Arsenal & Crystal Palace ‘in race’ to sign £13m midfielder as Chelsea scout ‘breakout star’placeholder image
Arsenal & Crystal Palace ‘in race’ to sign £13m midfielder as Chelsea scout ‘breakout star’ | Getty Images
Rounding up the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Liverpool and more.
Another day’s worth of gossip is in the books – and that means that it’s time for 3 Added Minutes’ regular morning round-up and review of the biggest and juiciest new Premier League transfer rumours, starting today with a story which should interest supporters of Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
Apparently both side are “in the race” to sign Toni Fruk, a Croatian attacking midfielder whose career has come to life in his homeland with HNK Rijeka after he scored 20 goals since the start of last season – and earned several admirers in the process, according to TeamTalk.
Arsenal are said to have held talks with Fruk’s representatives already and Palace “are ready to compete for his signature” and are said to have sent scouts to watch him at least five times, while Atlético Madrid and Benfica are also keen on the 24-year-old. Fiorentina, meanwhile, can match any offer as part of the agreement reached when they sold Fruk to Rijeka in 2023.
With Rijeka supposedly resigned to losing their star player, they have set an asking price of €15m (£13m) ahead of the January transfer window. Plenty of cash for a Croatian side, perhaps, but perfectly affordable for a Premier League team.
The 3AM Verdict: Fruk may well be among the players who represent Croatia against Englandat the 2026 World Cup and while it’s hard to know how form in the 1.HNL might translate to the Premier League, there’s certainly potential for this to be a bargain deal if it all proves true.
Chelsea scouting ‘breakout star’ of Ligue 1
Over to a story from Caught Offside, now – they claim that Chelsea are scouting RC Strasbourg striker Joaquín Panichelli, a “breakout star” of Ligue 1 who has become extremely sought after a remarkable start to his career in France, with his nine goals in 15 games attracting attention from “several elite clubs.”
Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Aston Villa and Manchester United are all mentioned as teams that are keeping tabs on the 23-year-old Argentine striker, who was picked up from the Spanish second tier over the summer and taken the French league by storm ever since. Chelsea, however, have him “firmly on their radar.”
Given that Strasbourg and Chelsea are owned by the same people, we imagine they should have a fairly insurmountable edge in negotiations, too – there’s no mention of a price tag as yet, or any sense of whether we’re looking at a January bid or a move that would take place next summer.
The 3AM Verdict: The latter seems more likely but Liam Delap’slatest injury might change the picture somewhat – and if Chelsea are indeed seriously interested, then we doubt he’ll be going anywhere else given BlueCo’s co-ownership of the two sides.
AC Milan debating move for Liverpool legend
Let’s round today’s digest off with a story which may worry a few Liverpool fans – according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, AC Milan are taking a look at Alisson due to concerns over the likelihood that Mike Maignan leaves the club at the end of the season, and the idea of launching a bid for the Brazilian goalkeeper is “gaining traction” at the San Siro.
While Liverpool “don’t seem inclined” to let Alisson leave, according to this report, Milan believe that Liverpool’s recent struggles – combined with Alisson’s contract situation – create space for negotiations.
It’s speculated that AC Milan’s finances might prove to be a stumbling block should the Italian outfit make a bid, while Alisson’s own thoughts on the matter are not published. In any case, much will depend on whether Maignan decides to stay at Milan or to see out his contract, a decision which has yet to be made.
The 3AM Verdict: We don’t treat Fichajes as a reliable source of transfer news, to be blunt, and this story sounds so speculative that we’re treating it with due scepticism. Still, Maignan iswanted by Chelsea and may well leave, and that would create a major vacancy in Milan – while offering an out to the awkward situation created by the arrival of Giorgio Mamardashvili, a goalkeeper too good to ride the bench…
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