Newcastle ‘most likely destination’ for £22m Chelsea star as Liverpool ‘target’ Semenyo alternativeplaceholder image
Newcastle ‘most likely destination’ for £22m Chelsea star as Liverpool ‘target’ Semenyo alternative | Getty Images
Rounding up the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Newcastle, Chelsea, Liverpool, Leeds and more.
It’s Christmas Day at last, but football agents won’t be taking much time off work today – with the January transfer window just around the corner, there is an awful lot of negotiating to be done over the turkey, and to keep you up to date with all the latest happenings, 3 Added Minutes are back with out latest round-up of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours.
We’ll start our festive digest with a story from Spanish gossipmongers Fichajes, who claim that Newcastle United are the “most likely destination” for forgotten Chelsea star Raheem Sterling – with the Blues seeking an “urgent solution” as they work to get the former England winger off the books.
Newcastle want some “proven talent” to strengthen their squad, it’s claimed, and see a January loan deal with a purchase option as a potentially savvy move. Should all go well, then they could spend €20-25m (£17.5-22m) to make the deal permanent in the summer.
Sterling, for his part, is said to have no intention of leaving England but does want to find first-team football if he can, and based on that would be unlikely to turn such a deal down – but it’s worth noting that there’s no suggestion that any discussions have taken place.
The 3AM Verdict: We’ll be honest and say that we don’t personally believe Fichajes to be a reliable source for transfer stories, and take everything they print with a grain of salt – and that extends to this story. That said, Chelsea would surely allow him to leave on a deal which saw a rival side take on only a part of his wages, and someone may well be prepared to take that gamble. Why not Newcastle?
Liverpool eye alternative as Antoine Semenyo selects Manchester City
Over to Caught Offside, now, who claim that Liverpool are moving on from Antoine Semenyo following reports that he has chosen to move to Manchester City in January if he can – and that the Reds will now “target” PSG’s Bradley Barcola.
The 23-year-old Frenchman is now Liverpool’s “prime alternative” to Semenyo and they will now explore both winter and summer moves for the forward, who is said to be admired my head coach Arne Slot.
PSG have no desire to lose Barcola but talks over an extension to his current contract, which ends in 2028, are said to have “stalled” with the player keen to “fully assess [his] options” at other clubs before committing. That hesitation and willingness to explore a move has “alerted” Liverpool, as well as other unspecified clubs. There is no word on what he might cost.
The 3AM Verdict: Despite claiming that this is an ‘exclusive’ story, we’veseen the link before including from the same source – and with no new details here, we see this as more of a reiteration than an addition to the story. Barcola is almost certainly unobtainable over the winter and it’s only likely that we have any idea of whether a deal is plausible or not next summer, so Liverpool fans shouldn’t hold their breath.
Leeds holding ‘conversations’ about rising Bundesliga star
Let’s finish up this Christmas Day rumour run-down with a story for Leeds United fans which comes from TeamTalk, who claim that Leeds are holding internal “conversations” about a deal to sign RB Leipzig defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu.
It seems that adding defensive depth has become “an urgent priority” for the new year, with a centre-back the primary target for January – and the club have been alerted to the “potential availability” of 20-year-old Bitshiabu, a rotational player at Leipzig who has been capped at age group level by France.
The 6’5” defender is said to be looking for more regular football and could be tempted by a move to Elland Road, with West Ham United also said to be interested. Leipzig could be open to a loan deal for the youngster, as well as a permanent move, meaning that there are plenty of options on the table.
The 3AM Verdict: This all seems to spring from a slightly speculative Fabrizio Romano story and while that doesn’t mean it’s not plausible, there’s a lack of detail with which to fill some of the gaps. It certainly could happen, but we’d like to see more corroboration. As it stands, all we can be certain of is that it’s Christmas – and that we hope that all of our readers have a wonderful day.
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