Aston Villa 'make offer' for £26m-rated La Liga sensation as Newcastle United 'join race' for midfield gem
The latest Premier League transfer news including Aston Villa, Newcastle, Liverpool and more
The 2025/26 Premier League season has just one gameweek left to go, as an enthralling campaign - which saw Arsenal become champions with a game - to spare comes to a close. The Gunners will be lifting the trophy on Sunday, but don’t expect the player celebrations to be too raucous - there’s still a Champions League final for them to play against Paris Saint-Germain next week.
Meanwhile, the final day of the Premier League will decide whether West Ham or Tottenham join Burnley and Wolves in the Championship next season, while the likes of Brighton, Chelsea, Sunderland and Brentford are all still jostling to securing European football for the 2026/27 campaign.
Off the pitch, the summer transfer window gossip is starting to escalate, as clubs look to get in early and beat their rivals to key targets ahead of this summer’s World Cup. We’re expecting plenty of business to be done between the end of this season and the start of the next, with a number of clubs looking to radically overhaul their squads in the summer months.
We begin today’s round-up at Liverpool, where Mohamed Salah is still believed to be mulling over which club’s massive contract he’s going to sign following his Anfield farewell this weekend. Caught Offside now propose that the Egyptian legend may spurn a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League, and instead head to Turkey to ensure he still plays at a high level.
Of course, he wouldn’t exactly be short of a bob or two if said move were to materialise, with the Super Lig also renowned for the hefty pay packets it can offer. The report suggests that Salah could be tempted by move to Fenerbahce, and potentially spend a couple of seasons in Turkey before finishing his career in the SPL. Saudi Pro League, that is - not the previous name given to the Scottish Premiership. He’s not eyeing up a move to Kilmarnock.
The 3AM Verdict: Salah is no spring chicken at 33-years-old, and has looked well off the pace in the Premier League this season. That doesn’t mean he’s ready for the doomed desert league just yet, though, and prolonging his status as a Champions League player via a move to Turkey would be a good thing for the neutral.
Aston Villa ‘make offer’ for Marcus Rashford
An intriguing rumour straight out of Spain next, where it is claimed that Aston Villa have already been in touch with Manchester United in the hope of signing Marcus Rashford this summer. Mundo Deportivo state that Barcelona aren’t willing to pay the £26m fee to make the England international’s loan stay permanent, which could open the door to Villa.
Barcelona would apparently prefer to keep Rashford at the club on loan for another season, before then signing him permanently in the summer of 2027. They also note that Rashford is eager to remain with the Catalan giants, to the extent that he’d turn down the opportunity to reunite with former boss Jose Mourinho once he becomes Real Madrid’s next manager.
The 3AM Verdict: Rashford showed signs of real promise during his prior loan spell at Villa, and he’d be a serious bargain if they could agree a fee around the £25m-£30m mark. It would work out well for United, too - given that he’s an academy graduate, his sale would count as ‘pure profit’ under PSR regulations, which would give their summer spending power a serious boost.
Newcastle United ‘join race’ to sign Middlesbrough talisman
We’ll round things off at St. James’ Park, where Newcastle United have been linked with a move for Middlesbrough star Hayden Hackney. Football Insider report that the Magpies have “joined the race” to sign the in-demand midfielder, with the player tipped to leave his current side should they fail to beat Hull City in the Championship play-off final.
Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and Everton are also credited with an interest in the 23-year-old, and the report goes on to note that Newcastle are “likely to have watched his progress this season”, which doesn’t exactly sound like concrete information. It is also noted that Man United, who have been linked with Hackney before, will look elsewhere this summer.
The 3AM Verdict: We could have sworn we saw ‘Hayden Hackney & The Magpies’ opening the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury back in 2005. This report has about as much meat in it as a tofu burger, and gives no insight into where they player might want to go, or indeed how much he may cost. For now, the chances of this one happening look to be slim.