The latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from West Ham, Leeds, Brentford and more.
It’s once again time for our regular morning round-up of the biggest and juiciest new Premier League transfer rumours – and we’re kicking today’s digest off with a pretty spicy story from Spain which should interest West Ham United supporters.
Fichajes allege that the Hammers are one of three “strong candidates” who have “emerged” in the pursuit of Real Madrid and Brazil striker Endrick, who could go out on loan this January after the Spanish giants decided to find him some fresh opportunities for playing time to speed up his development.
Although widely regarded as one of the most talented strikers in world football and already a full international, apparently Xabi Alonso doesn’t see Endrick as being ready to start for Real and as such West Ham could get the opportunity to borrow him for a little while as they work to steer clear of the relegation zone in the Premier League.
Valencia and Real Sociedad are the other teams who could take the 19-year-old on loan but West Ham have “already contacted” Real to make sure their name is in the hat. Real are apparently in “no rush” to make a decision, but one could still be made in the coming weeks to maximise the Brazilian’s playing time in the new year.
The 3AM Verdict: Fichajes are not, in our opinion, a very reliable source for transfer stories but this isn’t too fanciful – there is a growing buzz suggesting that Endrick is available for loan and there’s no reason that West Ham shouldn’t be in the queue. They certainly need the goals. The player’s thoughts on where he might move are not recorded, however.
Leeds eye bargain deal for Serie A star
Over to Italy now, where InterLive have published a story which should interest supporters of Leeds United – they suggest that they could land an established Serie A star on a free transfer in January as they look to bolster Daniel Farke’s team on a budget.
The player in question is Inter Milan’s Piotr Zieliński, who has struggled to make a positive mark at the San Siro since moving here from Napoli. The Pole has been “targeted” by Leeds but because they’ve already spent their transfer budget, it’s now suggested that the club’s “only option” is to persuade Inter to let him leave on a free.
The Italian club “would like to avoid it going that far” but do want to offload the 31-year-old, whose wages are set to cost the Nerazzurri £18.25m over the next three years. Leeds could, therefore, be the beneficiaries of a deal which would be the result of financial restrictions on both sides.
The 3AM Verdict: Free transfers involving contracted players are rare enough at the top level that we’re sceptical, but the finances of Italian football are notoriously febrile and this isn’t entirely implausible. Leeds certainly seem to be interested, based on recent reporting in both England and Italy.
Brentford star targeted by European giants
Let’s wrap up with a rather worrying report for an Brentford fans out there – Sport Witness suggest that Michael Kayode, who has been hugely impressive since arriving in the Premier League in January, is “attracting attention” from Napoli.
Sources in Italy suggest that Antonio Conte’s team “want to sign a right-back in January” and have identified the 21-year-old international as a target. No offer or formal contact has yet been made by Napoli, but Kayode is said to be “on their shortlist” while they consider their options.
As Sport Witness note, Kayode is under contract until 2030 so it would “take something special from Napoli” to snap him up in January, but the interest may be there. No word on whether Kayode would consider an approach or not.
The 3AM Verdict: It’s wildly unlikely that such a deal takes place in January and it would cost more than most Serie A sides can afford next summer, too, unless Brentford were relegated. We doubt that Brentford fans have anything to worry about just yet but if Kayode keeps playing at such a high level then it’s inevitable that the sharks will start circling at some stage.
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