Chelsea make stunning move for Man United star as West Ham eye bargain double deal
Our round-up of - and reaction to - the latest Premier League transfer rumours features Chelsea, Man Utd, West Ham and Arsenal.
The weekend is finally here, and while that may mean a break for many of us, the rumour mill never sleeps – and that’s why we’re back with our daily digest of the biggest and boldest Premier League transfer stories that we’ve seen doing the media rounds over the past 24 hours.
We’ll start with a story from The Athletic (paywalled, we’re afraid) which claims that Chelsea are looking to feed their winger addiction by making enquiries over two talented young widemen – one of whom just so happens to play for top-flight rivals Manchester United.
Alejandro Garnacho, who was reportedly the subject of a bid from Napoli as well, is the United player in their sights, while English talent Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who currently plays for Borussia Dortmund, is the other.
Apparently, “conversations remain at an early stage” and these remain enquiries at the moment – there hasn’t been a bid for either – but with new owners Ineos looking to sell home-grown assets to fund future transfer raids, they may well let one of the brightest talents go to a rival. Which really isn’t something you caught them doing in the Ferguson days very often, is it?
The 3AM Verdict: The interest in a deal for Garnacho looks genuine, and we suspect the biggest hurdle will be the finances – Chelsea will likely need to sell players before they can buy Garnacho, especially if reports elsewhere that a £40m bid from Napoli was rebuffed are true. The Argentine would not come cheap, so don’t be shocked if a deal has to wait until the summer. Bayern Munich are also alleged to be interested in Bynoe-Gittens, which won’t help Chelsea’s chances there.
West Ham want Lille duo
Over to a story for West Ham United fans now – per TBR Football, Graham Potter has identified the pair of Jonathan David and Angel Gomes as his priority targets, and the new head coach has “made it clear” that he wants both players, who are currently based at French club Lille.
David and Gomes’ contracts are expiring this summer, and there is expected to be fierce competition for both signatures, although Lille appear disinclined to cash out in January as it stands. In any case, the article suggests that these are likely to be summer deals rather than ones that get done this January. A striker is still likely to be a need in the short term, too.
The 3AM Verdict: These are going to be tough signings to get done as there will be a lot of clubs who wants these two on a free transfer. Lille won’t sell in January as they’re in the hunt for a Champions League berth, so unless West Ham came out swinging with a huge offer this will have to wait. One suspects that the size of the pay packets offered will have a lot of influence.
Arsenal after ‘one of the most talented players in Europe’
We’ll round things off with a story for the Gunners amongst you – The Daily Telegraph claim (paywalled again) that Arsenal are keen to beat a number of other teams to the signing of Rosenborg’s 18-year-old midfielder Sverre Nypan, described as “one of the most talented players in Europe”.
Nypan would represent a potential long-term replacement for Jorginho and Thomas Partey, who are both expected to leave the club soon, and would cost “around £10m”, per the report. Nypan himself is said to be “relaxed” amid widespread interest, and there seem to be no indicators from his camp as to his preferred destination.
The 3AM Verdict: Much will depend on whether Nypan is happy to be behind Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and potentially Martín Zubimendi – or whether he wants first-team action on the regular. We certainly believe the reports that Arsenal are interested, as there have been links between club and player for some time now.