Man City ‘have beaten’ Liverpool to key £30m transfer as Newcastle target rising star from rivalsplaceholder image
Man City ‘have beaten’ Liverpool to key £30m transfer as Newcastle target rising star from rivals | Getty Images
Analysing the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Manchester City, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sunderland and more.
With the January transfer window in full swing, the Premier League transfer rumours are flying thick and fast – and to help you stay up-to-date with all the latest news, we’re back with our daily round-up of the biggest and wildest new stories, starting with a report which should excite Manchester City fans.
According to The Daily Mirror, Pep Guardiola’s side “believe they have beaten” reigning champions Liverpool to a deal for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guéhi after both clubs held “extensive talks” with the England international over recent days.
Liverpool had hoped to sign Guéhi on a free transfer at the end of the season, but City are attempting to secure a January deal and are now “confident of securing a £30m deal” for the 25-year-old “in the coming days.”
Guéhi is apparently “keen to play for Guardiola” and that has led him towards accepting their deal rather than listen to potentially more lucrative offers from clubs including Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, all of whom wanted to agree a pre-contract deal with him ahead of a summer move. That hope now appears to have vanished.
The 3AM Verdict: The Mirror’s reporting reflects what we’re seeing and hearing elsewhere and we believe that they’re right to suggest that Guéhi’s mind has been made up – and that City have won the race to one of England’s finest defenders. There is still plenty of negotiating work to be done, but barring unexpected developments we suspect this deal gets over the line soon.
Newcastle lead chasing pack for rising Wolves star
Over to a story from The Daily Mail now which looks at the future of Wolverhampton Wanderers starlet Mateus Mané, who the club are “determined to hang on to” after an impressive run of form which has attracted the attention of rival Premier League clubs – including Newcastle United.
The Magpies are “among [the] admirers” of the 18-year-old after he scored in back-to-back matches to give Wolves a sniff of a chance of avoiding relegation, and now sides like Newcastle are apparently checking in to see if “an early deal” can be struck for the England Under-18 international.
There is no suggestion that Newcastle or any other side have yet made a formal offer for Mané, and Wolves are said to be “insisting he is currently not for sale at any price” – but are simultaneously preparing for a January fire sale with players such as Jørgen Strand Larsen and João Gomes seemingly up for sale in the coming weeks as Wolves look to maximise the valuation of their assets before what looks likely to be a drop into the second division.
The 3AM Verdict: A few different outlets have run with variations of the story that teams like Newcastle are targeting Mané, but there are currently no indications that a deal is likely to be struck – odd, perhaps, given that Wolves are prepared to sell players like Strand Larsen when they need them most, but our best guess based on the available information is that the Portugal-born teenager stays put until the summer.
French striker ‘listening’ to Sunderland overtures
Let’s finish up with a story from French outlet Media Foot now, who reckon that overachievers Sunderland – wonderfully described as “the most French of the English clubs” – are “interested” in 22-year-old Nantes forward Matthis Abline, and have already “made contact” about a possible transfer.
Abline, who can play up front or out wide, has 16 league goals in 73 league games for Nantes since moving there from Rennes two-and-a-half years ago, and his performances have also attracted the attention of Marseille, who are apparently hoping to sign him in the summer.
Sunderland, however, have now “targeted” Abline and opened talks with his representatives, with a “winter offensive” planned to secure his signature. Abline is said to be “listening” to the Black Cats’ overtures as he wants to leave a side who are relegation battlers in Ligue 1, but there’s no word on how much Nantes would demand for their player – save for the claim that they rejected a €15m bid from Marseille over the summer.
The 3AM Verdict:The Sunderland Echo are also carrying the story, and with sources on both sides of the Channel in agreement it’s hard to conclude that the interest is anything other than genuine. Much will depend on club-to-club negotiations, however, and it’s too early to say how well they’ll go.
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