Daniel Farke and his Leeds United team will be hoping to kick on even further during the 2026/27 season after a strong first season back in the Premier League.

Tipped to be relegated and return to the Championship at the first time of asking, Leeds comfortably finished the season in 14th, eight points above West Ham in the final relegation place.

The West Yorkshire club also featured in an FA Cup semi-final which they narrowly lost against Chelsea.

Leeds fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that more is to come from the team over the course of the next 12 months and key to that will be adding new players to the squad.

Leeds are yet to confirm any new signings so far this summer but all will be hoping it isn’t too long before new arrivals sign on the dotted line at Elland Road.

Charles update

Leeds are keen to strengthen their midfield for the new season with a move for Southampton midfielder Shea Charles.

The Northern Ireland international played a pivotal role for Saints last campaign as he helped them reach the Championship play-offs and also the semi-final of the FA Cup.

After failing to secure an immediate return to the Premier League, Charles looks on course to depart Southampton ahead of the new season and Leeds are hopeful of luring him to Elland Road.

According to the Daily Mail, the West Yorkshire club have submitted an improved offer of £23million plus add-ons for the 22-year-old.

Charles, who came through Manchester City’s academy, is valued at £30m by Southampton and City are believed to have a 15 per cent sell-on clause on their former player.

Charles’ evolution

The ex-Sheffield Wednesday loanee came in for plenty of praise last season following his performances in the middle of the pitch for Southampton.

Set to turn 23 at the beginning of November, the Manchester-born player is currently going through a key phase where he is maturing from a talented youngster into a senior player.

Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill has labelled him as a ‘massive player’ who ‘blows’ his opponents away.

Meanwhile, Saints boss Tonda Eckert noted that when speaking about his player back in April following another starring role on the pitch.

“He’s growing at the moment. You have that transition as a player, especially at this stage of a career, where you’re not a talent anymore,” he said, as reported by the Southern Daily Echo.

“You are only judged on performance. That’s a transition moment that Taylor [Harwood-Bellis] has done, where players come from big academies.

“They are big prospects and have already done something in their career, but the point where you are being considered a talent at one point is over.

“Then you need to perform, and I think he’s in the middle of that process of maturing a lot. I think he had a very good game against Blackburn.”

Manchester United‘s search for a new midfielder is ongoing after they missed out on Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham. The Red Devils wanted the West Ham midfielder but were outbid by Spurs, who are spending huge money to improve their squad this summer.

Spurs agreed to pay £85million to sign the young Portuguese star, and that fee proved too high for United, at least in the case of that specific player. Michael Carrick will be very aware that holding or hybrid midfielder is going to cost big money this summer, with such players dominating the market currently, as shown by Elliot Anderson’s £116million move to Manchester City.

One alternative United are being linked with is Real Madrid and France superstar Aurelien Tchouameni, and there has been an update on that particular interest from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Man Utd’s Aurelien Tchouameni dream

Sarah Meyssonnier Via Reuters

According to Romano, Tchouameni is a dream target for United, but it’s not just Real Madrid’s likely reluctance to sell standing in the way of a deal.

“Manchester United will still sign a midfielder. Man United were planning to sign two, one is going to be Ederson, and they will still sign one more, at least one more,” he said on his YouTube show.

“Then many of you are asking me about Tchouameni now. Tchouameni is a dream signing for Man United. They love the player, but at the moment, the financials of the deal are considered still too high, because also the salary — it is not just about Real Madrid, it’s also about the salary. The salary of Aurelien Tchouameni is considered too high. So, the only way to open doors to Aurelien Tchouameni to Manchester United after missing out on Fernandes is to discuss a completely different salary, and at the moment, it is still not something happening.”

According to reports in Spain, Real Madrid currently have no plans to sell Tchouameni, and only a huge offer is likely to get them to consider a sale regardless of whether they sign a new midfielder or not this summer.

Ferdinand backs Tchouameni move

United legend Rio Ferdinand has been calling for United to go all-out to sign Tchouameni this summer. He said on his own YouTube show: “My biggest thing about it (Mourinho going to Real Madrid) is are United going to get Tchouameni? Because I keep seeing that talked about, and he’d be one of the first midfielders on my list if we had a possibility of getting someone to go in there to replace Casemiro. Tchouameni would be that guy.

“Do you know what? I know I’ve been sitting here saying that Jose is going to be the man to reintegrate Tchouameni and Valverde together and keep them at Real Madrid.

“But I’ve got to say, if Tchouameni has a half a sniff of getting out of that club, Man Utd have to be the first team at the door knocking and make sure he can’t even talk to anybody else. Get him signed, sealed, delivered.”

Goals were extremely hard to come by for Tottenham’s attacking players last season.

As a result, Spurs found themselves falling down the Premier League table at an alarming rate towards the drop zone.

Defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha, who was second in the club’s goalscoring charts for the term with seven goals, scored the all-important goal on the final day of the season in the 1-0 win over Everton to preserve the club’s Premier League status.

Amid the struggle for goals, Tottenham have plenty of work to do in the transfer market in an attacking sense once the signings of midfielders Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali for a joint fee of £185m are officially confirmed.

Kroupi tops three-man shortlist

Tottenham are targeting a new left-sided forward for the new season and Bournemouth ace Eli Junior Kroupi tops a three-man shortlist, according to The Independent.

The 20-year-old only made his debut for the Cherries last August after remaining with French side Lorient for the remainder of the 2024/25 season after the clubs struck a £10m agreement back in February 2025.

Kroupi proved to be an instant hit for the Cherries in an incredible debut season for the club, scoring 13 times and earning a nomination for the PFA Young Player of the Year award in the process.

The France Under-21 international has come to the attention of clubs as a result of his sparkling form, with Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain keen on his services.

Bournemouth, if they decide to sell, will make a huge profit on their player and a figure upwards of £80million has been mooted.

The Independent report that Rafael Leao of AC Milan has been broached as an option in informal discussions with the Serie A giants, and there is still the possibility that they move for Savinho.

The Manchester City ace was heavily linked with Tottenham last summer but a transfer for the Brazilian never materialised, with Kroupi now appearing to move ahead of him as a target as Tottenham look to strengthen down the left.

A “generational talent”

Tottenham could well add a “generational talent” to their squad if they strike a deal with Bournemouth for Kroupi.

Speaking back in January, Bournemouth player Marcus Tavernier waxed lyrical about his teammate following their 3-2 defeat against Arsenal, a game in which the attacker added another goal to his tally for the season.

“I’ve said before, Junior is a generational talent,” said Tavernier, as reported by Bournemouth’s official website. “The club has done an amazing job to pick Kroupi up.

“That boy has an unbelievable future ahead of him and today he showed why he’s such a good talent in the world of football.”