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The latest transfer news from the Premier League as Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool plot big summer moves
The 2025/26 Premier League is just six games away from concluding - well, for all bar Manchester City and Crystal Palace who have seven - and there’s still so much to play for.
Will Arsenal implode and blow the title once again? Will Chelsea or Liverpool succeed in their puzzling battle to not qualify for the Champions League? And will Tottenham seal their fate to face the likes of Lincoln City and Charlton in their half-empty, haunted enormodrome next season?
Once all that business is out of the way, the build-up to the World Cup of course begins, but we’ve just got one thought on our mind: summer transfers. Join us, as we noble hogs of the rumours world grunt and snuffle ferociously through the overgrown forests of football gossip and hearsay, unearthing only the finest transfer truffles for your delectation and delight.
Arsenal ready to sell two stars to snatch Alvarez
We get the ball rolling at Arsenal, where Mikel Arteta may or may not be repeatedly waking in the night, shrieking as the spectre of that Manchester City fan guzzling a bottle of ‘Arsenal tears’ continues to plague his fever dreams. It’s not just the title race on the Gunners’ collective hive mind, though, with the summer market also looming large.
Caught Offside are the latest to link Arsenal with a big-money move for Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez. He’s had quite a lovely time of it since joining from Man City back in 2024, scoring a goal almost every other game. Arsenal are apparently “acting swiftly to position themselves ahead of rival suitors” - schmoozing the player and his entourage, in other words, probably.
The story claims that the Gunners are so determined to sign him this summer that they’ll flog Gabriel Jesus or Kai Havertz to do so. Flog as in sell, rather than brutally beat with a stick, just to clarify. Alvarez is said to have a meaty price tag in the region of €120m (about £104m) and Arsenal would need to balance the books with some sales to make that happen.
The 3AM Verdict: Sure, it would be lovely to have Alvarez and his exceptional head of hair back in the Premier League - but would he really want to come? He’s Atleti’s talisman up top and has an excellent chance of playing in a Champions League final next month. Money talks, of course, but with things going so well in Madrid and his apparent asking price so high, we expect him to stay put.
Ekitike injury could force Liverpool to sign two new forwards
Liverpool’s harrowing Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain, where they were comprehensively outplayed and outclassed over the two games, was made even worse by the brutal injury suffered by summer signing Hugo Ekitike. A ruptured Achilles means he’ll miss months of action - including the World Cup with key contenders France.
According to Team Talk, this will see the Reds spring into action, and sign two top quality forward players as they look to both replace the departing Mohamed Salah and provide suitable cover for long-term absentee Ekitike.
Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon, RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye are all name-dropped as potential targets. But that’s not all! Jarrod Bowen, Harry Wilson and Bazoumana Toure’s names are also thrown into the mix - a veritable Cobb salad of elite attacking talent - or perhaps a Kop salad would be more appropriate.
The 3AM Verdict: The Reds aren’t shy when it comes to splashing the cash and have the pulling power to bag any of the players on that list. Wilson would certainly be the easiest to get hold of, but the thrill of bringing Liverpool lad Gordon in can’t be overlooked.
Bowen’s versatility also makes him an attractive option, while Diomande is on the radar of multiple elite clubs for a reason. The real question is: what do they do with Ekitike’s big-money replacement once he’s back from injury?
Newcastle United to battle Crystal Palace for £40m defender
As Newcastle stare down the barrel of a season without European football, we would like you all to take a moment to remember that viral clip of a handful of fans gloating in song that Lionel Messi would be “selling the pies” and Cristiano Ronaldo would be scrubbing the boots, following the club’s £300m Saudi takeover back in 2021.
With just a Carabao Cup trophy to show for it so far, the pressure is mounting on manager Eddie Howe to get his side competing with the Premier League’s finest, and you’d imagine they’ve got to get this summer’s transfer window spot on if they’re to do just that. Football Insiderclaim they’ve already got a key target in mind: Sporting CP centre-back Ousmane Diomande.
The 3AM Verdict : He’s got a contract that runs all the way through until 2030, so £40m for a player of Diomande’s quality and indeed potential does seem a little on the cheap side. Newcastle haven’t had a problem scoring goals this season, but their defending has been decidedly shaky - bringing in a centre-back of Diomande’s calibre would put them in good stead to push on next season.
In a couple of years, maybe they’ll be in a position to get Lamine Yamal in to put out the training mannequins each morning, as Kylian Mbappe cheerily sells programmes behind the Gallowgate Stand.
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