Liverpool face Real Madrid battle for £61m signing as Newcastle show ‘summer interest’ in star defenderplaceholder image
Liverpool face Real Madrid battle for £61m signing as Newcastle show ‘summer interest’ in star defender | Getty Images
The biggest and strangest new Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest.
Another day of rumour and gossip has been and gone, and that means that we’re back with our regular morning round-up of some of the biggest and wildest Premier League transfer stories which you might have missed over the past 24 hours – starting with a tale for the Liverpool fans reading.
TeamTalk are among a number of outlets who are reporting that Liverpool still have Borussia Dortmund centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck on their “shortlist” for the summer transfer window – but that the Reds “will need to overcome” Real Madrid to get their man.
Reports from Spain apparently suggest that Real are “fully committed” to signing Schlotterbeck, with a “potential transfer battle” in the offing. Liverpool apparently held “initial talks” with the 26-year-old back in December, but it’s said that the player’s initial preference is to move to the Spanish capital.
Dortmund supposedly want a fee of around €70m (£61m) for their star defender, but are said to be ready to “give up” their attempts to keep him around. Liverpool have already agreed to sign Rennes defender Jérémy Jacquet in the summer, but the report implies that they are still likely to lose Ibrahima Konaté, necessitating another defensive signing.
The 3AM Verdict: Schlotterbeck certainly seems to be on Liverpool’s radar, but it’s hard to predict how the battle for his signature will unfold, or whether Liverpool prefer to look for cheaper or younger players to replace both Konaté and, ultimately, Virgil van Dijk. It’s also worth noting that Schlotterbeck certainly isn’t the only defender on Real’s radar. Anything could happen.
Newcastle ‘watching developments’ as they return for rising defensive star
Let’s take in a story from Sport Witness now, which draws on Portuguese media sources to outline Newcastle United’s “summer interest” in Benfica centre-half António Silva – for whom Newcastle had a €40m (£35m) bid rejected back in 2025.
Newcastle are now back in the picture after contract talks between Benfica and Silva “stalled completely” and the Magpies are said to be “watching developments” as they wait to pounce in the next transfer window.
The 22-year-old has been widely touted as one of the most promising young defenders in Europe and already has 18 caps for his country, and it’s not clear what his transfer value might be this summer, when he will be entering the final year of his current deal. He has a €100m (£87m) release clause, but there’s no suggestion that Benfica would be holding out for that this time around.
The 3AM Verdict: Newcastle have been linked with a host of talented young centre-backs –Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalviniis another name that comes up a lot - and will surely sign one of them, but it’s hard to know whether Silva will be their primary target. He’s on the shortlist somewhere and the defender looks certain to move, but it’s too early to say that St. James’ Park is his most likely destination.
Nottingham Forest create ‘updated plan’ to sign Celtic star
Let’s wrap things up for today with a story from Football Insider which suggests that Nottingham Forest have drawn up an “updated plan” to sign Celtic midfielder Arne Engels, a January transfer target who is still “on their shortlist” despite the Scottish side turning down three bids for the Belgian on deadline day.
Forest would only make a formal bid if they stay in the Premier League, but are set to “re-emerge” as contenders for the 22-year-old Engels’ signature in the summer if they do survive. They went as high as £25m with their winter bids, but were rebuffed with Celtic keen to hang on to one of their best players.
Engels, for his part, “will not push to leave” and is said to be “happy and content” at Celtic Park, while he will have two years left on his current contract when the next transfer window comes around. There’s no word on how high Forest might go with their offers in the summer in the hopes of persuading club and player to change their minds.
The 3AM Verdict: Obviously this is a deal which depends on Nottingham Forest retaining their Premier League status, but it would hardly be a shock for them to come back to the well, especially given the likelihood that Elliot Anderson moves on. The key question will be what the price tag is, and we still don’t have a clear idea on that front.
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