Man Utd join Liverpool in race for £100m deal as Aston Villa remain ‘in mix’ for midfield starplaceholder image
Man Utd join Liverpool in race for £100m deal as Aston Villa remain ‘in mix’ for midfield star | Getty Images
A round-up of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Manchester United, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Spurs and more.
Another day of rumour and gossip has passed, and that means that it’s time for us to help our readers keep up with all of the latest stories with our round-up of the biggest and wildest new Premier League transfer rumours – starting with a story which should interest fans of Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur alike.
According to TeamTalk, Manchester United have joined Liverpool in taking an “interest” in Spurs centre-back Micky van de Ven – despite the fact that his current employers are trying to tie him down to a new contract extension.
Liverpool’s desire to sign the Dutchman was first reported by The Daily Mail on Wednesday, but apparently United are “keeping pace” with their historic rivals and have “tracked” the centre-back for some time, with both teams under the impression that Van de Ven could become available with contract talks moving slowly. Apparently Spurs see extending the 24-year-old as a “top priority” but are aware that their recent struggles may make it hard to convince him to pen a new deal.
With Spurs said to be “acutely aware” of Liverpool and Manchester United’s interest in their star defender, they have “slapped [a] £100m price tag” on his head in the hopes of dissuading any bids. Apparently the North London club “remain hopeful” that they can keep Van de Ven even as suitors begin to circle.
The 3AM Verdict: We can’t imagine for a moment that any offers are made in January, with the price tag effectively forcing any thoughts of a transfer to be postponed until the summer. Should Van de Ven decline a new contract, however, we certainly wouldn’t be shocked if a bidding war did erupt – and both Liverpool and Manchester United will be worth keeping an eye on should that happen. There’s a long way to go before we reach that stage, however.
Aston Villa ‘still in the mix’ for Nigeria star
Let’s take in a story from Sport Witness now, who claim that Aston Villa are “still in the mix” for Club Brugge and Nigeria midfielder Raphael Onyedika – who has “caused a stir” by posting a social media picture of him getting on a private jet, a picture which has since been deleted.
That has sparked renewed speculation about his future with many believing that it indicates he’s off somewhere for transfer talks – and Villa are “still interested” in striking a deal after rumours that they were keen started to spring up during the autumn.
Club Brugge apparently “have no intention” of selling the 24-year-old, who has recently returned from Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign, and are said to have rejected a bid from Galatasaray already – but the Turkish side are “still keen” while Villa are said to be “keeping a close eye on the situation.” There’s no word of an asking price or any suggestion that advanced negotiations are taking place, however.
The 3AM Verdict: Rumours linking Onyedika to Aston Villa had gone rather quiet but they may be in the market for a new midfielder again after Boubacar Kamara suffered a season-ending injury. It’s not clear from the information we have that they will make a bid and stories linking the Villans toRuben Loftus-Cheek seem to have a little more heft behind them as it stands, but Onyedika may well be a back-up plan. One to watch over the coming weeks.
Crystal Palace ‘confident’ of beating Wrexham to striker starlet
Let’s finish up with a story from Sky Sports, who reckon that Crystal Palace “remain confident” of reaching an agreement with young French forward Sidiki Cherif despite the fact that wealthy Championship side Wrexham have also “entered the race.”
The Welsh side are said to have “opened talks” with the 19-year-old as they launch an unexpected rival bid, with Palace having been in negotiations for days as they try to bring down Angers’ asking price. They seem to have been successful on that front, with Angers having “come down” from their demand of a £21.8m package to £17.4m.
They are “holding out” for that much, however, and Palace’s proposal is still a couple of million short, giving Wrexham a window to muscle their way into proceedings. An official offer has yet to be made by the second-tier side, however. Elsewhere, Sky Sports also claim that Palace want a defender and a midfielder before the window closes, with KAA Genk’s Zakaria El Ouahdi among their targets.
The 3AM Verdict: It’s hard to imagine a Championship side outmuscling Palace in the transfer market, but they have more money to play with than almost any second-tier side in history – and this would be a record transfer fee for their division. We still suspect that Palace’s stature will make it easier for them to get the deal done, but who knows?
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