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A round-up of the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Manchester United, Aston Villa, Spurs and Fulham.
Every morning, 3 Added Minutes combs through the gossip columns to put together a round-up of a few of the biggest (and strangest) Premier League transfer rumours which you might have missed over the past 24 hours – and today, we kick off with a story involving both Manchester United and Fulham.
Football Insider allege that the Red Devils have “added Fulham’s Antonee Robinson to their shortlist” ahead of the summer as they search for a new left-back, with the 28-year-old American now “one of a number of candidates” under consideration.
Liverpool apparently showed some interest too as they look for a replacement for Andrew Robertson, but have pulled out of the running as they view Robinson as being too old. United, therefore, could get a clear run at a player they are “showing an interest in.”
Robinson, for his part, is said to be “content” at Craven Cottage while Fulham “would not consider selling him on the cheap” – although there’s no mention of what kind of transfer fee they might demand. Robinson will have two years left on his contract in West London when the season ends.
The 3AM Verdict: A highly speculative article, if we’re being honest, with little details to back up any suggestions of serious interest – but then again, Manchester United are reportedly looking to sign more established players instead of spending big on young prospects, and Robinson’s Premier League experience could make him a strong candidate for the job. We’ll believe it when a bid comes in, however.
Aston Villa linked with Portuguese star – yet again
Let’s head over to Sport Witness now for a story which comes via Portuguse outlet A Bola and suggests that Aston Villa could rekindle their “long-standing interest” in Sporting winger Pedro Gonçalves – a player who has been linked with a move to Villa Park on a number of occasions over the past couple of seasons.
Apparently Villa are “very attentive” to the 27-year-old’s situation after a run of fine form in the Primeira Liga, but have “liked him for years” even if a serious bid never materialised. German outfit Bayer Leverkusen are also said to be interested in snapping him up at the end of the season if they can.
Gonçalves has a minimum fee release clause of €80m (£68m) baked into his contract, but Sporting are said to be “unlikely to receive offers anywhere near” that mark – it’s not clear just how much Villa might be prepared to offer, or what Sporting’s valuation could be.
The 3AM Verdict: Gonçalves to Aston Villa is a transfer rumour along the same lines as ‘Wesley Sneijder to Manchester United’ – a regular fixture in the gossip columns which never comes to fruition. Gonçalves only signed a new contract in October, so we suspect that there will once again be a gulf between the two teams’ valuation even if there is serious interest this time. But we’ve been wrong before…
Spurs face ‘major battle’ to keep young star amid Man Utd interest
We’ll circle right back around to Manchester United for our final story of the day, which comes courtesy of TeamTalk. They reckon that Tottenham Hotspur face a “major battle” to keep hold of Archie Gray, with the Red Devils showing “concrete” interest.
The versatile 20-year-old is apparently almost certain to leave North London if Spurs get relegated, and United are now very much in the mix to make a move – not that they’re alone. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are both “increasingly keen” to snap the rising star up, while Chelsea and Aston Villa are the other Premier League sides who could be in the bidding.
Apparently, should Spurs go down, then Gray could be available for up to £50m, but it’s far from clear what might happen if they do eventually dodge the drop. There’s no word on what the player himself thinks of his future prospects.
The 3AM Verdict: Sufficed to say that Gray will be of considerable interest to a number of clubs if Spurs do go down, but we suspect he’ll end up staying if they survive, if only because the contract he has with his club (which runs until 2030) would make him too expensive for most of these teams. We suspect Manchester United won’t be at the front of the queue, however – they have bigger needs to attend to and their transfer budget is liable to be focussed elsewhere in our opinion.
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