The latest Premier League transfer rumours, with news from Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and more.
It’s once again time for our early morning round-up of the biggest and most bizarre Premier League transfer rumours – and we’re kicking our latest digest off with a story which should be of interest to Chelsea and Manchester United fans.
According to TBR Football, Chelsea are going to “reignite talks” with United over Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho, having previously shown an interest in the 21-year-old in January.
Garnacho is no longer wanted at Old Trafford but it’s been reported that he has turned down a move to Saudi Arabia as he would prefer to stay in England – and Chelsea’s “active interest” could provide a way to do just that. The Blues have yet to make a formal offer but are “in contact” with the player’s representatives.
Aston Villa are said to be interested as well as they look to move on from Leon Bailey on the wing, but Tottenham Hotspur have “cooled their interest” in Garnacho after agreeing a deal to buy Mohammed Kudus from West Ham. Bayern Munich are a potential overseas option and have “made recent enquiries”. United would want £40m.
The 3AM Verdict: Chelsea may need one more left winger despite having signed Jamie Gittens, depending on how Enzo Maresca wants to use Pedro Neto next summer, and they were certainly somewhat interested in January – so we wouldn’t be surprised to see them make a move. Equally, given the nature of the situation, we expect clubs interested to offer below United’s valuation. They’ve effectively forced themselves to sell below market value by forcing Garnacho out.
Liverpool switch targets to Crystal Palace star
Liverpool’s hunt for a new striker, meanwhile, has taken some further twists according to yesterday’s reporting – and French outlet FootMercato suggest that the Reds are “keen” on Crystal Palace centre-forward Jean-Philippe Mateta, and there “has been contact” over a potential deal.
Mateta is set to be “more affordable” than alternatives such as Hugo Ekitike, with the article suggesting that Palace would demand €50m (£43.4m) for the services of their star striker – although the report only cites previous English media stories rather than new inside information on the price.
Manchester United are also alleged to be “a candidate” to make a bid for Palace’s leading goalscorer, and are also looking at a deal for Ekitike along with Newcastle United and Chelsea, according to a separate claim by journalist Abdellah Boulma. Liverpool “are taking a back seat” on that particular deal having been interested, which backs up FootMercato’s claims.
The 3AM Verdict: It does sound as though Liverpool are losing interest in Ekitike, but whether it follows that they’ll bid for Mateta remains to be seen and we haven’t seen any more local sources backing that story up. Much will hinge on the success or failure of the drawn-out negotiations with Napoliover Darwin Núñez.
Brentford eye Bryan Mbeumo replacement
We’ll end with a story for Brentford fans – Fabrizio Romano has taken to social media to suggest that the Bees are “showing initial interest” in Ipswich Town winger Omari Hutchinson as they hunt for a replacement for Bryan Mbeumo, who seems bound for Old Trafford.
Brentford “appreciate” Hutchinson but have yet to make an official approach and it’s suggested that they’re waiting for the much-delayed Mbeumo deal to go through before opening their wallets.
Hutchinson had an inconsistent but occasionally impressive season with Ipswich last season, and was among England’s standouts in their victorious European Under-21 Championship campaign in Slovakia last month.
The 3AM Verdict: It’s hard to assess the accuracy of this story because there’s so little detail – no word on talks of any kind or the kind of asking price we might be looking at, or whether Hutchinson is a primary target or simply one name on a long shortlist. Still, it’s the first data point we have as we look forward to Brentford’s first moves in an Mbeumoless world.
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