Chelsea consider astonishing Man Utd bid as Aston Villa register ‘interest’ in £52m starplaceholder image
Chelsea consider astonishing Man Utd bid as Aston Villa register ‘interest’ in £52m star | Getty Images
A round-up of the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Sunderland.
As another day of transfer gossip draws to a close and Andrew Robertson suddenly looks like becoming a Spurs player, we’re back with our regular evening summary of some of the biggest and strangest new Premier League transfer rumours you might have missed – starting off with a surprising story concerning both Manchester United and Chelsea.
According to Caught Offside, Chelsea have emerged as a “surprise suitor” for United centre-back Harry Maguire, who are apparently “keen” to add the 32-year-old’s experience to a young defensive group when his contract expires in the summer.
Several other sides appear to be interested, and Maguire “could get offers” from West Ham, Everton, Bournemouth, Napoli and AS Roma, but apparently Chelsea are also in the mix as they search for a “Thiago Silva-esque figure” in the dressing room.
There’s no suggestion that Chelsea are looking to launch a bid in January and Maguire would only be of interest on a free transfer at the end of the season, and the tenor of the article as a whole suggests that while Chelsea are “surprisingly open” to the idea of signing the England international, no decision has yet been made.
The 3AM Verdict: Frankly, we’d be very surprised if Chelsea made a bid, given that bringing him in would represent a significant departure from the club’s heavilyyouth-oriented transfer policy. We suspect several sides will also offer more regular first-team football if and when a bidding war does break out. But stranger things have happened…
Aston Villa & Sunderland emerge as contenders for £52m Real Madrid man
Over to another eyebrow-raising story now, this time from Spanish gossipmongers Fichajes, who allege that both Aston Villa and Sunderland have “shown their willingness” to bid for Moroccan winger Brahim Díaz, whose missed Panenka penalty in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations made headlines just last week.
While his current club Real Madrid are “not in a hurry to sell,” there is mounting speculation that Díaz will leave the Bernabeu in the near future as his contract enters its final 18 months, and apparently Villa see him as an “ideal” signing while Sunderland want to make the 26-year-old “one of the visible faces of their sporting project.”
It’s said in the report that Real have already “received an offer” of up to €60m (£52m) for the attacker, although it’s not stated whether that came from Villa, Sunderland, or another suitor. The proposal is apparently being “studied calmly” by Real before a decision is reached.
The 3AM Verdict: The report hints that the supposed bid is for an immediate transfer rather than something for the summer, although that isn’t stated outright – we suspect that neither Villa nor Sunderland are likely to have the transfer funds to make such a move imminently, although there are always ways to amortise such expenses if necessary. Either way, we’re maintaining a healthy scepticism over this story, not least because Fichajes is not, in our opinion, a reliable news source. Spurs, incidentally, have also beenlinked lately.
Manchester United ‘divided’ over midfielder deal
Let’s wrap things up for now with another story concerning Manchester United, this time one which has them debating a new signing – according to TeamTalk, the Red Devils are “divided” over whether to pursue a deal for Besiktas midfielder Wilfried Ndidi, who is said to be “anxious” to move to Old Trafford.
Several reports have said that United have been “offered” the 29-year-old, who impressed in the Premier League during a stint with Leicester City, but while they are considering a budget-friendly deal, the club are “not making any sort of progress” with the deal as yet while they dither over whether to move forward.
Ndidi, for his part, is unsurprisingly said to be “keen” to make the move, but there is “serious internal debate” over whether he would represent a worthwhile addition. Sport Witness, in their own reporting of the story, note that a £12m transfer fee has been suggested but also suggest that the rumours could be stemming from Ndidi’s agents rather than any concrete negotiations or interest on United’s part.
The 3AM Verdict: There are a lot of conflicting stories over whether United are interested in Ndidi or whether he’s simply been offered to them, and it’s hard to work out just how serious this story is. Right now, it simply depends on which side of the story you choose to believe, with reliable sources coming down on both sides. Just about anything could happen – including absolutely nothing.
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