Liverpool ‘hold talks’ over key January deal as Man Utd make outrageous £130m offer for Real Madrid starplaceholder image
Liverpool ‘hold talks’ over key January deal as Man Utd make outrageous £130m offer for Real Madrid star | Getty Images
Rounding up the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours - including the latest news from Liverpool, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and more.
It’s once again time for our daily round-up and review of some of the biggest, spiciest and sometimes strangest new Premier League transfer rumours, and we kick today’s digest off with a story which should interest the Liverpool supporters reading.
According to TeamTalk, Liverpool have “held initial talks” with representatives of Borussia Dortmund centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck ahead of a potential move to Anfield – although they aren’t alone in trying to secure a signing which would “likely cost close to £50m.”
Bayern Munich are in discussion as well and have “emerged as firm favourites” for the 26-year-defender, while Real Madrid and Barcelona are also linked with him, although neither of the Spanish sides are confirmed as being among the clubs in talks with Schlotterbeck’s agents.
The Germany international is “not ruling out” agreeing to sign a new contract at Dortmund with his current deal expiring in 2027, but it sounds likely that he’ll be on the move next summer – and Liverpool are keen to ensure that they’re among the bidders when the time comes.
The 3AM Verdict: It’s very early days here, but we’ve seen a few sources attest to Liverpool’s interest in Schlotterbeck now and presume that they are at least monitoring his situation – but there’s almost no chance he moves in January, making it too early to know how keen the Reds are and how close to the front of the queue they might be. One to watch.
Manchester United make audacious £130m bid for Real Madrid star
Now over to what will certainly be the biggest story of the last 24 hours if it should prove to be true – Spanish outlet Fichajes alleged that Real Madrid “has received a €150m (£130m) offer” for midfielder Jude Bellingham from Manchester United, who want the England star to be the “new face of their sporting project.”
United are apparently prepared to “break the bank” to sign Bellingham and will stop at nothing, with the report claiming that they could be prepared to go as high as €180m (£157m) to get a deal done.
For now, Real Madrid are rebuffing United’s interest, apparently less than keen to sell the 22-year-old despite the enormous amount supposedly offered. Bellingham, for his part, is said to be focussed on his work at the Bernabeu and won’t agitate for a move.
The 3AM Verdict: In our opinion, Fichajes is simply not a reliable source for transfer news, and we don’t believe this story to have a single grain of truth in it. We very much doubt an offer has been made or that nobody else in the global media is aware of it. One to ignore, we reckon. Sorry, United fans.
£43.5m striker on Nottingham Forest ‘agenda’
Let’s wrap up with a story from Sport Witness now which alleges that Bologna striker Santiago Castro is “attracting interest” from Nottingham Forest, who had a representative watching the Argentine over the weekend.
The 21-year-old forward, who has scored four goals in 11 Serie A matches this season, is reportedly valued at €45-50m (up to £43.5m) and is “on [Forest’s] agenda” – although it’s not clear whether we’re looking at a January bid or one for the more distant future. It’s said that Bologna would be reluctant to let him leave mid-season, but not that Forest won’t try to twist their arm.
Inter Milan were interested in the summer only to fail with a bid, and it’s suggested that Forest aren’t alone in keeping tabs on Castro now, either - but Bologna are apparently increasingly willing to sell to solve some financial issues. There’s no suggestion that an official approach has been made.
The 3AM Verdict: This story is really cobbled together from a few other sources in the Italian media, and doesn’t produce a detailed picture of Forest’s interest – the story is more insinuation and innuendo than clear reporting as it stands. As such, we can’t say we’d hold out too much hope if we were Forest fans, but it’s certainly not an implausible deal for them to get done.
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