Eddie Howe and Michael Carrick.placeholder image
Eddie Howe and Michael Carrick. | Getty Images
Rounding up the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Newcastle, Manchester United, Leeds, Crystal Palace and more.
With another day of gossip done and dusted, it’s our daily duty to round up some of the biggest – and strangest – Premier League transfer rumours which you might have missed over the past 24 hours, starting with a story for the Newcastle United and Crystal Palace fans among you.
According to Sports Boom, the top-flight pair are “targeting” former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay, whom the Red Devils are also plotting to re-sign following his success in Serie A with Napoli.
All three sides are said to be “sniffing around” a deal, with Newcastle supposedly having “made an enquiry” about his availability while Palace are supposedly “monitoring developments closely” as they debate their options. There’s no word on how far advanced any interest from United might be.
What is said is that Napoli might demand as much as £70m for a player who has become rather talismanic for them after he helped them to lift the Scudetto in his first season. There’s no word on whether that’s a fee that any of his apparent admirers might be willing to pay.
The 3AM Verdict: This article is, frankly, very speculative and there’s precious little detail here. We strongly suspect that £70m would be an exceptionally ambitious amount to ask for, in any case, so we’re not holding our breath for a Premier League return just yet – and suspect that United are looking elsewhere, whatever this report might suggest.
Leeds make ‘enquiries’ over rising French star
Let’s head over to a story from France now – Media Foot allege that Leeds United have “made enquiries” about the availability of 22-year-old Stade Rennais midfielder Djaoui Cissé, who is described as having had a “meteoric rise” this season.
Leeds aren’t the only team who have been intrigued by the young Frenchman, with Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen both said to be “keeping a close eye” on his progress. That could be bad news for Daniel Farke’s side, as a move to Germany is apparently Cissé’s “top priority.”
Whether that’s the case or not, Rennes have yet to decide whether to consider selling him or not and no price tag appears to have been established as yet. Cissé is under contract until 2030, giving his current employers rather a lot of leverage.
The 3AM Verdict: This is the first time we’re hearing this rumour, and naturally we’d like to see it corroborated before we buy it, but Leeds do seem to be starting to get quite active with their scouting ahead of the summer window. A busy off-season may lie in wait, whether Cissé is a part of it or not.
Man Utd get ‘green light’ to sign Bundesliga target
Let’s wrap up with a story which loops back around to Manchester United, and which comes courtesy of TeamTalk – who reckon that the Red Devils have been given “the green light” to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha, brother of Leeds forward Lukas.
We’ve already covered United’s alleged interest in the 25-year-old before but previous reports had always suggested that other sides such as Chelsea were keen too. Now, Michael Carrick’s rejuvenated team are said to be the “primary candidates” to get their hands on Nmecha, who is said to be valued at €60m (£52m).
Dortmund are still trying to tie Nmecha down to a new contract but seem aware that a parting of the ways is more likely, although apparently the player’s representatives suggest that he is in “no rush” to make a decision on his future – but he is the one said to have “green-lit” a move to Old Trafford.
The 3AM Verdict: To be honest, this report doesn’t provide a huge amount of new information and is largely based on gossip from German sources like Bild, which have a patchy track record. We suspect that there is still a long race left to be run with Nmecha’s future, and any suggestion that United are close to signing him is likely an exaggeration. For now.
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