England star ‘open to’ Manchester United move as Sunderland battle Celtic for world champion wonderkidplaceholder image
England star ‘open to’ Manchester United move as Sunderland battle Celtic for world champion wonderkid | Getty Images
Analysing the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Manchester United, Sunderland, Brighton and more.
The weekend is finally here and with it another dose of 3 Added Minutes’ daily round-up and breakdown of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours – starting with an intriguing story for Manchester United fans.
Their search for a new midfielder has thrown up dozens of names but it now sounds as if a budget-friendly loan deal could be on the cards for January – with GiveMeSport alleging (via Graeme Bailey) that Atlético Madrid’s Conor Gallagher is “open to” a loan to move to Old Trafford this winter.
With Gallagher failing to get regular starts under Diego Simeone, the England international has become one of “several players” that United are “considering” bids for, but while the likes of Carlos Baleba would cost a small fortune, there’s a real chance that United could work out a January deal for Gallagher.
That said, it’s only the player that’s reported to be keen on the move, with Atléti’s opinions on letting a squad player leave mid-season not recorded – and there’re no details of the finances that would be involved, either. Still, a midfielder is the “top priority” for Ineos and United, and Gallagher is an “appealing” possibility.
The 3AM Verdict: Gallagher’s name hascome up before in connection with United, so we’re not shocked to see it swing round again, and he does seem like an easier player to get hold of in January than someone like Baleba, who would surely cost too much due to the profit and sustainability rules. There’s not much firm detail here, though, so we suspect this is more speculation that anything else.
Sunderland & Celtic battle for Moroccan wonderkid
Let’s take in a rare cross-border transfer rumour, now – TeamTalk allege that both high-flying Sunderland and managerless Celtic are “monitoring” Moroccan midfielder Houssam Essadak, one of the stars of his country’s recent Under-20 World Cup win.
The 20-year-old, who was captain as his country won their first age-group world title, is a left-footed box-to-box midfielder with fine passing technique and is said to be “attracting serious interest”, with Celtic’s transfer team said to have been “tracking him” since the summer.
Black Cats and Bhoys alike are expected to “send representatives” to Morocco to watch him in action for his team, Union Touarga, and while no firm offers have yet been made it’s suggested that a deal could be worth as little as £3.5m. There may be competition for the youngster’s signature, however, with “several European clubs” supposedly watching him closely.
The 3AM Verdict: Essadak seems to be a very impressive young player and loves to take on a long shot, which will endear him to plenty of fans of whichever teams he ends up at – it’s too early to be sure that either side will make a formal bid, but multiple sources attest to the fact that they’ve been scouting the midfielder.
Brighton scouting Boca starlet
Let’s round things off today with a story for the Brighton & Hove Albion supporters which – not for the first time – concerns their apparent interest in a young Boca Juniors player. This time around, it’s 21-year-old defender Lautaro Di Lollo, according to Sport Witness.
Sources in South American indicate that Brighton are “interested” in the centre-half and that he is starting to earn “attention” for Europe (no other teams are mentioned by name). Boca, a selling club by nature, will only part with him for a “very attractive fee.”
That would be a fee of at least €15m (£13m), supposedly, although the Sport Witness article does note that some sources quote a slightly lower figure. Brighton, for their part, are not said to be set for an “imminent” bid and it’s speculated that Di Lollo is just one of many players on the Seagulls’ shortlist.
The 3AM Verdict: That’s probably about right – Brighton scout extensively in South America and as such get linked with a lot of players that they watched but never make bids for, and Di Lollo could easily be one of them. One to keep an eye on, but not get too excited about just yet.
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