Man United and Tottenham to battle for lethal striker as Chelsea eye £65m Alex Scott alternative signing
The latest Premier League transfer news including updates on Chelsea, Man United, Tottenham, Everton and more
We’re just six gameweeks into the new Premier League season, and already the title race, relegation battle and scrap for European places are starting to slowly take shape. Under fire Manchester City have batted away their off-field problems to march three points clear at the top, while Bournemouth, Tottenham and Fulham are all trapped in the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, Brentford and Brighton have both found themselves in the top four after making strong starts to the season with Leeds and Hull City also pushing well up the table. Newcastle, Man United and Aston Villa have all underwhelmed, however, and currently lie in the bottom half of the division.
Today’s rumours round-up begins at Craven Cottage, where rock bottom Fulham have got some serious work to do. According to Talk Sport, the west London side have given their manager Alvaro Arbeloa just two games to save his job, with must win games against newly promoted Hull City and Coventry on the horizon.
Should the results be unsatisfactory, then it could mean a Premier League return for ex-Brentford and Spurs boss Thomas Frank, with the Cottagers hierarchy said to have identified the Dane as a potential replacement. Ex-Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna is also thought to be in the running, as Fulham seriously consider an early season change.
The 3AM Verdict: Let’s be honest - Fulham probably saw the name ‘Real Madrid’ on Arbeloa’s CV and got overexcited. Next, they let him bring in a load of unproven players from his former club, and they’re now left in a complete mess. Thomas Frank would be an excellent replacement, and the Cottagers shouldn’t hesitate in getting him in pronto.
Chelsea eye Scott alternative
Just a couple of miles across London, Chelsea are looking to sign a new midfielder, and while they remain heavily linked with Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, Football Insider suggest they could go for Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong instead. The report claims that the Blues are ready to pay the Dutchman the big bucks, if they can agree a deal to sign him in January.
It’s also said that the £65m midfielder’s extensive experience of elite football is exactly what the club want in an Enzo Fernandez replacement, and could potentially sign him if an offer of £50m is lodged. Barcelona are currently thought to be unwilling to sell, however, as the club strive to win the Champions League for the first time since 2015.
The 3AM Verdict: Avoid. De Jong is a top player on is day, but the problem is that many of his days seem to be spent sat on the treatment table. His injury record is dire, and he’s not played a game since back in April. Chelsea should save their pennies and go all in on Scott, who could now be sold in January, instead.
Man United and Spurs among club chasing striker
We’ll finish things up at the Tottenham Stadium, where Spurs’ wait for a first win of the 2026/27 league season continues. Things aren’t much better at Old Trafford, where Man United are reeling from their abject Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid. Team Talk now say that both clubs are “keeping tabs” on Dinamo Zagreb striker Dion Beljo.
The towering forward has plundered his way to 12 goals in his last 14 games for his club, and also netted in Croatia’s 4-1 loss to Spain last month. The report says that Man United and Spurs are “clubs to watch” ahead of January, with both clubs keen to get their hands on a new striker to propel them up the table come the new year.
The 3AM Verdict: This story does have a faint whiff of “Let’s find a striker who did well on the international break and link a load of clubs who need a striker” about it, but we’ll suspend our scepticism for now. Beljo’s goalscoring numbers are impressive, but he’s not playing a level where he can just walk into the Premier League and replicate them, you would imagine.