Liverpool prepare for £52m Real Madrid ‘battle’ as Leeds eye shock deal for rising midfield starplaceholder image
Liverpool prepare for £52m Real Madrid ‘battle’ as Leeds eye shock deal for rising midfield star | Getty Images
Rounding up the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Liverpool, Leeds & Everton.
Another day of January gossip has been and gone, and to help you keep across all the latest news we’re back with our regular daily round-up of the biggest (and sometimes wildest) new Premier League transfer rumours – and today, we start with a story for the Liverpool fans out there.
The Daily Mirror report that the Reds are readying themselves for a “battle” with Real Madrid to secure the services of up-and-coming AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit, a 19-year-old who has lit up Dutch football in recent months and earned the attention of a number of elite sides.
Liverpool are apparently preparing to “enter a bidding war” for the talented teenager, with Real “keen” to sign him – with AZ supposedly demanding a hefty £52m for his sale, although it’s not clear how that might be structured.
Apparently, Liverpool see Smit as a “solution to their issues” in midfield, with the box-to-box midfielder seen as being able to provide control in possession which has been lacking. As it stands, there’s no suggestion that either Arne Slot’s side or Real have made an approach, and it’s not clear whether the bidding will begin this month or in the summer.
The 3AM Verdict: There’s not much detail here beyond an assertion of Liverpool’s interest, with Real’s desire to sign Smit well-attested at this point. Quite a few other teams have been linked with him too,including Tottenham Hotspur, and it’s still not really clear whether a January deal is in the offing or not – but that bidding war will certainly happen sooner or later, and we wouldn’t be surprised if Liverpool were involved when we get there.
Leeds looking at surprise swoop for Croatian starlet
Let’s take in a tale from the Italian press now – TuttoMercatoWeb have been writing about the future of 22-year-old Croatia international midfielder Martin Baturina, who was considered to be among Europe’s brightest prospects before his career stalled at Como this season. Now he could be available this January, with Leeds United among the interested parties.
Baturina only moved to Serie A last summer for a fee of around £15.6m, but it’s now said that he “can leave” already after a slow start to life with Cesc Fàbregas’ team. There have “been enquiries” from several sides, it’s claimed, “particularly” from Leeds.
Apparently Como would want to turn a profit on the deal and have set a price tag of €22-25m (£19-21.7m) for a deal, although the article acknowledges that it’s unclear whether Como would be content with a loan deal or would want payment up front. No decision has yet been made, but a “departure is being considered” as Leeds ask the question.
The 3AM Verdict: It would be tricky for Leeds to sort a permanent transfer as they have a relatively limited transfer budget for January, but if Como were open to a loan-to-buy deal then it’s certainly not impossible that a deal could be done – but a defenderseems to be the priority, and it’s not clear whether Baturina would be willing to make the move just yet. One to keep an eye on, certainly.
Everton ready to ‘lure’ budget-friendly defender to Premier League
Let’s wrap up with a story for the Everton fans, which comes courtesy of Sport Witness – who summarise recent reports from Portugal which suggest that the Toffees are trying to “lure” Estoril Praia defender Kévin Boma to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The good news is that they “won’t need to make a significant offer” to get a deal for the 23-year-old Togo international over the line, with Estoril demanding “at least” €5m (£4.3m). Apparently Polish outfit Widzew Łódź made an offer already but couldn’t come close to the asking price, which should be rather easier for a side like Everton to meet.
Sport Witness’ report suggests taking the story “with a pinch of salt” but only because they aren’t necessarily convinced that Boma is at the level Everton would be looking at – but with defensive depth a short-term requirement, perhaps Boma has made his way onto their radar anyway.
The 3AM Verdict: In truth, we’re not clear on the reliability of the original Portuguese sources here so we’re not sure whether this is a deal that’s likely to happen or just some local media getting a little overexcited. As for how good he is, his form in Portugal has been pretty strong by all accounts and the stats look solid enough to us… We’ll see. We’re not members of Everton’s scouting department, after all.
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