The Premier League Panel: Is Fabian Schär the best bargain in PL history?
Breaking down the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Spurs, Chelsea, Liverpool and West Ham.
It’s time for another morning round-up and review of the latest Premier League transfer rumours – and we kick-start today’s gossip digest with a story which should interest fans of both Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
TeamTalk have published a report on Spurs’ likely January transfer activity, noting that they are in the market for Kobbie Mainoo, Rangers’ Nico Raskin and Dušan Vlahović – who could apparently be available for as little as £13m – but also that a more expensive striker is on both their radar and Chelsea’s.
Spurs scouts are said to have been “in attendance” at Porto matches to watch free-scoring forward Samu Aghehowa – formerly known as Omorodion – who has also “been linked with Chelsea” over a year after the 21-year-old’s move to Chelsea from Atlético Madrid fell through.
Porto are “likely to demand” that his release clause – a hefty €100m (£87m) is paid in full given his form. In the short term, that might make a move for Juventus’ Vlahović (whose contract expires next summer) more plausible, but apparently Chelsea are a team “to keep an eye on” in the race for the Serbian, too. The two teams could be up against each other quite a bit in coming transfer windows.
The 3AM Verdict: A January deal for Vlahović is far more likely than one for Aghehowa simply because of the costs involved, but we suspect that Spurs will only be in a rush to sign a striker if Dominic Solanke continues to struggle with injuries or if Richarlison leaves. As for Chelsea, they’ve been linked with just about everyone but we think their interest in Aghehowa is sincere. Vlahović is older than the players they usually target.
Liverpool ‘chasing’ Real Madrid star as they consider £69.5m bid
Up to Anfield now – according to Fichajes, Liverpool are “preparing a massive offer” worth as much as €80m (£69.5m) for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, a player they are said to be “chasing” hard this January.
Camavinga has been relegated to a supporting role under Xavi Alonso and that has “set off alarm bells” at Anfield, with the 22-year-old Frenchman said to fit the profile of the kind of midfielder they’re keen to add to their squad.
Real, for their part, “could review” whether or not to sell Camavinga if they receive a suitable offer, although it isn’t clear whether €80m would fit the bill. It’s also not clear whether the player himself would prefer to take the move or stay and fight for his place at the Bernabeu.
The 3AM Verdict: We’ll kick off with the caveat that we don’t see Fichajes as a reliable source for such stories, not that Liverpool haven’t been linked with Camavinga before – and stories suggesting that he could be sold soon are becoming common currency in the Spanish media. Whether Liverpool could afford such a substantial outlay in January after a record-breaking summer transfer window isn’t clear at this stage.
West Ham’s three-player January transfer plan
Let’s head back to London for our final story this morning – according to Football Insider, West Ham have developed a “three-man transfer plan” for the January transfer window as they work to rebuild the squad to Nuno Espirito Santo’s specifications.
The Hammers are keen to add a centre-back and a central midfielder this winter “if finances allow” but the “primary target” is a centre-forward, with Niclas Füllkrug seldom fit and Callum Wilson apparently not appreciated by the new manager.
It’s speculated that West Ham could target Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee, who is likely to be available after a difficult spell at Old Trafford, or Chelsea youngster Tyrique George – more of a winger, but he has played at centre-forward and his departure from Stamford Bridge is said to be “imminent.” No financial details are discussed.
The 3AM Verdict: The specific players seem to be mentioned based on exiting speculation rather than anything new from fresh sources, but given that West Ham aren’t expected to be especially flush with money to spend this winter, the notion that they’ll target three new players is interesting. We suspect a striker will be at the very top of the list, however.
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