Leeds United latest as Whites legend open to Rangers talks and midfield target update provided

A former Leeds United favourite has admitted he would be open to discussions with Scottish giants Rangers after they parted company with manager Russell Martin on Sunday.

The former Swansea City and Southampton manager was appointed at Ibrox during the summer but has endured a torrid time north of the border after winning just one of his seven Premiership games so far as well as exiting the Champions League with a 9-1 aggregate defeat in a two-legged play-off round tie with Belgian side Club Brugge. That defeat saw Rangers slip into the Europa League and they have emerged without a point from their first two games of the league phase with defeats against Genk and Sturm Graz.

The final straw for the Ibrox hierarchy came with another below-par performance in a draw at Falkirk on Saturday as they opted to remove Martin from his position just over 24 hours later. Several names have already been thrown into the mix to succeed Martin and former manager Steven Gerrard is believed to be one name under consideration to return to Rangers after leading the club to a long-awaited league title in 2021.

Gerrard was assisted by former Leeds United star Gary McAllister during his time at Ibrox and the latter has admitted he would be open to a reunion if the offer was to come.

Speaking to Sky Sports News on Monday, former Whites midfielder McAllister said: “Well, the thing is, we had a wonderful time there. We really enjoyed our time there, and Stephen did an amazing job getting that 55th title. There have been three or four managerial changes since we left, and he’s always going to be linked with Glasgow Rangers. He loved his time up there.

“I don’t know, he’s obviously been out of the game for about six or seven months now, so you never know what can happen,” Asked if he would consider reuniting with Gerrard at Ibrox, McAllister responded: It’s a big question that. You never say never, do you?”

Serie A giants ‘willing’ to authorise departure of Whites ‘target’

Leeds United have been linked with two Serie A midfielders ahead of the January transfer window - and a recent update has suggested one of them could be available for a move.

The Whites are believed to be looking to strengthen their midfield options when the window opens in the new year and reports in Italy have suggested Inter star Piotr Zielinski and Roma stalwart Lorenzo Pellegrini are both under consideration.

A recent report from journalist Pete O’Rourke has stated the latter of that duo is approaching ‘an interesting moment’ in his time at the Stadio Olimpico as he looks set to enter the final six months of his current deal and that could present an opportunity for Leeds to land the Italy international in the new year.

He told Football Insider: “Potentially, if he was on Leeds’ list previously, I’m sure they’ll have continued to monitor his situation at Roma. It’s an interesting moment because he’s in the final year of his contract at Roma, and it does seem that Roma could be willing to let him move on. This January will probably be their last opportunity to cash in on Pellegrini, and again, it looks like he doesn’t really figure in their plans going forward for whatever reason. There’s been a bit of unrest between him and the club’s fans as well. Sure, if a decent offer was to come in for Pellegrini, it’s something they were considering in January.”

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