substitutions in the 62nd minute, writes Stephan Wijnen. The four players entering the pitch together had a combined estimated value of 265m (Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry and Alphonso Davies). Is this the most expensive combined substitution ever? Before we go any further a player's estimated value is not an objective measure, but using transfer fees doesn't necessarily work, with some players moving for no fee (Kylian Mbappe, for example).

Leicester City incredibly threw away a three-goal half-time lead to lose 4-3 to Southampton on Tuesday and see their winless run extended to six Championship matches. With a six-point deduction confirmed last week, too, this miserable stretch has left Leicester in serious danger of suffering back-to-back relegations. It had looked as though the Foxes, led by interim boss and club legend Andy King, would move clear of the bottom three when they raced ahead at the King Power Stadium. Divine Mukasa and Patson Daka were on target inside the opening 13 minutes, and it was 3-0 before the half-hour mark as Abdul Fatawu got in on the act with a blockbuster strike.

"It's a crazy start ... hopefully I can keep it going,"

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is under a lot of pressure after a disappointing run of form, and he could be shown the door at the end of the season. Even though he helped Newcastle end their prolonged wait for a trophy, he has not delivered this season. Newcastle are currently 12th in the league table and hope to do much better.

The player will be out of contract at the end of the season, and the Eagles are hoping to sign him on a bargain. It is no secret that they need a quality central defender, especially after Marc Guehi's departure. Senesi has proven himself in the Premier League with consistent performances, and there is no doubt that he would be an asset for the Eagles. Signing a layer of his quality and experience for free would be a masterstroke.

Not yet, but he is a fantastic player. Hopefully he can help us by increasing his qualities in our structure like he is doing. He will need another contract, and maybe it could be here. If he plays his best football, we will want him. But also other teams could be involved in the interest for him.

Chelsea welcome Leeds United to Stamford Bridge hoping to avenge a 3-1 loss at Elland Road back in December. The Blues have won four successive Premier League games under Liam Rosenior and will be expected to make it five in a row despite coming unstuck in the reverse fixture at Elland Road. Leeds are coming off a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest last time out, and could move nine points clear of the relegation zone by completing an unexpected double over Chelsea.

Every Premier League game from Matchweek 26 will be shown live on TNT Sports in the UK. Chelsea vs Leeds be shown live on TNT Sports 4 and can be streamed by subscribers to the Discovery+ platform. Kick-off is at 19:30 GMT. Out of the country when Chelsea vs Leeds is on? That doesn't mean you have to miss the game.

Bournemouth forward Junior Kroupi is attracting attention from some of Europe's elite clubs, while Manchester City angle for a move for England international Elliot Anderson. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe. Transfers home page | Men's winter grades | Women's grades TRENDING RUMORS - Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Chelsea are among the clubs tracking Bournemouth forward Junior Kroupi, according to The Sun. It is reported that Bournemouth are braced for offers for the 19-year-old in the summer, and that a deal of around £80 million could see Kroupi move on.

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, both Liverpool and Tottenham have placed the Marseille forward firmly on their radar and would be prepared to meet a substantial asking price to secure his signature. The report claims offers in the region of 78 million (90m) could be considered, a figure that shows just how highly Greenwood is now rated after two prolific seasons in Ligue 1.

First-half goals from Tommy Conway and Riley McGree were enough to get Kim Hellberg's side over the line, and above Coventry City, as a late red card for Joe Rothwell eased the pressure following Patrick Bamford's goal in the 73rd minute. It was an end-to-end first half as both teams combined for 23 shots before the break, 15 to eight in favour of Boro, with Conway firing over in the sixth minute before Morgan Whittaker headed straight at Michael Cooper for the visitors.

"When I say they're direct, I mean it in a really positive way. They use their strengths. They use Dominic [Calvert-Lewin], whose movement in the box is outstanding. They get crosses in and counter-press very well. We have to stand up to that and overcome those intensity [elements] that are key to the game. We've rotated a lot, which we need to do at this stage of the season. You have to be really, really well-prepared tactically, to give the players the best plans and solutions to the problems you face."