Aston Villa and West Ham prepare bold bids for £15m bargain England gem as Man Utd make major striker decision
The latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Aston Villa, West Ham, Manchester United, Spurs and more.
It’s once again time for our regular morning round-up and review of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours – and today, we kick things off with a story for the Aston Villa, Newcastle United and West Ham fans among you.
Caught Offside claim that there is “mounting interest” in the Premier League regarding a potential move for recently recalled England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, whose career at AC Milan is mired in “uncertainty” after the appointment of Massimiliano Allegri.
Villa, Newcastle and West Ham are the teams named as “monitoring his situation closely” with struggling Villa and West Ham alleged to be the most interested. They are, supposedly, “weighing up concrete approaches” while Newcastle quietly keep tabs, having yet to decide just how keen they are.
Apparently, Milan will decide whether or not to offer Loftus-Cheek, who they paid Chelsea £15m for back in 2023, a new contract early next year or whether to sell him with his current deal set to run down in 2027. There’s no word on how much Milan might want for him, however, or whether there’s any chance of a deal being struck in January or not.
The 3AM Verdict: A fairly vague report, in truth, without much detail to go on, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Premier League teams were at least keeping half an eye on Loftus-Cheek – he’s been playing some good football for the past year or two when he’s fit and healthy and deserved his England call-up.
Manchester United make major striker decision ahead of next summer
Quite a few recent stories have suggested that Manchester United will be among the big-name teams in the bidding for Juventus striker and impending free agent Dušan Vlahović when he becomes available next summer – but TeamTalk are here to say otherwise.
They claim that Ruben Amorim’s side “are NOT expected to make a move” for the Serbian – their over-excited capital letters, by the way, not ours – having already opted against a move when he was offered to them by Juventus over the summer.
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The claim is that United “will explore the striker market in 2026” and are likely to sell Joshua Zirkzee in order to fund another new signing, but that Vlahović is not seen as an option. Chelsea, Spurs, Newcastle and West Ham, however, “have made enquiries” and could be in the running.
The 3AM Verdict: Quite a few teams passed on Vlahović over the summer, and we wouldn’t be surprised if some were still interested in a talented but inconsistent striker when he becomes available on a free transfer – and we’re still not counting out Manchester United given the sheer weight of stories which contradict this one, especially from the Italian media.
Spurs to ‘reignite’ £65m move for Manchester City star
Finally, another story from TeamTalk which alleges that Tottenham Hotspur are “poised to reignite” their interest in Manchester City winger Savinho, despite the failure of a £65m bid for the Brazilian over the summer and the eventual arrival of Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani.
Thomas Frank is “still keen to strengthen his squad in January,” the story claims, and are “still keeping an eye on Savinho” in the hope that the 21-year-old fails to force his way into Pep Guardiola’s starting XI on a regular basis and becomes available as a result. Savinho has yet to start a game this season, albeit partly due to a minor injury.
Spurs have also identified Sevilla winger Ruben Vargas as a “cheaper alternative” should City hold firm in their desire to keep Savinho – while another story from the same outlet also claims that Spurs will attempt to wrap up a £26m permanent deal for João Palhinha “as soon as possible.”
The 3AM Verdict: We doubt that Spurs are seriously thinking about a deal for Savinho in January given City’s response over the summer and nor do we expect significant spending from them until next summer – but stranger things have happened, we suppose. But Savinho will surely be at the Etihad for the rest of the season.