Crystal Palace and Everton battle for midfield gem as Nottingham Forest line up £30m transfer coup

Welcome to our latest round-up and review of the latest (and strangest) Premier League transfer rumours – and we’re kicking things off today with news of a potential tug-of-war between Everton and Crystal Palace.

TBR Football claim, in an exclusive, that Palace are “optimistic” about their chances of sealing a deal for Middlesbrough and England Under-21 star Hayden Hackney, in spite of “interest” from Everton.

While the Toffees remain keen, it’s Palace who are set to “step up their pursuit” of the midfielder, who played in four matches as England won the European Under-21 Championship in Slovakia earlier in the summer. Palace have supposedly monitored him for some time but feel an agreement is now realistic as Boro work to raise fresh funds.

Neither Palace nor Everton are guaranteed to get the deal over the line, however, and it’s hinted that both Bayer Leverkusen and Porto “like” the defensive midfielder. Apparently he would cost “just over £20m” and Palace are said to be confident of their chances.

The 3AM Verdict: Hackney seems increasingly likely to leave with a lot of teams linked with him, and we don’t necessarily think that Palace are clear-cut favourites – but they are in the chasing pack, it seems. We don’t think a deal is imminent, however, and plenty could change.

Arsenal braced for Real Madrid bid for star defender

Some slightly worrying news for Arsenal fans, now, courtesy of Caught Offside, who suggest that despite negotiations taking place between Real Madrid and Liverpool over Ibrahima Konaté, any deal would not dampen the Spanish side’s enthusiasm for William Saliba.

Los Merengues “continue to sniff around” the Frenchman, who has been a rumoured target for Real for some time, and plan to use uncertainty over his future to their advantage - although a bid is not anticipated this summer, and the plan is apparently to sign him in 2026.

Arsenal are said to be “confident of agreeing terms” over a new contract but Real Madrid clearly hope that Saliba will be encouraged to wait and seek a big move next summer instead – when, with one year left on his contract, Madrid will make a cut-priced approach.

The 3AM Verdict: Saliba to Real Madrid is now a long-standing story and we’re not sure there’s anything new here, just a reiteration. Still, while Saliba will surely still be at the Emirates in December, Arsenal need to be wary of the risk that they can’t get that new contract signed – lest they find themselves in a Trent Alexander-Arnold situation. It’s a very real threat at this stage.

Nottingham Forest ‘preparing offer’ for rising Turkish star

We’ll wrap up this morning’s column with a story from Sport Witness, who discuss claims in the Turkish media that Galatasaray rising star Baris Alper Yilmaz “would be interested” in a move to England – and that Nottingham Forest could be the beneficiaries.

Forest are apparently “preparing an offer” for the 25-year-old, who rose to prominence after an impressive showing at Euro 2024, and are said to be “ready to bid up to €35m” – that’s a shade over £30m – to get a deal for the wide forward done.

They can expect competition, however. Inter Milan are “also monitoring his situation” and Yilmaz himself seems just as happy to head to Serie A as the Premier League, with those two being his “goal” for a likely forthcoming transfer. Although a key player for Galatasaray, it’s suggested that the Istanbul side are ready to “cash in”.

The 3AM Verdict: Yilmaz stories have to be taken with a pinch of salt, simply because he has been linked with a couple of dozen different teams since breaking through a year or so ago – and we’ve seen nothing to make us think that Forest are any closer to a deal than anyone else. If the report is on the money, we also can’t help but wonder whether they have the clout to persuade Yilmaz to choose them over Inter. We’ll see.