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Following their dramatic promotion to the Championship, Sheffield Wednesday are wasting no time targeting summer signings after securing in the League 1 playoff final.

The Owls gained promotion to the second tier of English football via a 123rd-minute header from Josh Windass against Barnsley, securing a 2-1 playoff final victory at Wembley.

Darren Moore has now reportedly highlighted Republic of Ireland international Chiedozie Ogbene as a target heading into the summer window but will face competition from a number of Championship clubs, as per The Yorkshire Post.

Who is Chiedozie Ogbene?

Ogbene has been a star player for Rotherham United since joining the Millers in 2019. The 5 foot 9 forward is predominately a right-sided winger but can play on the left flank also.

The nippy frontman scored eight goals and registered four assists in 39 league appearances for Rotherham this season, per Transfermarkt, and helped the Millers survive in a relegation dogfight in which they finished two places above the drop zone in 19th.

Ogbene’s domestic form was rewarded with his Ireland debut in 2021 and Chiedozie has gone on to become a key figure in the Irish squad under manager Stephen Kenny, who hailed the "spectacular" wide man as a "real threat" back in March.

The 26-year-old has scored four goals in 14 caps for The Boys in Green, including a stunning overhead kick in a friendly against Belgium.

Will Ogbene join Sheffield Wednesday?

As per journalist Leon Wobschall in the aforementioned report, Wednesday face competition from a host of Championship clubs for the Irishman’s signature this summer.

The club reportedly turned down transfer offers for the player in January, with Rotherham still hoping the player will sign a new deal to stay at the New York Stadium.

Wobschall also states the versatile winger has rejected offers from the Millers to extend his stay thus far.

Clubs have been circulating around the availability of Rotherham’s star man since January, with Millwall and Swansea City maintaining interest in the player.

Ogbene’s contract runs out on 30th June, according to Transfermarkt, and was even linked with a move to Turkish champions Galatasaray in April, according to reports in Turkey (via The Sun).

Would Ogbene be a good signing for Sheffield Wednesday?

Ogbene has shown in the last few seasons he could become a key player for a Championship side if given the chance.

His international achievements have proved this. Kenny relied on the former Brentford ace in a recent 1-0 defeat to France, in which the forward played the entire 90 minutes and finished with the joint second-highest match rating, per Sofascore.

Meanwhile, back in the Championship, Ogbene was rated as Rotherham's eighth-best performer, per WhoScored figures, and played the second-most minutes of any player in the squad as he also led the team for goals, man of the match awards (four) and shots per game (1.4).

Expect the one-time Cork City gem to play an important role in Ireland’s upcoming international games against Greece and Gibraltar and perhaps he could soon be swapping one side of south Yorkshire for the other as the Owls could do little wrong in signing the exciting talent, who Kenny

Glasgow Rangers have shown interest in Scottish striker Lawrence Shankland ahead of the summer transfer window, with Michael Beale looking to bolster his attacking options ahead of 2023/2024.

What’s the latest on Lawrence Shankland to Rangers?

Following three signings already, with Jack Butland, Kieran Dowell and Dujon Sterling all arriving at Ibrox on free transfers, the Gers are looking at making Hearts striker Shankland number four according to TEAMtalk.

He features highly on Beale’s list of targets and with Alfredo Morelos leaving the club, it’s clear that they urgently need another goalscorer or two in order to properly challenge Celtic next season for the Premiership title.

The £3k-per-week forward currently has a contract until 2025 with Hearts and although a fee has yet to be mentioned, Beale will need to stump up in order to secure his signature from the Edinburgh side.

Could Lawrence Shankland improve Rangers?

Last season, joint top scorers James Tavernier and Antonio Colak netted 18 goals each, hardly a tally to get excited about, especially considering Shankland scored 28 goals across all competitions for the Tynecastle outfit in a stunning individual season, clearly suggesting he would be worth a gamble.

The Gers could certainly repeat their Kris Boyd masterclass from 2006 by signing the 27-year-old. Boyd joined for a fee of just £400k from fellow top flight side Kilmarnock and went on to plunder a total of 145 goals across two spells with the Ibrox side, becoming their main outlet for goals under Walter Smith.

Shankland does offer more than just being a penalty box poacher, creating five big chances and playing one key pass per game during the 2022/2023 season, suggesting Beale could be getting an all-round centre-forward if he manages to land the Scot.

He has vast experience in Scotland, scoring 168 goals across spells with a variety of clubs and this could be a big advantage for the 42-year-old, as Shankland wouldn’t require any time to adjust, meaning he could hit the ground running and this could be vital during the early parts of the season.

Journalist Joel Sked waxed lyrical about the five-cap gem late last year, saying: “Lawrence Shankland has been different class for Hearts. So much more to his game than goals. His ability to drop in, act as that focal point and link player, his awareness, and the way he creates space for himself. All so good and so vital.”

While Boyd arrived at Ibrox and immediately started scoring for fun, Shankland could also offer a similar result, however, there is a lot more to his game than the former Gers striker and Beale must take a gamble this summer on the Scotland international.

Leeds United attacker Brenden Aaronson could seal a quickfire exit from Elland Road in the summer transfer window, according to a fresh update.

How has Aaronson performed for Leeds?

The 22-year-old joined the Whites last summer, coming in from RB Salzburg and being considered an exciting signing, with Jesse Marsch knowing him well from their time together at the Austrian club.

As it turns out, Aaronson has endured a really tough first season in a Leeds shirt, though, never really coming close to matching to expectation levels of him. In 36 Premier League appearances, 28 of which were starts, he scored just one goal, with a further three assists coming his way.

The £45,000-a-week American has seemingly struggled with the pace of English football and he ended up being powerless to prevent the Whites from being relegated to the Championship last weekend, after the 4-1 loss at home to Tottenham.

While the deal he signed last year runs until the summer of 2027, the idea of playing second-tier football is unlikely to appeal to him ahead of next season, leading to serious doubts surrounding his future at Elland Road.

Could Aaronson quit Whites this summer?

That certainly seems to be the case, with Football Insider reporting that Aaronson is "set to quit the club this summer", and that a "move to Germany could be an avenue available to the 22-year-old following his impressive spell at Red Bull Salzburg in neighbouring Austria."

He is thought to be "highly regarded" by a number of Bundesliga teams, with a return to the Premier League with a different club not looking likely, following just one year in the division.

It is hard to see Aaronson still being a Leeds player when the 2023/24 campaign gets underway in August, in what has ultimately been a hugely underwhelming transfer.

Despite being called "impressive" on his debut by Steve Nicol, he hasn't had anywhere close to the impact so many hoped he would, having registered 28 goal contributions (13 goals and 15 assists) in 66 appearances for Salzburg, and he should shoulder some of the blame for the Whites' relegation.

The key now is to ensure that Leeds earn as much as possible for the 29-cap USA international's signature – his contract situation does at least put them in a strong bargaining position – in order to use the funds for new signings in the summer, boosting their chances of returning to the top flight in the process.

The summer transfer window officially opens next week and Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst will likely be in the market to improve his squad.

He won one trophy in his debut campaign in charge of the Light Blues, lifting the Scottish Cup, and he will now be hoping to go all the way in the Premiership and in Europe in 2022/23.

In order to do so, he may feel that he needs to add to his team by working with Ross Wilson to bring fresh faces to Ibrox in the coming months.

One player for whom they have been linked with a swoop is Wales international winger Rabbi Matondo, as Guardian journalist Will Unwin revealed last month that the Gers are one of the clubs who are keen on snapping him up from FC Schalke.

He tweeted: “Rabbi Matondo has turned down a number of offers in Belgium and is most likely to return to England, I am told. Vincent Kompany was interested in him at Anderlecht prior to his departure.”

Unwin added: “He came very close to agreeing terms with Anderlecht before Kompany’s exit. Rangers and Celtic are both very interested in Matondo.”

Ryan Kent 2.0

The Welsh gem, who has been on loan at Cercle Brugge, can be Van Bronckhorst’s Ryan Kent 2.0, as he is a quick, direct winger who can score and create goals.

His former national team manager Ryan Giggs once heaped praise on the 21-year-old’s speed, saying: “Just like Dan James he has electrifying pace. And that always keeps you interested.”

Born in Liverpool – 37 miles from Kent’s birthplace Oldham – Matondo came up through the youth ranks at Manchester City before moving to Schalke 04 in Germany.

He struggled to break through in Gelsenkirchen before being loaned out to Cercle Brugge for the 2021/22 campaign, and this allowed him to make great strides in his development.

The Belgian club reportedly have an option to sign him permanently for €3.5m (£3m), although it remains to be seen whether or not they will take it up after an impressive year in the Pro League, where his 6.84 Sofascore rating made him the squad’s sixth-best performer.

The statistics in the above image show that the Welsh magician enjoyed a strong season out on loan as he made a big impact in the final third in the Pro League.

He also registered an assist against Poland in the UEFA Nations League this week as he showed that he can produce on the international stage, as well as at club level.

Meanwhile, Kent registered two goals and eight assists in the Premiership for Rangers this term, following on from 10 goals and nine assists in the campaign prior. He has proven himself in the Scottish top flight and shown that he can regularly contribute at the top end of the pitch, just like Matondo has for Cercle Brugge.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst can find his new English-born wing wizard by striking a deal with Schalke to bring the Wales international to Glasgow this summer.

AND in other news, Big blow: Behind-the-scenes Rangers development emerges that’ll frustrate GvB…

Liverpool could offer Takumi Minamino to Leeds United in a deal which might take Raphinha to Anfield, according to The Mirror.

The Lowdown: Salzburg reunions

Jesse Marsch has already brought in attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson, who he coached at Red Bull Salzburg, and he looks set for another reunion with right-back Rasmus Kristensen.

The Whites appear to be closing in on a deal for the Danish defender, who Marsch signed for the Austrian giants from Ajax in 2019.

Minamino is another who worked under the Leeds head coach at Salzburg, contributing to 20 goals in 22 games under the American, and a move for the ‘exceptional’ Japanese forward could well be on the cards.

The Latest: Leeds move?

The Mirror’s Steve Bates shared an update late on Saturday night regarding Raphinha and Minamino.

The journalist said that Liverpool are ramping up their interest in the £60m-rated Leeds winger and could offer the 27-year-old Japan international to bring down the price for the Brazilian.

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The Verdict: Interesting…

Phil Hay has claimed that it is likely to take a bid in the region of £60m-£70m to get Raphinha out of Elland Road this summer, amid links of a move to Barcelona.

However, it looks as if Liverpool may look to replace Sadio Mane with Raphinha. Minamino is valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, so the Reds may still have to cough up around £50m for Leeds to entertain any player-plus-cash deal.

Marsch could well be open to the possibility of reuniting with another of his former Salzburg stars, though, with the Japan international capable of playing anywhere across the front three and starring under the 48-year-old’s watch in the past.

In other news: ‘This one gets done…’ – Journalist now drops ‘imminent’ Phillips claim with Leeds exit ‘in motion’

As if being pipped to the Premier League title wasn’t a big enough blow, it looks as though Liverpool will have to battle for Champions League success without one of their key men on Saturday 28th.

What’s the latest?

That is according to a report shared by The Athletic’s James Pearce, who claims that Jurgen Klopp is concerned that Spanish maestro Thiago will not be fit for the Champions League Final against Real Madrid, due to the injury that occurred in the final game of the Premier League season against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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Speaking after the game, Pearce took to Twitter to say: “Thiago set to undergo a scan. Would be a massive blow if he misses the CL final.”

Bad news for Liverpool

Thiago’s injury on the final day of the Premier League season serves as a massive blow for Klopp and co.

After what was a tricky start to life in English football last season, the Spaniard has been nothing short of sensational for the Reds in their original hunt for the unprecedented quadruple.

Whilst he has managed one goal and four assists along the way in the league, his game is not about direct end product as such.

It’s his ability to dictate the play and create for teammates that makes him so important in Klopp’s side.

His average of 3.21 shot-creating actions and 3.42 tackles per 90 are evidence of his split ability to carry out both parts of the game with excellence, whilst his average of 96.89 touches per 90 are exceptionally high also.

He’s a key asset for Klopp in possession and with his average of 70.67 carries per match, he is an enabler for Liverpool.

Although, if his record against Real Madrid is anything to go by, it might be best if he isn’t included in the Liverpool squad to face the La Liga giants on Saturday 28th – having won one, drawn five and lost seven against Los Blancos in the 13 times he’s played against them.

That said, if the Spanish dynamo does miss the final weekend, Klopp and the club’s adoring supporters will be gutted.

In other news: Terms agreed: Liverpool closing in on “magnificent” £60m gem, he’s Thiago 2.0