The latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Spurs, Manchester City, Liverpool and Newcastle.
With less than 72 hours to go before the Premier League transfer window slams shut – nobody ever closes it gently – we’re back with our latest round-up and review of some of the biggest transfer rumours currently doing the rounds, starting with a big story concerning Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.
Fabrizio Romano claims via social media that Spurs have made an unexpected “approach” for Swiss defender Manuel Akanji, who has been linked with a move away from the Etihad but had been expected to head abroad.
The 30-year-old had seemed likely to go to AC Milan, who were “in talks” with City and are “ready to pay” £15m – which would be enough – but are still stuck in discussions regarding personal terms. Crystal Palace had also been mentioned as a possible destination.
Spurs are supposedly using that delay to come swinging in with a bid of their own, although they do have a back-up plan should that bid fail – Romano suggests that Akanji is “one of three names on their shortlist”.
The 3AM Verdict: Transfer fee and personal terms are unlikely to be a major problem if Spurs have indeed made a bid, so the question is whether Akanji himself is more interested in staying in the Premier League or enjoying a change of scenery. Given the ruthlessness Spurs displayed in their move for Xavi Simons yesterday evening, it could well be that they’re equally efficient in signing Akanji.
Liverpool ‘submit’ record-breaking bid for Alexander Isak
We’ve generally avoided reporting every last alleged update in the ongoing Alexander Isak transfer saga, if only because it all gets a little repetitive – but now Caught Offside seem to be the first to claim that Liverpool have finally made a formal second offer for the Swede, and if proved true, that could be significant.
Apparently, the Reds have “submitted a British transfer record bid” which is “around the £130m mark” – less than Newcastle’s initial asking price of £150m but still £20m more than the offer which Liverpool had rejected earlier this summer.
Despite not meeting Newcastle’s demands in full, the bid is said to be “on course” to be accepted after the Magpies agreed a deal to sign VfB Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade. Newcastle have received the offer and while they haven’t yet made a final decision on whether to accept it, they “have not abruptly rejected” this deal as they did last time around.
The 3AM Verdict: The stars finally seem to be aligning for Isak to get the move he wants so badly, and for Newcastle to get plenty of money and a strong replacement in the shape of Woltemade – but at the time of writing we’re still waiting for corroboration of this story, and of the finances involved.
Serie A star ‘in sights’ of Newcastle
Speaking of Newcastle, they’re already making plans to put that Isak money to good use, according to Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio – he suggests that Newcastle are “once again” targeting Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi.
The Italy international has been intermittently linked with a move away over recent weeks with the Magpies’ name coming up quite a bit, and now Di Marzio claims that he is firmly “in Newcastle’s sights” and that the two teams are “in talks” over a deal.
It will be “difficult” for the clubs to broker a deal, however, as Newcastle want to take Frattesi on loan with an option to buy, while Inter want a permanent deal sorted now for a fee of around €40m (£35m). The player’s thoughts on a move are not recorded.
The 3AM Verdict: This deal is far from guaranteed but has been in the works for a while, and there’s a will at both ends to get the deal done – so we suspect it will happen, although the haggling could drag on until deadline day itself.
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