The latest Premier League transfer news as Arsenal, Newcastle and Crystal Palace seek out summer signings
The countdown to the 2026/27 Premier League season is continuing at pace, as clubs in England’s top tier step up their preparations to ensure they’re all ready to go for the big kick-off next month. Pre-season tours and friendlies are the order of the day at the moment, with warm-up matches getting players some invaluable minutes in the legs ahead of another gruelling Premier League campaign.
Meanwhile, the summer transfer window is raging on behind the scenes, with plenty of high profile deals already going through. In the coming weeks, things are set to escalate further, with Real Madrid’s attempts at a mega double deal for RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and Manchester City’s Rodri set to spark a domino effect among the Premier League elite.
Today’s rumours round-up gets going at Crystal Palace, where the Eagles are gearing up for a new era under the recently appointed Pierre Sage. According to Team Talk, the Europa Conference League winners are now front-runners to sign ex-Arsenal full-back Takehiro Tomiyasu, who became a free agent after leaving Ajax at the end of last season.
The Japanese defender is now believed to be training with Palace in the hope of securing a contract, in a blow to the likes of Liverpool and Everton who were also thought to be interested in signing him. The report says that the 27-year-old is keen to play in London again, and the Eagles are the “most advanced” club in terms of convincing the player to join.
The 3AM Verdict: Bargains are hard to come by in this day and age. Tomiyasu is a 46-cap international with four seasons of Premier League experience behind him and with plenty of years left to go in his career. Palace are well stocked in the right-back position, but given that Sage tends to play a back three, the defender could do a fine job slotting into a central defensive trio.
Arsenal eye up Vinicius Junior alternative
Antonio Nusa could be the ideal Vinicius Junior backup option for Arsenalplaceholder image
Antonio Nusa could be the ideal Vinicius Junior backup option for Arsenal | AFP via Getty Images
Next up, it’s over to the Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal have been linked with a sensational move for Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, after missing out on Morgan Rogers to Chelsea. However, with Los Blancos looking to tie down their Brazilian star to a new deal, the Gunners may need to come up with a Plan B, and Caught Offside suggest that could be RB Leipzig’s £51m-rated sensation Antonio Nusa.
The story says that the Norway international is “at the top” of the club’s backup shortlist, ahead of the likes of AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic and Paris Saint-Germain’s Ibrahim Mbaye. It’s said that the Gunners will now look to ascertain how much Leipzig want for Nusa before proceeding with a potential bid, with the club wary of wasting time waiting to see how Vinicius’ contract negotiations pan out.
The 3AM Verdict: We’ve said from the start that the Vinicius’ links with Arsenal are probably a negotiation tactic, and that he’ll ultimately extend his stay at the Bernabeu. Nusa looked the real deal at the World Cup, and certainly wouldn’t demand the kind of weekly wage required to sign Arsenal’s top target. The Gunners should give up on hoping for a miracle and get the Nusa deal done.
Newcastle ‘identify’ Guimaraes replacement
Porto's Victor Froholdt has been tipped to replace Bruno Guimaraes at Newcastle Unitedplaceholder image
Porto's Victor Froholdt has been tipped to replace Bruno Guimaraes at Newcastle United | AFP via Getty Images
Speaking of Arsenal, the future of Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes is still undecided, amid intense interest from the north London side. Unwilling to risk a repeat of the Alexander Isak transfer saga that scuppered their summer transfer window last year, Newcastle may well fold more quickly this time, and reports from Portugal - via Sport Witness - claim they’ve found a potential replacement: Porto’s Victor Froholdt.
The story says that the 20-year-old is a “leading candidate” to replace the Magpies’ skipper, but his club are expected to demand a fee close to his £74m release clause. Established targets Hugo Larsson and Danilo of Eintracht Frankfurt and Botafogo respectively are also still said to be of interest to Newcastle, who may have to make the difficult decision sooner rather than later.
The 3AM Verdict: £74m is a serious amount of money to pay for a 20-year-old, as promising a talent as he may be. For that kind of fee, Newcastle could instead go after a Premier League proven option -much like Spurs have done with their mega summer rebuild. In the end, we imagine they’ll gamble and go for a cheaper, non-Premier League player.