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 Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa and more.
Welcome to 3 Added Minutes’ daily round-up and review of some of the biggest and spiciest new Premier League transfer rumours – and we’re kicking today’s little digest off with a story which should interest fans of Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa alike.
According to Caught Offside, Liverpool and City are both among several teams who are considering sparking a major transfer battle for Villa defender Ezri Konsa, and both sides are “monitoring his situation closely” as his current club decide whether or not they have to sell the 28-year-old.
Villa are described as “reluctant sellers” but it’s suggested that their profit and sustainability situation may force them to consider offers, with an asking price likely to be around £40-45m. They will still “do everything possible” to retain him, however, and a contract running until 2028 gives them leverage.
As well as Liverpool and City, it’s also claimed that Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, West Ham, Newcastle and Crystal Palace “have also shown interest.” There’s no suggestion that any of Konsa’s alleged suitors have made an approach of any kind as yet.
The 3AM Verdict: One for next summer at the soonest, we strongly suspect, given the finances likely to be involved and his contract situation, but we are seeing Konsa’s name crop up a lot more lately and he is moving towards the point in his career when his value will start to go down. It’s definitely not impossible that he leaves Villa Park.
Arsenal target ‘ideal’ £44m PSG star
Let’s head over to the capital now, for a claim from Spanish outlet Fichajes which states that Mikel Arteta has decided that PSG midfielder and Champions League winner Fabián Ruiz would be an “ideal” target for 2026 – and that the player himself has a “desire to join Arsenal.”
Ruiz’s contract is up in 2027, which is why his future has been thrown into sharp relief, and Arsenal are said to be “studying different formulas to carry out the operation with PSG” which could include a loan-to-buy deal. The price tag is apparently expected to be around €50m (£44m).
PSG, for their part, have “shown a desire to retain” Ruiz if they can and are preparing to offer the Spaniard a contract extension but much may depend on he is willing to sign it or whether he will push for the move that he apparently wants. There is no evidence given to back up the claim that a transfer to the Emirates is something that he ‘desires,’ incidentally.
The 3AM Verdict: It’s not an especially implausible rumour but Fichajes is, in our opinion, a very poor source for transfer news and we won’t trust this until we see more corroboration – in particular, we’d want to see something more concrete before we accept that Ruiz actively wants to move to Arsenal.
Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi inches towards transfer decision
Let’s wrap up with a story from TBR Football which sees them claim to have the lowdown on Marc Guéhi’s current situation – with the Crystal Palace defender “leaning towards” waiting out the full season to leave on a free transfer rather than pushing for a departure in January.
Apparently Palace chairman Steve Parish “might want to sell” over the winter if he can in order to make some money off a deal, but it’s suggested that Guéhi will flex his player power and may refuse to leave before the summer, when he could get more options and likely a much chunkier contract. Oliver Glasner doesn’t want him to leave yet, either.
All of the usual suspects are listed as possible suitors, with several major European teams sat alongside Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs, but it’s Bayern Munich that are “pushing hardest right now.”
The 3AM Verdict: There’s a huge financial reward for waiting out the campaign and Glasner has proven that he doesn’t want to lose Guéhi this season, so we suspect he will indeed stay at Selhurst Park until June. After that, his destination is anyone’s guess, but he won’t be at Palace any more.
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