Man United 'lead race' to sign PL rival's star as Leeds identify striker target for '£100m' big summer spree
The latest transfer news and gossip involving Man United, Leeds, Chelsea and more
Gameweek 35 of the Premier League delivered another blistering set of top tier fixtures, as the season’s drama continued to unfold like a tightly plotted, glossy HBO series. Arsenal bulldozed their back back to the top of the table as Man City faltered again, while Tottenham plunged West Ham mercilessly into the relegation zone with a big win at Aston Villa.
Chelsea showed once more that repetition is the basis of comedy, losing in calamitous fashion for a sixth league match in a row. Man United booked their spot back in the big time by securing Champions League football for next season, while, Bournemouth battered their way past Crystal Palace to keep their hopes of Europa League football alive. Perhaps most exceptionally, Wolves picked up a rare Premier League point against Sunderland.
As the dust settles on another hectic weekend of action, we’ve rounded up all the latest transfer news and gossip from the Premier League, as clubs begin to get their summer recruitment plans ready to go.
Manchester United ‘identify’ Casemiro replacement
First up, it’s off to Old Trafford, where Manchester United’s stellar end to the season has put them within two wins of that poor bloke finally getting to cut his hair. The man lives in Spain, for goodness sake. How can it be safe for him to go another roasting summer with what is essentially a Bergamasco Shepherd welded to his head?
Another pressing concern is, of course, how the club are going to replace Casemiro, who has enjoyed a stellar second half of the campaign under Michael Carrick. He’s headed for pastures new once his contract expires, and Caught Offside reckon they’ve found the man to do the job: Brighton’s Carlos Baleba.
The report suggests that United are “leading the race” to sign the Ivory Coast international, amid other interest from their rivals Arsenal and Chelsea, as well as European giants PSG and Bayern Munich. It’s claimed that United view Baleba as a player who could run their midfield for years, and that he’s more than willing to make the move to Old Trafford.
The 3AM Verdict: United being interest in Baleba is nothing new - they were linked with him all last summer. Some wild fees were speculated - some as high as £85m - and then it all went rather quiet. Brighton are, ultimately, a selling club, and the 22-year-old will have ambitions of playing at the highest level. The Red Devils should have cash to burn this summer, so the move could well happen.
Chelsea tell Barcelona to ‘forget’ about Joao Pedro
To west London, next, where Chelsea have apparently told Barcelona they’re not getting their paws on Brazilian striker Joao Pedro any time soon. In his debut season at Stamford Bridge he’s shown that he just might be the man to break the club’s ‘striker curse’, which probably runs all the way back to Diego Costa, their last half-decent centre-forward.
The 24-year-old’s 15 Premier League goals this season are said to have piqued the interest of the Catalan giants, as they look to figure out a long-term successor to the relentless Polish goal-machine Robert Lewandowski. Team Talk say that Barca’s early enquires have been “swiftly rebuffed” and they will now turn to PSG’s Goncalo Ramos - this could be bad news for Chelsea, who apparently want to sign him as competition for Pedro.
The 3AM Verdict: At this stage, Chelsea will be lucky to convince Big Kev from your local pub Sunday League team to join them this summer, such is the level of chaos and disarray at the club. They’d do well to let Barcelona have Ramos, cling on to Pedro as if their life depends on it, and grab a slightly less grand alternative to serve as his understudy next season.
Big Leeds United striker offer could be accepted
Last on our voyage around the Premier League is a visit to Leeds, where Daniel Farke’s side have all but secured their place in the top tier for another season, after thrashing Burnley 3-1 last Friday night. Thought will now, inevitably, turn to the business they want to do this summer, and a top quality striker is said to be one of their main transfer priorities.
Feyenoord’s Ayase Ueda was linked with the Whites last week, as he continues to rip the Dutch top tier to shreds like a many talented young striker before him. Now, Football Insider suggest that his club could well be ready to sell - if Leeds stump up a big old wad of cash.
They might have just that ready to hand over, with the report claiming Leeds could have around £100m to blow on new players this summer. They may have some stiff competition to seal the deal, however, as Premier League clubs are supposedly “queuing up” to sign the Japan international, with Everton and Tottenham named among his other admirers.
The 3AM Verdict: Relying on Dominic Calvert-Lewin to score enough goals to keep them up probably isn’t going to work for two seasons on the spin, so Leeds definitely need to get their hands on a new striker. It’s unclear how much Feyenoord actually want for Ueda - if the asking price is obscene, the Whites would do better not to take the gamble, and go for a Premier League proven forward instead. A fresh start for Liam Delap, anyone?