Premier League transfer news latest as Spurs, Man United and Arsenal chase summer signings
Rejoice! The 2026 FIFA World Cup is finally here. The great drought between the Premier League concluding and the major international tournament starting is finally over, and no longer will you be compelled to watch Curacao play Aruba in a friendly match in the middle of the night to get your football fix - you can watch Curacao play Ecuador in the same timeslot instead.
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England have nearly a week to wait until they get their tournament up and running against Croatia, and will be in high spirits after following up a disjointed 1-0 win over New Zealand with a far more lively 3-0 dismantling of Costa Rica in Orlando. Excitement is now starting to build, as the Three Lions look to end an agonising sixty year wait to win a major trophy.
Meanwhile, the Premier League training grounds may be deserted - bar perhaps a dispirited Phil Foden and Cole Palmer sharing a see-saw - but the boardrooms are frenzied, as technical directors, club presidents and various other fancy job titled individuals look to hurriedly pull their summer transfer plans together and beat their rivals to some top targets.
We’ll get today’s rumours round-up underway at Craven Cottage, where Fulham are preparing themselves for life after Marco Silva. The Portuguese coach is Benfica bound, heading back to Lisbon where he previously managed Sporting CP. The race is on for the Cottagers to find a new manager, and The Athletic claim they’re preparing a rather ambitious move.
The story says that Fulham have held talks with ex-Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who was relieved of his duties at the Bernabeu after doing the unthinkable - going a whole season without winning a trophy. Mass hysteria followed, and the club’s owners had no choice but to swing the axe. Uncharacteristically for the publication, no further details are given on the situation. It’s not said whether a deal is close, or even whether Arbeloa is keen on the move.
The 3AM Verdict: David Ornstein rarely gets it wrong, so if he says there are talks, we can safely assume there are indeed talks. Going from Real Madrid to Fulham is clearly a step down, but given that the ex-Liverpool coach has such limited experience as a manager - his only other roles have been with Los Blancos’ youth and B sides - a new beginning at a club of a more humble stature makes sense.
Alajbegovic transfer race intensifies
Over in north London, Arsenal are gearing up for a big summer transfer window after winning the Premier League last season, and are said to be among a number of clubs to have taken a shine to RB Salzburg forward Kerim Alajbegovic, who could be flipped immediately by Bayer Leverkusen after they trigger a buy-back clause in his contract.
That’s according to Team Talk, who claim that his 17-goal contribution season in Austria has sparked the interest of a host of top level sides. They say Arsenal, Man United, Aston Villa and Chelsea have all been “alerted” to the fact the teenager could instead pursue a move to Italy, and are poised to intervene. The Gunners are said to have gone as far as to have “held discussions” with the player’s entourage regarding a possible move.
Spurs could swoop for bargain defender
Last but not least, Tottenham are on the hunt for a new defender this summer, as questions remain over the futures of both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, after a harrowing 2025/26 season that saw Spurs flirt with relegation until the final day of the campaign. A big rebuild is on the cards under Roberto De Zerbi, who has already secured both Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers from Liverpool and Bournemouth respectively.
According to reports in the Brazilian press, via Sport Witness, Tottenham are the latest Premier League side to show an interest in Gremio defender Viery, who looks to be a Viery popular boy indeed. Apparently, Sunderland, Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Newcastle are also tailing the 21-year-old, with his left-footedness said to be the reason for the mass appeal.
There’s plenty of admiring eyes from Italy too, with Serie A trio Roma, Juventus and Fiorentina all believed to be in the race for his signature as well. Newcastle are said to have already had an offer in the region of £10m turned down, with the Brazilian club thought to want up to £21m to do a deal.
The 3AM Verdict: It looks like Newcastle are already some way down the line in their pursuit of Viery, having already spent £20m to bring in a new goalkeeper. Like Spurs, they’re looking to move fast in the summer window, and the north Londoners will need to move quickly to pay the desired fee if they want to beat the Magpies to the deal.
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