Chelsea poised to snatch PL rivals' star man and battle Man Utd for £70m defender ahead of busy January

Another day of gossip and conjecture is in the books, which can only mean that it’s time for another round-up and review of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours – starting with one of two stories concerning Chelsea.

According to Football Insider (and just about every other gossip site, to be fair) Chelsea are “accelerating efforts” to sign talented Sunderland midfielder Noah Sadiki, who has been a regular in our weekly Wonderkid Power Rankings and among the Black Cats’ most consistent performers since signing for £15m from Union Saint-Gilloise this summer.

Apparently they have already “approached” Sunderland with an enquiry, but aren’t the only team to be interested – Manchester United also have Sadiki “on their radar” along with João Gomes, who remains a key January transfer target for the Red Devils.

It’s also alleged that United actually held talks with Sadiki’s representatives whilst he was still in Belgium, and they are “following carefully” as the 20-year-old continues his development at the Stadium of Light. There’s no word on how much money it might take to get Sunderland to sell up.

The 3AM Verdict: This story is everywhere because several gossip websites picked up on a Sacha Tavolieri report from earlier in the week which they’d previously missed – to be fair, so did we. That’s the original source for the rumour, should it affect your impression of how truthful it may be, but we very much doubt that there’s any chance Sunderland sell this January, at least for a price anyone will pay. Perhaps this is a saga for next summer.

Chelsea & Crystal Palace among three clubs in for £70m defender

Over to a story from Caught Offside now, which also has Chelsea battling it out for a rising star who’s coveted by rival Premier League clubs – in this case, Sporting centre-back Ousmane Diomande, who is said to be Crystal Palace’s “top target” to replace Marc Guéhi.

Diomande was a Palace target in the summer but the deal fell through with the club unable to agree a price with Sporting, and this story suggests that the Portuguese club still “don’t want to sell” the Ivorian and that any suitors will have to pay his €80m (£70m) release clause in full if they want to sign him.

That’s a “problem” for Palace, apparently, but may not deter a rather wealthier Chelsea side, who are said to be “interested” in striking a deal – as are quite a few rival teams, with Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal all mentioned as having sent scouts to watch the 22-year-old centre-back.

The 3AM Verdict: There’s very little detail here and it feels a bit like a rehash of older stories – Crystal Palace definitely want Diomande but are waiting to get a better price, and Chelsea have often been linked without every making a move. We’re not sure much has changed, but Diomande will be of interest to plenty of teams over the next year or so, with Sporting likely to hold out for as long as possible before selling.

Newcastle struggling to reach deal for Brazilian wonderkid

Let’s wrap up with a story concerning Newcastle United’s alleged interest in Palmeiras’ young midfielder Allan Elias – who they “continue to track” but are struggling to agree a price on, according to ESPN Brasil.

The 21-year-old is very much on Eddie Howe’s shortlist but his current club have told suitors (including Zenit St. Petersburg) that he “will not be sold for less than €45m” - £39.5m – a fee which the Magpies are unwilling to meet.

Apparently Newcastle sources have indicated that they believe it will be “very difficult” to strike a deal with Palmeiras, and that “nobody will pay” the amount asked for Allan. It doesn’t sound like a deal is imminent, in other words, but he remains a player of definite interest should anything change.

The 3AM Verdict: This comes from a good source in Brazil so we have little reason to doubt the reporting here – and that’s certainly an awful lot of money if that is indeed what Palmeiras are asking. The problem for Newcastle is that Palmeiras have made so much money selling young stars like Estêvão and Endrick in recent years that they don’t need to sell at a cut price. Probably not a deal that gets sorted in January, then.