A round-up of the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, Leeds and more.
It’s once again time to dive into a round-up of the biggest (and sometimes strangest) Premier League transfer rumours which you might have missed over the past 24 hours – and we kick off today with a story involving North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
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According to TEAMtalk, the old enemies have both “stepped up their interest” in 20-year-old Bayer Leverkusen winger Ibrahim Maza, with both club allegedly “tracking” him ahead of a potential transfer bid.
Ibrahim Maza scored five goals and provided six assists in his debut season with Bayer Leverkusenplaceholder image
Ibrahim Maza scored five goals and provided six assists in his debut season with Bayer Leverkusen | Getty Images
Both sides are said to have sent scouts to keep an eye on the Algeria international’s progress and are apparently “assessing” whether a deal could be done in the near future. Chelsea, Manchester City and Aston Villa are also mentioned as clubs with Maza on their radar, although it’s Arsenal and Spurs’ interest that is the focus of the report.
We’re clearly in the early stages of proceedings if indeed either side are interested, and there is no suggestion that any talks have taken place nor any hint as to how substantial the transfer fee might be. Maza has four years left on his contract, so any deal would likely be very pricy indeed.
The 3AM Verdict: Maza has beenearmarked as a rising star for a couple of years now, so it’s scarcely a surprise that he’s on the radar of a few Premier League clubs. Whether that leads to a deal is too hard to predict at this point, however, and this is a speculative article which is fleshed out by very little detail. One to watch, but nobody should be holding their breath at this stage.
Chelsea ‘impressed’ by Leeds star – but could struggle to sign him
Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu extended his stay at Elland Road to 2030 over the summerplaceholder image
Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu extended his stay at Elland Road to 2030 over the summer | Getty Images
Over to a story from Football Insider now, which claims that Chelsea have shown interest in signing Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu and have been “impressed” by the 26-year-old’s performances so far.
The Blues need reinforcements in midfield after the sale of Enzo Fernández and it’s speculated that Ampadu is among the options under consideration – but the report suggests that Leeds have no interest in selling the Wales international if they can help it.
Daniel Farke’s side “will not entertain offers,” it’s suggested, and are “reluctant” to let him leave Elland Road any time soon. Chelsea’s interest is, as such, described as “wishful thinking.” There is no suggestion that an approach has been made.
The 3AM Verdict: Ampadu signed an extended contract with Leeds in June, so we can’t see him leaving in the foreseeable future regardless of interest from elsewhere. Frankly, however, we’re not even sure that Chelsea are keen anyway – social media speculation seems to be the primary source for the article’s claims, and there are anumber of other midfielders we believe to be higher up on their shortlist, not least Manu Koné and Alex Scott.
Spurs among clubs contacted over Barcelona deal
Dani Olmo was a member of Spain's World Cup winning squad this summerplaceholder image
Dani Olmo was a member of Spain's World Cup winning squad this summer | Getty Images
We’ll wrap up with a story from Caught Offside, who reckon that several Premier League sides – including Tottenham Hotspur – have been “contacted” by the intermediaries hoping to arrange a deal for Barcelona and Spain attacking midfielder Dani Olmo.
Although it’s said that the Catalan giants “value him highly,” it’s said that a deal could be “feasible” due to Barcelona’s economic position, which continues to be treacherous. It’s not clear whether the people supposedly driving the deal are acting on behalf of Olmo or his current club, however.
The other sides mentioned in the report are Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United, although it’s noted that no formal bids have been made. It’s also not entirely clear as to why Spurs get the top billing in this piece, as no evidence that their interest is more advanced is presented.
The 3AM Verdict: Given that Barcelona are almost always trying to sell someone to free up funds, we wouldn’t dismiss this report out of hand. It’s quite possible that Olmo is available in the near future, but that doesn’t mean that Spurs or any other Premier League side are specifically likely to strike a deal. A situation to keep an eye on going forward, perhaps.