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A round-up of the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Liverpool, West Ham, Newcastle, Spurs and more.
As per usual, we’ve spent the morning combing through the gossip columns to bring you a round-up of some of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours which you might have missed over the past 24 hours – and we kick things off with a big story involving Liverpool and West Ham.
According to Caught Offside, Liverpool have “had a meeting” with the representatives of Hammers midfielder Mateus Fernandes ahead of a potential summer move, with the Portuguese wonderkid’s current club supposedly “resigned” to the likelihood that they’ll have to sell him regardless of whether or not they stay up.
Apparently Arsenal and Manchester City are also sending “admiring glances” Fernandes’ way, but neither side has made an approach of any kind as yet and Liverpool are said to “have the most advanced interest” in the 21-year-old, who has been among West Ham’s best and most consistent players this season.
While the Hammers are “not keen to sell” the former Southampton man, it’s suggested that a bid of £55m will be enough to force their hand even if they stay up. It remains to be seen whether Liverpool’s valuation of the player tallies with the price tag.
The 3AM Verdict: Fernandes has contrived to behugely impressive despite being dragged into successive relegation battles, and we suspect several elite sides will be interested in him to some degree – whether that includes Liverpool or not. There have been stories about interest from Serie A sides in the past, too, and we certainly can’t see him staying at the London Stadium for long.
Newcastle target two defenders with Trippier and Schär set to leave
Let’s head over to a story from Football Insider now which deals with the latest developments in Newcastle’s search for defensive reinforcements – with Werder Bremen’s teenage centre-back Karim Coulibaly said to have “emerged as a target” for the Magpies.
The 18-year-old could cost as much as £39m, according to the article (which cites German outlet Bild) while a deal for him could “spell the end” of Fabian Schär, with the veteran defender’s contract due to expire at the end of the season.
In order to replace Kieran Trippier, meanwhile, it’s suggested that Arsenal’s Ben White is “on Newcastle’s radar” with the club preparing to “make a move” for the England international when the transfer window re-opens. Everton are also interested, it’s said, although there’s no word on the kind of transfer fee which could be involved.
The 3AM Verdict: The story about Coulibaly seems to be a simple parroting of reports from the German media and Fabrizio Romano, rather than fresh reporting, but the link to Ben White seems to be original – not that there’s any evidence or sourcing provided beyond the best guess of a former scout with no apparent connection to the club. Pure speculation, basically, not that White to Newcastle is an especially implausible idea.
Spurs player set for summer farewell
Let’s wrap today’s rumour round-up off with a story from Sport Witness, who suggest that Turkish side Fenerbahçe have put Tottenham Hotspur’s Pape Matar Sarr on their “transfer target list for the summer” as Spurs prepare to overhaul their squad for next season.
Fenerbahçe apparently made moves for Sarr in the past but could now be in a better position to follow through with their interest after a desperately disappointing season in North London – although they may not have everything their way, with local rivals Galatasaray also “an option” for the 23-year-old.
Sarr himself changed agents earlier this season, it’s reported, always a sign that a player might be gearing up for a fresh challenge, but there’s no word on Spurs’ stance about the player’s future, nor a mention of how much they might demand in the transfer market.
The 3AM Verdict: A very plausible transfer rumour – Sarr has been disappointing lately, Spurs need to clear house and rebuild, and Fenerbahçe are always a club who find some money to throw around. We wouldn’t be surprised if this proved to be true.
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