Arsenal & Chelsea ‘in race’ to sign £26m wonderkid as Brighton face big-money transfer decisionplaceholder image
Arsenal & Chelsea ‘in race’ to sign £26m wonderkid as Brighton face big-money transfer decision | Getty Images
The biggest new Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Arsenal, Chelsea, Brighton, Leeds and more.
Just because the January transfer window has closed doesn’t mean that the rumour mill has gone quiet – and as it continue to churn out stories, we’re back with our regular morning round-up of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours you might have missed over the last 24 hours.
We start with a story from Caught Offside which claims that both Arsenal and Chelsea are “in [the] race” for Corinthians wonderkid Breno Bidon, a 20-year-old midfielder regarded as one of the brightest prospects in Brazilian football.
Arsenal are already said to have held “some initial conversations” over a potential deal, which Chelsea are also “in the conversation” even though it doesn’t sound like they’ve firmed their interest up just yet – and indeed, it’s claimed that Arsenal have shown “the strongest interest” in Bidon thus far.
The youngster apparently has a massive €100m (£86m) release clause in his contract but Corinthians are apparently willing to settle for a more “realistic” price point come the summer, suggested to be around €30m (£26m).
The 3AM Verdict: We haven’t seen much corroboration of the Arsenal link just yet, although that doesn’t disprove anything – both they and Chelsea are certainly in the market for young midfielders, although in the latter’s case it may just beforce of habit. One to keep an eye on, but Bidon won’t be the only player either side look at over the coming months.
Brighton bid falls short with £52m price tag placed on German star
Over to a story from Sport Witness (via Bild) now, who suggest that Brighton & Hove Albion are still trying to sign January target Said El Mala – but have “hit a wall” after a bid of around €25-30m (£22-26m) was rejected by 1.FC Köln.
While the German side are “no longer as resistant to a deal as they once were,” they’re still not interested in striking a deal with Brighton just yet because they believe further interest in El Mala could see the price spike – while they currently value the 19-year-old winger at €40m (£35m), they believe further interest could bring his price up to as much as €60m (£52m).
Köln believe that “other top clubs” will make a move before too long, with Bayern Munich already said to have “expressed an interest.” It “remains to be seen” whether Brighton would be willing to push their offer high enough to force Köln to sell.
The 3AM Verdict: We can’t fault Brighton’s ambition in trying to sign El Mala – if his progress continues atits current pace, a lot of elite sides will be in the bidding for him come the summer. The Seagulls will do well to land this particular fish.
Leeds identify ‘dream’ summer signing
Let’s wrap today’s digest off with a story for the Leeds United fans among you – according to TeamTalk, Daniel Farke’s side will be “prioritising” the signing of a new goalkeeper to replace the disappointing Lucas Perri come the summer, and have now identified their “dream recruit.”
The target in question is Manchester City’s James Trafford, who is said to be “on the radar” of Leeds after he was supplanted by Gianluigi Donnarumma not long after moving to the Etihad – and is said to be a player that Leeds have “long admired.”
It’s expected that Leeds will face stiff competition for Trafford if he does leave Manchester City, with Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Newcastle United all sides mentioned as potential suitors as they look for upgrades between the sticks. There’s no word on the price tag, as yet, but the “ambition” is there to win what promises to be a difficult transfer battle.
The 3AM Verdict: It’s easy to see Trafford leaving the Etihad in search of first-team football and to imagine Leeds making a bid should they stay up – the question, as the article suggests, is which other teams will be involved in the bidding. It’s very unlikely that only one team ends up throwing their hat into this particular ring.
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