England travel to America to take part in the 2026 World Cup at the end of this season and there is a chance that Leeds United have some representation within the squad.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin made Thomas Tuchel's squad for the March international break and featured in the 1-1 draw with Uruguay at Wembley before returning to Thorp Arch.
The former Everton centre-forward has scored 11 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions for the Whites so far this season, and will be hoping that his form is good enough to convince the Three Lions boss to include him in the squad.
England's Dominic Calvert-Lewin after the match
Calvert-Lewin is looking to become the first Leeds player to feature in a major tournament for England since Kalvin Phillips played at the 2021 European Championship for his country and started the final against Italy at Wembley.
The former Whites star emerged as a regular starter for Gareth Southgate's England side, thanks to his form for the West Yorkshire outfit under Marcelo Bielsa in the Premier League.
Leeds eyeing deal to sign £20m Premier League talent
Phillips started 28 of his 29 appearances in the Premier League for Bielsa in the 2020/21 campaign, which caught Southgate's eye and resulted in him being given an opportunity on the international stage.
The midfield star benefitted from regular exposure to top-flight football in a team that was performing well week-in-week-out, as the Whites finished in the top-half that season before the Euros.
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Daniel Farke could follow in Bielsa's footsteps by creating another England international by swooping to sign one of his targets later this year.
According to TEAMtalk, Leeds United are one of the teams that are interested in a deal to sign Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Carl Rushworth in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that the club have already made contact to hold talks with the Seaguls about a possible deal, enquiring about his availability this summer.
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It adds, though, that Newcastle United and Manchester United are also keen on his services, whilst Coventry City want to secure a permanent move at the end of his loan spell this season.
Chronicle Live recently reported that Brighton are set to demand a fee of up to £20m for the shot-stopper, and it remains to be seen if Leeds are willing to pay that or not.
How Carl Rushworth can become Leeds United's new Kalvin Phillips
Phillips made Leeds supporters proud when he came within a penalty shootout of playing an integral role of winning a major trophy for England five years ago, and Rushworth could follow in his footsteps.
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The club's goalkeeping issues have been well-documented this season because Karl Darlow and Lucas Perri have swapped roles several times and neither of them has been particularly outstanding between the sticks.
Perri has conceded 2.18 more goals than expected based on the xG of the shots against him in 16 Premier League appearances this season, whilst Darlow has let in 2.85 more than expected in 15 outings.
|Best shot-stoppers in 25/26 Championship|
|Player|Goals prevented|
|---|
|Carl Rushworth|+7.95|
|Egil Selvik|+5.87|
|Daniel Iversen|+5.56|
|Radek Vitek|+4.78|
|Viktor Johansson|+4.61|
Rushworth, meanwhile, has prevented 7.95 goals in the Championship for Coventry this season with his shot-stopping, which is at least 2.08 more than any other goalkeeper in the division.
The 24-year-old talent has been the outstanding shot-stopper in the second tier for the Sky Blues, who are top of the table and on course for promotion to the Premier League, and looks like he would be a huge upgrade on both Perri and Darlow.
He is also an impressive distributor out from the back for Frank Lampard's side. The English 'keeper has created two 'big chances' and provided one assist from his long-range passing.
This suggests that he has the goalkeeping and technical skills to suit making the step up to the top-flight and to playing at international level for England, where he will need to use his feet as well as his hands.
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Former Brighton goalkeeping coach Jack Stern claimed that he has "huge potential" last month, and Rushworth's impressive statistics for Coventry back that claim up.
The £20m-rated Premier League talent looks like an England international in the making, but he needs a team that is willing to play him week-in-week-out in the top-flight to catch Tuchel's attention.
Therefore, Leeds could make him their next Phillips by signing Rushworth and playing him every week as their number one to provide him with the exposure he needs to become a Three Lions regular.
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