Liverpool & Arsenal ‘keeping eye’ on 17-goal striker as Everton plot shock Serie A swoopplaceholder image
Liverpool & Arsenal ‘keeping eye’ on 17-goal striker as Everton plot shock Serie A swoop | Getty Images
The latest Premier League transfer rumours rounded up and analysed - with news from Liverpool, Arsenal, Everton, Fulham and more.
Another busy day of gossipmongering has been and gone, and that means that’s it once again for 3 Added Minutes’ regular morning round-up and review of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours – starting with a story for fans of Liverpool, Arsenal, and perhaps a few other teams.
Caught Offside allege that both of those two sides are “keeping an eye” on Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta amid “uncertainty” over his future at Selhurst Park – with the Frenchman supposedly yet to decide whether to stay or push for a transfer in the near future.
Several other teams are credited with interest in Mateta, too, including Manchester United, Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur, but this reports states that Arsenal and Liverpool are “the main teams to watch” as the 28-year-old decides whether to commit his future to Crystal Palace or not.
Apparently there is “more optimism” now at his current club that he might stay, but his form across the 2024/25 season, during which he scored 17 goals in all competitions, means that there are a lot of teams who would make a move if he decides it’s time to leave. He’ll have one year left on his contract at the end of the current season.
The 3AM Verdict: No firm evidence is offered for the idea that Liverpool and Arsenal are at the front of the queue, but there’s little doubt that a bidding war of some kind will erupt if Mateta doesn’t want to sign a new deal come the end of the current campaign. There seems to be very little chance that he leaves in January as it stands.
Everton lining up shock move for ex-Manchester United man
Let’s head over to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, now, for a story from Football Insider which claims that Everton have none other than Napoli star and Scudetto champion Scott McTominay “in their sights” as they make plans to rebuild their midfield.
The story claims that the club have no intention of extending Idrissa Gueye’s contract – which expires this summer – and are aware that James Garner could leave (with both Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest keen), and as such they are now “trying to lure” McTominay away from Italy this January to get their ducks in a row early.
The former Manchester United man may not be the only player on their midfield shortlist and it’s said that they will “cast their net far and wide” to find some fresh blood. There’s no word on how much they may need to offer to bring Napoli to the negotiating table or on whether McTominay would be keen to come back to the Premier League.
The 3AM Verdict: No chance, surely, at least in the foreseeable future. McTominay is a regular starter for a Champions League team and seemingly very happy in Naples, and we can’t imagine that Everton have enough spare cash to table a sufficiently attractive offer just now.
Fulham and Nottingham Forest target Ghana star
Let’s finish up with what may be a slightly more realistic rumour, at least in our opinion – Sport Witness have brought together some stories from the African media which suggest that Fulham and Forest are “preparing proposals” for Istanbul Basaksehir and Ghana defender Jerome Opoku.
The 27-year-old Opoku, who was born in London and who actually came through Fulham’s youth academy, is apparently “flattered” by the interest from the two teams and in particular is said to see a return to Craven Cottage as his “dream.”
There’s no suggestion that a formal offer has been made by either side, but it’s suggested that “something is clearly building” around Opoku’s future after impressive performances in Turkey.
The 3AM Verdict: If the interest is genuine, this would probably be a relatively easy deal for either side to pull off, and certainly the player has every reason to be keen. There’s always a chance that this is a case of a player’s agents throwing their name around to try and attract some attention, but if the sources are solid then Opoku could very well be bound for the Premier League.
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