A round-up of the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Spurs.
While the World Cup rumbles on, negotiations are going on up and down the country as teams plot their latest signings – and to help you keep up to date with all the latest news, we’re back with our regular morning round-up and review of some of the biggest Premier League transfer rumours you might have missed over the past 24 hours, starting with a story which involves Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
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Gossip website Football Insider claims that the Blues are now “increasingly likely” to sign Palace midfielder Adam Wharton this summer, with the England international said to have been “on Chelsea’s radar for several months.”
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Observing that Chelsea have been installed as favourites to snap Wharton up by a bookmaker, the article speculates that the 22-year-old is “set to leave” Selhurst Park, while noting that their sources suggest that Liverpool, a potential rival in the transfer market, have “cooled” their interest as they focus on other targets.
There is no report that any negotiations have taken place, nor any suggestion as to the kind of transfer fee that Wharton might command after another impressive season with Crystal Palace.
The 3AM Verdict: This article seems to be built solely around speculation based on shifting betting odds, and doesn’t seem to be based on anything coming from inside sources, despite the website’s name – in other words, there’s nothing here which makes us believe that Wharton is particularly likely to move to Chelsea. It may not be impossible, by any means, but this isn’t a helpful data point in any way shape or form. We’re dismissing this specific story.
Manchester United prepared to splash £85m on dream midfielder
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Over to Old Trafford for something slightly more tangible now: According to TEAMtalk, the Red Devils are “ready to pay £85m” in order to secure the services of the midfielder who has apparently emerged as their “dream target” – Real Madrid and France star Aurélien Tchouaméni.
Citing The Athletic and Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo among their sources, it’s said that Manchester United “desperately” want to sign the 26-year-old after missing out on Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, both of whom have signed for Tottenham Hotspur instead – and they’re willing to “spend heavily” to ensure that they don’t let another transfer target slip away.
The biggest barrier to a deal, according to the article, is Real Madrid themselves. Tchouaméni’s future was in doubt after he got into a physical altercation with his new club captain Fede Valverde, but this report cites Fabrizio Romano in claiming that Real have yet to make a decision on Tchouaméni. His salary demands could also present a stumbling block, apparently.
The 3AM Verdict: This is really just a mash-up of reports from a number of other sources rather than an original report, but we suspect it’s largely accurate – we can’t be certain whether £85m will be the right figure for the fee but Tchouaméni is definitely of interest and now among United’s most likely signings. We suspect that Real will sell once they’ve found a successor, with the Frenchman’s future in doubt even before that fight.
Tottenham Hotspur ‘dithering’ over huge loan deal
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Over to a story from Sport Witness, now, who claim that Spurs are “dithering” after initial efforts to sign AC Milan winger Rafael Leão – even though he appears to be available on loan.
Leão has made it clear that he wants to move and the Premier League is believed to be his “preferred destination,” while the player’s agent Jorge Mendes was apparently working to set up a deal with Spurs, who had the option to sign him on loan with an obligation to buy.
The figures involved in the deal aren’t known, and they may be too big for a Spurs side who have “yet to bite” despite apparent interest. They aren’t alone, either, as it’s said that no offers have come in for the Portugal international, who has also been offered to AS Roma.
The 3AM Verdict: We’d be amazed if Leão didn’t leave Milan this summer and suspect that there’s every chance that the Premier League will be his eventual destination – but the lack of movement strongly suggests that his current club are asking too much for him, or that the player’s salary demands are too high. Something will give eventually, however, and it’s perfectly plausible that Spurs end up as the beneficiaries.
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