Chelsea & Man Utd ‘monitor’ £52m Serie A star as Wolves ‘hold talks’ over defender dealplaceholder image
Chelsea & Man Utd ‘monitor’ £52m Serie A star as Wolves ‘hold talks’ over defender deal | Getty Images
The latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Chelsea, Manchester United, Wolves and more.
With the January transfer window in full swing, it’s getting a little tricky to keep track of all the possible comings and goings – so we’re back with the latest edition of our twice-daily round-up of all the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours, starting with a story involving both Chelsea and Manchester United.
According to Caught Offside, AS Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar is “attracting attention” from the Premier League pair, with both clubs “monitoring” the Serbian stopper with an eye to a move – and it’s even suggested that “early discussions” have taken place.
Those discussions have yielded the information that Roma would want a fee “in the region of €60m” – that’s about £52m in old money – for the 26-year-old. It’s not clear if either Chelsea or Manchester United are happy with the proposed fee as yet, or whether it might be enough to cause them to look elsewhere.
Chelsea are said to be searching for a replacement for Robert Sánchez but spending restrictions mean that a summer deal is “far more realistic” for them, while United are apparently planning “a major overhaul of their goalkeeping department” at the end of the season. Either way, it sounds like it’s not a deal that will take place this January.
The 3AM Verdict: This is a somewhat speculative article, but perhaps that’s inevitable given the timeframe involved. We suspect United will only spend kind of money on a goalkeeper ifSenne Lammens struggles over the back half of the season, but don’t think a Chelsea deal for Svilar is unrealistic.
Chelsea targeting two centre-backs as search goes on
Let’s stick with Chelsea for our next story, which comes from multiple sources including The Daily Mail – it’s said that the Blues are also looking to furnish new manager Liam Rosenior with a new centre-back “this month” and have “checked on” two players specifically – Rennes’ Jérémy Jacquet and Como’s Jacobo Ramón.
Neither of the links is brand news and we’ve covered interest in both Jacquet and Ramón in more depth already this month, but a flurry of new stories seems to confirm the earlier stories. Simon Phillips, a Chelsea-centric reporter, chimes in to add weight to the Jacquet rumour in particular, saying that the 20-year-old is a “leading candidate.”
L’Equipe, meanwhile, agree that Jacquet is on Chelsea’s radar but believe that they will face stiff competition from Bayern Munich. Apparently Rennes would want a fee of around €65m (£56m) in order to sell up.
The 3AM Verdict: Both players have been linked with a number of teams at this point – Arsenal have often been cited as admirers of Jacquet and several teams are supposedly watching Ramón. We believe that neither Rennes nor Como wish to sell their young starlets this month if they can avoid it, so the chequebook will have to open wide to get either deal over the line.
Wolves hold ‘initial talks’ over deal for rising defensive star
Let’s wrap up with a story for fans of struggling Wolves now – their January window may be more about selling players than signing them so far but Sport Witness think that relief could be on the way, with Rob Edwards’ side “emerging as a suitor” for 23-year-old Basel defender Jonas Adjetey.
The Ghanaian international has also attracted “attention” from Bolgona, Lens and Trabzonspor, but it’s suggested that Wolves could steal a march on the competition after holding “initial talks” with the Adjetey’s Swiss side.
Wolves apparently see the defender (who can play in the middle or as a full-back) as a “long-term plan,” and Sport Witness speculate that he could therefore be seen as a summer target, although that may not wash with other sides circling. Bologna, in particular, are likely to be in need of a centre-half before the end of the window.
The 3AM Verdict: Whether signing Adjetey would make up for the likely loss of Emmanuel Agbadou, Jørgen Strand Larsen, João Gomes, Fer López and heaven knows who else we don’t know, and nor do we know how much he might cost – which makes it tough to assess how likely a January deal might be. He’s impressed both for his country and in the Europa League, however, so could easily be a smart signing.
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