We’re back with our latest evening round-up of some of the biggest (and often wildest) Premier League transfer rumours which you might have missed over the past 24 hours – and we kick off with a story for the Manchester United fans among you.
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According to gossip website Caught Offside, the Red Devils are “considering” a bid for Freiburg’s Igor Matanović, a 6’5” striker who was a member of Croatia’s World Cup squad.
Igor Matanović transferred to Freiburg last summer - and could be on the move againplaceholder image
Igor Matanović transferred to Freiburg last summer - and could be on the move again | Getty Images
A move for the 23-year-old, who scored 15 goals in 50 domestic appearances last season, has only been discussed internally so far, it’s said, and there’s no suggestion that a formal offer has been made as yet.
Apparently any bid will depend on finding a buyer for Joshua Zirkzee, who has been strongly linked with a move to Juventus. Should he leave Old Trafford before deadline day, then Matanović might be his replacement. There’s no word on Freiburg’s likely asking price.
The 3AM Verdict: Matanović, you may recall, was the striker who allegedly grazed the ball with his hair in the build-up to the disallowed goal against Portugal which controversially cost Croatia their place in the World Cup. He has a roughly similar playing profile to theinjured Benjamin Šeško, so it makes a certain amount of sense for Manchester United to be interested.
Everton submit second bid for Turkish star
Baris Alper Yilmaz has been linked with a number of different Premier League clubs over the past two seasonsplaceholder image
Baris Alper Yilmaz has been linked with a number of different Premier League clubs over the past two seasons | Getty Images
Over to a story from Sport Witness, now – they cite stories from Turkey in claiming that Everton have made an “improved bid” in their pursuit of Galatasaray and Turkey winger Baris Alper Yilmaz.
The 26-year-old apparently “dreams” of making a move to the Premier League but the Toffees’ first offer was turned down. They’ve now made a second effort with a bid reportedly worth €41m (£35m). The structure of the offer is unclear, but regardless of how it’s set up it might not be enough.
Galatasaray apparently want €50m (£43m) and the report suggests that the new offer won’t be enough. It’s unclear whether Everton might be ready to raise their bid even higher. There’s mention of interest from other clubs, incidentally, but no specifics.
The 3AM Verdict: Yilmaz is one of those players who’s never far from the gossip columns, but he does seem more likely to move this summer than he has in the past – he has two years left on his contract and this is the point at which clubs are typically getting ready to sell. Whether a fee can be successfully negotiated remains uncertain, however. One to keep an eye on.
Nottingham Forest learn asking price for midfield target
Youssouf Fofana broke into the France team at former club Monaco - but hasn't been capped since 2024placeholder image
Youssouf Fofana broke into the France team at former club Monaco - but hasn't been capped since 2024 | Getty Images
We’ll wrap up this evening’s rumour round-up with a story from Football Insider, who claim that Nottingham Forest have learned the asking price for AC Milan midfielder Youssouf Fofana, who they are allegedly “targeting” as they work to replace Elliot Anderson.
The 27-year-old will be allowed to leave for between £15m and £20m – a rather vague asking price, if we’re being completely honest, but one which reflects the suggestion that new Milan manager Ruben Amorim has determined that Fofana is surplus to requirements at the San Siro.
Crystal Palace are also mentioned as potential suitors for the Frenchman, who has 25 caps for his country but has struggled to make an impression in Italy. Spanish side Villarreal might be in the bidding, too.
The 3AM Verdict: While the rather broad scope of the alleged asking price doesn’t bode well for the accuracy of the report, this does back up stories we’ve seen elsewhere – Fofana appears to be available and both Forest and Palace have been linked with him on a handful of occasions. We suspect that he’ll move this summer, but we don’t think it’s certain that the City Ground will be his destination.