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The latest Premier League transfer rumours, with news from Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Fulham and more.
Another day of transfer stories has been and gone, and to help keep you up to date with all the latest news, 3 Added Minutes is back with our daily round-up of the biggest (and wildest) Premier League transfer rumours which you might have missed over the past 24 hours, starting with a report involving both Manchester United and Liverpool.
Sport Witness cover reports from Italy which suggest that Liverpool are “emerging as a candidate” for the signing of Juventus centre-back Pierre Kalulu, who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford – and a “transfer tussle” could break out this summer as a result.
Both teams are now “in the mix” for the Frenchman’s signature, with every chance that he leaves the Old Lady this summer as the Italian outfit look for solutions to their ongoing financial difficulties. The 25-year-old is “unlikely to cost a big amount,” apparently, although no asking price is mentioned in the report.
Apparently Juventus have failed to make a breakthrough in their efforts to extend Kalulu’s contract, increasing the odds that he leaves in a few months’ time. Liverpool and Manchester United are, as such, both in the frame, with no other potential suitors mentioned.
The 3AM Verdict: This is the first time we’ve seen Liverpool linked with Kalulu, so we’d want to see more corroboration of that side of the story. As for Manchester United, we should note that the previous links were always a little thin and based largely on reports that their scouts had been sent to watch him. That may just be a matter of routine rather than an indication of particular interest. We’ll see, but we’re not convinced that Kalulu is a priority for either side.
Chelsea ‘set to contact’ German giants over £56.5m wonderkid
Let’s head over to a story from Caught Offside now, which alleges that Chelsea are “set to contact” Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich as they launch a bid to sign 21-year-old midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović.
Apparently Manchester City have “already held informal talks” over a move but Liam Rosenior’s side are now steaming in with “strong interest,” with the expectation supposedly being that they open talks over a deal in the coming weeks. Apparently his estimated transfer value is €65m (£56.5m), although it’s not clear that Bayern would sell him even at that price – they are said to have “no intention of cashing in.”
The Munich-born midfielder is already in talks to extend his contract with his hometown club, and his “priority” is said to be staying put at the Allianz Arena despite the apparent interest from other sides.
The 3AM Verdict: Unless contract talks break down, we really can’t see this one happening. Pavlović seems to have no desire to move, Bayern don’t appear to be keen to sell, and that’s probably a wrap. If anything changes, however, we would not be shocked were Chelsea or City in position to pounce.
Fulham interested in on-form player set to become a free agent
Let’s finish things up for today with a story from Italian outlet Calciomercato, who claim that Fulham are “eyeing up” a move for Torino and Austria winger Valentino Lazaro – whose contract is set to expire this summer.
Torino are trying to tie the 29-year-old down to a new contract but may find it challenging, with the player set to “think about” the option of a move to a new country, with the Cottagers an option as they look for budget-friendly additions to Marco Silva’s squad.
Lazaro has apparently been on excellent form for Torino of late, which has encouraged his current employers to try and get a new deal done – but has also attracted attention from elsewhere. Fulham aren’t the only team watching, with AS Monaco also named as a prospective suitor.
The 3AM Verdict: We haven’t seen corroboration of Fulham’s interest and it’s always possible that Lazaro’s agents are pushing a story about foreign interest in order to encourage Torino to offer a bigger contract, but there’s bound to be at least some interest in a free agent who’s got plenty of experience at the highest level.
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