The latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham, Liverpool and more.
The transfer window is moving at a lightning pace – and to keep you up-to-date with all the latest happening, we’re back with our latest round-up of the juiciest new Premier League transfer rumours, starting with a story concerning both Arsenal and Chelsea.
Caught Offside claim via unnamed sources that both of the London-based sides have “enquired” about the possibility of signing Barcelona midfielder Marc Casadó, with Manchester United also potentially interested in a deal.
Barcelona would prefer to keep hold of the defensive midfielder, but “would let Casadó go if the money was right” – right, in this case, being €50m (£43m). Arsenal and Chelsea have made initial contact, while United haven’t turned their interest into a phone call as yet but supposedly see him as an upgrade on Manuel Ugarte.
Apparently Bayer Leverkusen already made a bid for the 21-year-old but were rebuffed as they weren’t offering enough cash. Barcelona, it’s claimed, could be under pressure to sell one or two players as they continue to navigate their way through a challenging financial period.
The 3AM Verdict: We’d be a little surprised if Arsenal made a move for Casadó having already signed Martín Zubimendi and Christian Nørgaard this summer – you’d think they were pretty well stocked at that position. Chelsea could perhaps seek some competition for Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo, but midfield probably isn’t their first priority. Indeed, of the three teams mentioned, Manchester United seem more likely to make a move, but may need to finalise some sales before they start spending again.
West Ham target three huge transfer deals
One team who are starting to wake up in the summer window are West Ham United, who have a lot of work to do after a disappointing season – and according to multiple sources, have three big targets on their radar.
Two of them come from the same team, Liverpool. The Daily Mail build on reports from the weekend that youngsters Harvey Elliott and Tyler Morton are both “on their list of targets”. Elliott is supposedly available for £50m, or £40m with a buy-back clause. No word on what midfielder Morton might cost, but the Hammers are “keeping tabs” on him after a loan spell in Germany last season.
Morton isn’t the only central midfielder of interest, however. Sport Witness combine some stories from Italy into a report which suggests that West Ham have made a formal offer to loan Juventus’ Douglas Luiz, who has struggled in Serie A since moving from Aston Villa.
They supposedly made an offer which involved a €10m loan fee along with a €30m purchase option which would become compulsory upon certain (unknown) conditions being met, for a total potential transfer fee of a little under £35m. Sport Witness reckon that making the purchase option guaranteed makes it likely that Juve “would accept” the deal.
The 3AM Verdict: Elliott and Morton would both suit Graham Potter’s possession-based playing style and have plenty of room to develop into first-rate players – while the cash from the sale of Mohammed Kudus gives them the resource to strike such bargains, although arguably neither replaces the Ghanaian in a meaningful way. We’re slightly sceptical of any reports involving Luiz right now solely because he’s been linked with almost every club in the top flight, but the specific financial details lend that story credibility.
Nottingham Forest & Wolves eye Club World Cup star
Finally, another story from Sport Witness concerning a potential transfer target for both Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers – with the two said to be interested in Palmeiras midfielder and Club World Cup standout Richard Ríos.
Wolves have supposedly made a formal offer of €25m (just under £22m) for the Colombian, with Forest offering €1m more as the battle for his signature heats up. Not that two Premier League pair are alone in their interest, with suitors “lining up” to strike a bargain with the Brazilian side.
AS Roma are apparently the “favourites” to land Ríos, but their offers have been “knocked back” by Palmeiras due to the structure of the proposed deal, which was overly reliant on bonus payments. That leaves the door open for other clubs to meet the asking price.
The 3AM Verdict: As is the case with Luiz, it’s hard to know what’s true or false with regards to Ríos’ future simply because he’s been linked with just about every team in Europe at this point – and that’s barely an exaggeration. At last half of the Premier League are supposed to be interested. Expect plenty of teams to make enquiries and for negotiations to take a while, wherever he ends up.
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