Former Middlesbrough stalwart completes West Brom move as Leeds United 'prepare improved bid' for midfielder

The 2024/25 Championship season is just around the corner and Portsmouth boss John Mousinho is still working around the clock to assemble a team capable of thriving in the Championship after the recent signing of Australian defender Jacob Farrell.

The 21-year, who arrives from Central Coast Mariners for an undisclosed fee, has signed a four-year contract at Fratton Park, making him the sixth signing of the summer alongside Jordan Williams, Josh Murphy, Reuben Swann and Jordan Archer and Zak Swann.

The Pompey faithful are anticipating further signings in the coming weeks ahead of a challenging curtain raiser away to Leeds United in just over three weeks time. But what is the latest on the Blues Championship rivals? Here we take a look at the main headlines from around the division this week.

Former Middlesbrough hero completes West Brom transfer

Experienced Championship defender Paddy McNair has agreed a deal to join West Brom Albion on a six-month loan deal just weeks after completing a permanent move to Major League Soccer side San Diego.

The 29-year-old, who came through the Manchester United academy, had been without a club earlier in the summer after his contract at Middlesbrough expired at the end of June. The 69-time Northern Ireland international played 198 games on Teesside before making the decision to leave the club after six seasons at Championship level. Prior, to his spell at Middlesbrough, McNair had a two-year stint at the team’s North East rivals Sunderland, giving him plenty of experience in the second-tier to help the Baggies in their promotion bid.

The defender told the club website: He said: “West Bromwich Albion is a very good club and one I’ve always admired. I know a lot of lads who have played here in the past and they’ve all said good things about it. I’m really happy to be here. I’ve played in the Championship for the last seven years so I’ve got a lot of experience in this division.”

McNair is scheduled to remain in the West Midlands until 31 December where he will then link up with his new teammates in the United States.

Leeds ‘prepare improved bid’ for midfielder

Championship promotion favourites Leeds United are working hard to find a central midfielder to replace Glen Kamara this summer. The former Rangers star played a total of 40 league matches in his sole season at Elland Road last term before completing a deal to join Rennes in Ligue 1.

Kamara was a regular starter in the Leeds team and was renowned for his exuberance and composure on the ball. Daniel Farke is keen to fill the void in his side and has identified FC Koln stalwart Dejan Ljubicic as his number one transfer target in that area of the pitch.

Reports from The Athletic say that a bid in the region of £4m has been knocked back for the 26-year-old. However, the outlet insists that it remains a deal to keep an eye on. Ljubicic suffered relegation with the German outfit last season and currently had just 12 months remaining in his contract, putting Koln in a difficult position should Leeds return to the table with an improved offer.

German outlet Bild claims that Ljubicic is not interested in signing a new deal with Koln and claims he is open to the idea of moving to West Yorkshire this summer. Ljubicic has made 83 league appearances in the Bundesliga since signing for Koln, scoring eight goals and providing four assists in this period. He was a regular international for Austria with nine caps under Franco Foda but was not selected for Ralf Rangnick’s final team at Euro 2024.