Chelsea & Arsenal ‘set sights’ on wonderkid as Liverpool target £175m Salah replacementplaceholder image
Chelsea & Arsenal ‘set sights’ on wonderkid as Liverpool target £175m Salah replacement | Getty Images
Rounding up the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and more.
Another day of rumour-mongering is in the books, which means that it’s time for 3 Added Minutes’ regular morning round-up of the biggest and strangest new Premier League transfer rumours – starting with a story which suggests that Chelsea and Arsenal are both targeting the same teenager.
According to Caught Offside, a “major transfer battle” is erupting over Marseille wonderkid Robinio Vaz, an 18-year-old striker who has burst onto the Ligue 1 scene this season after scoring four goals in just three starts – and both the aforementioned London clubs are interested.
Chelsea are said to have been “the most proactive” of Vaz’s suitors so far and it’s claimed that they have already “established contact” with the youngster’s camp ahead of a potential bid in the January transfer window. Arsenal, for their part, and said to want to take “a more patient approach.”
Marseille have apparently set an asking price of up to €30m (£26m) and Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and Napoli are all “keeping tabs” on the Frenchman as well. His current club don’t want to sell him just yet, however, and are in talks over a new contract which would shut down transfer talk for a little while.
The 3AM Verdict: An immediate bid for Vaz is much moreChelsea’s style than Arsenal’s, to be honest, but there’s clearly a good chance he stays in the south of France and develops for now – there’s no word, unfortunately, on what Vaz himself might want to do. We’re also conscious of the possibility that hype about Vaz is fuelling overblown speculation, which could well be the case here. It wouldn’t be the first time such a story didn’t have that much to it in reality. One to watch, with a degree of mild scepticism.
Liverpool set to offer €200m for their ideal Salah replacement
Over to what is undoubtedly the wildest story of the last 24 hours here, which comes from a likely source – Spanish gossip aficionados Fichajes, who allege that Liverpool are “prepared to make an offer close to €200m” (around £175m) for Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise.
The Reds apparently see the former Crystal Palace star as an ideal candidate “to take over from Mohamed Salah” after the Egyptian’s form fell away, and have “enormous confidence” that Olise is the right man for the job.
Bayern, for their part, “have no intention” of allowing Olise to leave but would “pause for thought” in the face of such an enormous offer, which would shatter Liverpool’s own British record. Apparently Liverpool will take “a step forward” with their interest over the coming weeks.
The 3AM Verdict: To be honest, we don’t set much stock in Fichajes stories, which tend to be rather wild and get repeated in other forums as a result and seldom bear any fruit – and it seems staggeringly unlikely that a £175m bid for Olise is imminent. Although if any team is in the mood to spend that much, it probably is Liverpool. We highly doubt it’s a deal that happens, however.
Nottingham Forest deal ‘seen as probable’ ahead of January window
Let’s finish up with a story which will see Nottingham Forest do some wheeling and dealing over the winter – with Sport Witness rounding up reports from multiple countries which suggest that it is now “seen as probable” that striker Arnaud Kalimuendo will make an immediate exit in January.
The striker only signed from Rennes in the summer but AS Roma are keen on getting hold of him after he failed to make a meaningful impact at the City Ground, while VfB Stuttgart are monitoring him and French outfit Paris FC are said to have interest which is “very much alive.”
The 23-year-old, who has made seven Nottingham Forest appearances without scoring, is set to see his time with the club come to “an abrupt end” with an initial loan a likely scenario.
The 3AM Verdict: Kalimuendo has certainly been a bit of a flop so far and Forest aren’t exactly averse to churn, often selling players quickly if they don’t make a dent. Combine that will multiple sources saying the same things and we suspect that Kalimuendo is indeed likely to leave in January.
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