The latest Premier League transfer rumours - including news from Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Leeds.
The transfer window may have slammed shut once more – we should really try closing it more gently in future – but the rumour mill never sleeps, and we’re still here with our regular morning round-up and review of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours as teams like Arsenal and Nottingham Forest continue to conduct their business.
According to Caught Offside, Arsenal and Barcelona are the “leading admirers” of Forest centre-back Murillo, and both teams are said to have “significant” interest in signing the Brazilian in the near future.
Forest feel that they are “under no pressure to sell” as the 23-year-old signed a new long-term contract as recently as January, but he still has a price tag – his current employers value him at around €70-80m (£60-70m).
Apparently Chelsea have also “shown interest” in Murillo but their admiration is implied to be a little less tangible than that of Arsenal and Barcelona, who are painted as gearing up for a future transfer battle.
The 3AM Verdict: Murillo has been so good that it becomes hard to imagine him spending his entire career at the City Ground. We wouldn’t be at all surprised if he ends up at the centre of transfer battle next summer, and Arsenal could well be keen, especially if Real Madrid succeed in prising William Saliba away from the Emirates.
Nottingham Forest ‘agree’ deal for rising Rangers star
While Forest fans fret over the possibility of losing one of their best players in the future, they’re also signing more rising stars at the same time – according to Football Insider, anyway, who suggest that the club “have agreed a deal” to sign Rangers midfielder Blaine McClure.
The 18-year-old, who represents Northern Ireland at age group level, is said to be heading down to Nottingham where he will be announced as a new Forest player “imminently”, moving on an initial loan which will become permanent further down the line.
The deal has not yet been finalised but it is implied that it will be a formality. The financial details of the deal are not known, sadly, but McClure will join up with Forest’s youth team very soon having never appeared for Rangers’ senior side in two years since signing from Linfield.
The 3AM Verdict: Teams can still move youth players around but because the deadline has passed, Forest won’t be able to register McClure to play in the Premier League – this is one for the future, not for this season.
Leeds ‘adamant’ that former Manchester United man won’t move to Elland Road
Let’s wrap up today’s rumour round-up at Elland Road, with a story from TeamTalk which suggests that stories linking Leeds with a move for former Manchester United man Christian Eriksen may be wide of the mark.
Eriksen remains a free agent after his contract at Old Trafford expired and it had been suggested that the Danish playmaker could move to United’s old cross-Pennine rivals, who missed out on several transfer targets when deals collapsed on deadline day – but it now looks like Leeds won’t be dipping their toes into free agency.
Leeds managing director Robbie Evans is said to be “adamant” that the club are not looking to make any post-deadline signings – he’s said to have told the press that there isn’t a “need so great that it’s worth going to the free agent market to fill it.” Eriksen’s future remains up in the air.
The 3AM Verdict: Leeds really need some more goalscoring threat but the cupboards are pretty bare in free agency, so we’re not surprised to see Evans suggesting that it isn’t the answer – a move for Eriksen would have been interesting but wouldn’t have addressed the immediate issues on Daniel Farke’s hands. We’re not going to be shocked if those stories prove to be false.
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