Man Utd eye stunning £26m lethal striker raid as Liverpool set to land £70m major transfer budget boost
The latest transfer talking points, including rumours from Man Utd and Liverpool
Excitement is building ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League season but before the football officially begins on the pitch there’s still plenty of battles to be decided away from the field as club’s work around the clock to assemble the best squad possible in the transfer window.
Manchester United are one of the clubs in desperate need of reinforcements. After a dismal season which saw the club fall to a previously unthinkable 15th position, they’ve splashed the cash by adding Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to their attacking midfield options.
However, the club are still yet to sign a recognised striker after missing out on players such as Hugo Ekitike, Liam Delap and Victor Gyokeres, who had been touted as targets before the window opened.
Many names such as Samu Aghehowa have been suggested as potential targets, but according to Caught Offside, the Red Devils are considering going down the experienced route with a move for former Newcastle cult hero Aleksandr Mitrovic.
Man Utd target Aleksandr Mitrovic
Serbian International striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has been linked with a move back to English football after two hugely successful seasons in Saudi Arabia. Mitrovic left Fulham to join Al-Hilal for a club-record sale and has since scored a staggering 68 goals in 79 matches in the Middle East.
Al Hilal are expecting a fee of around €30 million (£26m) for the 30-year-old striker which could prove to be a reasonable price for United as they look to try and climb the Premier League table.
The 3AM verdict: Aleksandr Mitrovic is a tried and tested striker that has proven himself in English football and consistently found the back of the net in the Saudi Pro League. However, it’s hard to gauge where he’s at due to the disparity between football in the Middle East and in England.
Overall, due to his goal record for Fulham and the fact he’s been better than Rasmus Hoijlund in recent times, it could make sense to target Mitrovic for £26m as long as his wage demands aren’t astronomical.
Liverpool in ‘advanced talks’ over key departure
German champions Bayern Munich are expected to return to the table with a fresh approach for Luis Diaz after having an offer in the region of £58.6m turned down.
Diaz reportedly wants to leave Liverpool to seek a new challenge after winning the Premier League last season. He was left out of Liverpool's squad for Saturday's 4-2 pre-season friendly defeat by AC Milan in Hong Kong because of speculation surrounding his departure from the club.
"There are a lot of rumours around him lately and I cannot go into that," said Liverpool manager Arne Slot. He's training really well with us but we've decided for now not to play him yet."
Bayern’s new offer is believed to be around £70m. He cost the club an initial £37m in January 2022 when he joined from FC Porto and is 28-years-old.
The 3AM verdict: Liverpool have gone big on incomings this summer in a real show of ambition so it’s quite surprising that Luis Diaz is reportedly looking to leave Anfield. He’s been a terrific servant and was pivotal to last season’s title push, but it perhaps makes sense to cash in on Diaz for the right price given the fact he turns 28.
His sale could potentially put the wheels in motion for a blockbuster bid for Alexander Isak but Liverpool must be careful not to disrupt the balance of the squad and still need to find a solid left-winger to replace the Colombian as well.