Chelsea hijack Arsenal defender deal as Man Utd plot mega £90m transfer spending spree after Mbeumo

It’s once again time for us to round up and review the biggest and boldest new Premier League transfer rumours – and we’re going to kick things off with a story which suggests that Chelsea are planning to spoil Arsenal’s summer.

In The Athletic’s latest write-up of Chelsea’s summer business, they suggest that the Blues have made a “fresh enquiry” for Ajax defender Jorrel Hato, who had seemed set to join Arsenal earlier in the summer but who remains on the market so far.

Chelsea haven’t made a formal offer and “nothing has progressed yet” but 19-year-old left-back is apparently firmly on the radar, alongside Morgan Rogers, Alejandro Garnacho and Xabi Simons, the link to whom was first reported yesterday.

Rumours that Chelsea are keen on Hato aren’t new, but it had looked as though they were happy to let Arsenal take him for a rumoured £35m – that seems to have changed, however, with progress on a move to the Emirates seemingly stalling. They may be more likely to land Hato than Rogers, incidentally, as The Daily Mail suggest that Aston Villa are offering the England attacking midfielder a new contract.

The 3AM Verdict: We’re still not clear on the reasons that Hato’s move to Arsenal cooled down, but the door does seem to have been left open – but the odds are that the same reasons that Hato isn’t rushing off to the Emirates will apply to a move to Stamford Bridge, too. We suspect Simons is the most probable signing of the players mentioned, with Rogers maybe the least likely right now. Villa simply don’t want to sell.

Manchester United ready €105m double bid after Bryan Mbeumo

Having finally gotten the drawn-out transfer of Bryan Mbeumo over the line and sorted, Manchester United will now turn their attention to a pair of deals worth up to €105m (a shade over £90m) – at least, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes.

United want to “shake up the market” by signing RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Šeško for €80m (£69m) at the same time that they are trying to “close the signing” of Valencia’s gifted midfielder Javi Guerra for €25m (£21m). The object is apparently to create a “top-level attack” with Ruben Amorim said to have personally requested the reinforcements.

While most outlets suggest that United may need to sell before they can buy more players, Fichajes reckon that the Red Devils are “moving quickly” to get a deal done so that they have their squad in place “before the summer even begins”, a sentence which demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the concept of seasons.

The 3AM Verdict: Let’s get this out of the way – the source here isn’t great. Fichajes have printed a lot of extremely bold transfer rumours over the years and they almost never actually happen. So we’re on the side of the more trustworthy media reports which suggest a slight slow-down in transfer activity at Old Trafford, although Šeško at least is a genuine target. Price considerations means it’s unlikely to happen imminently, however.

Sunderland prepare second bid for defender

Let’s finish up with a story from the Stadium of Light – Sport Witness have corralled a few separate reports from the Italian media to suggest that Sunderland are set to make “a second bid” for Bologna defender Jhon Lucumi as they work to bolster their defence ahead of the new season.

Some local media sources seem have “expressed doubts” over Lucumi’s interest in the move, both others describe Sunderland as “a strong temptation” and suggest that the Black Cats can “convince” the Colombian to head over to the Premier League.

Bologna are holding out for €25m (£21m) and rejected an initial approach but Regis Le Bris’ side will be back with a second offer “soon”. Bologna are said to have sent their scouts out to search for a replacement, which suggests that they expect a deal to happen eventually.

The 3AM Verdict: A ball-playing defender who’s very good in one-on-one situations, Lucumi seems like a very fine target for a side hoping to stay in the Premier League – and while there is some disagreement within the Italian media, the broad consensus seems to be that a deal could very well happen soon.