Man Utd plot bold transfer raid for £70m defender as Spurs eye bargain Pedro Porro replacement
Our round-up of the latest Premier Legaue transfer rumours, with stories from Manchester United, Spurs and Arsenal.
It’s time for Saturday morning’s round-up of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours – and today we’ve got lots of news on potential defensive moves, with Tottenham Hotspur lining up a right-back as Arsenal prepare to let one of their back line leave. Before all of that, however, we’ve got a fresh update from Manchester United’s seemingly unending rebuild.
Plenty of you will already have seen The Daily Mail’s story about the club’s renewed interest in £70m centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite which suggests that Everton could be “powerless” to prevent him leaving the club as they can’t afford to offer him a new contract – well now Caught Offside have weighed in with an addition of their own.
They reckon that in order to make room for the towering young Englishman, they will offload 30-year-old centre-back Victor Lindelöf at the end of the season, with AC Milan among the clubs prepared to offer him a deal. Despite being “serious interested” in the Swede, however, it doesn’t sound like United will be able to persuade them to stump any cash up for a January deal.
The 3AM Verdict: The Branthwaite rumour never really went away, but it’s come back with a vengeance in the past couple of days, which suggests that somebody got wind of continued strong interest. As for the Lindelöf story, frankly it just comes under the heading of ‘not surprising’. Yoro and Branthwaite at the back next season? It could well be, but Manchester United have a lot to spend in a lot of areas…
Spurs seeking Porro replacement
Next up, a story from Spain which suggests that Spurs are taking reports of Real Madrid’s interest in Pedro Porro very seriously indeed – and are scouting a potential replacement already, at least if Fichajes have their facts right.
The player in question is Rayo Vallecano’s 26-year-old Romanian full-back Andrei Ratiu, who apparently has a €25m (£20.8m) release clause, although Rayo would apparently be willing to negotiate. Valencia, too, seem to be interested, with his recent form in La Liga not apparently going unnoticed.
The 3AM Verdict: A capable attacking full-back who carries the ball nicely, Ratiu is an interesting player who has steadily risen through the ranks in Spain without gaining much in the way of international attention – Spurs would be a very big step up. We should probably note that Fichajes are not historically noted for their reliability, mind you.
Arsenal man gets international attention
Finally, an update on long-standing rumours that Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior could be leaving soon, courtesy of Sport Witness. We’ve already heard plenty of tales about interest from AC Milan and Napoli, but it looks like he’s also getting some attention from Spain too, with Sevilla now entering the fray.
Apparently they tried to sign the Pole in the summer of 2023 and failed, but with playing time now rather limited they seem keen to try again, with Arsenal “more open” to letting him leave. Some stories we’ve seen suggest that they will only consider a permanent move, however, with a loan off the table.
The 3AM Verdict: It sounds like a move in January will be difficult, especially with Arsenal wanting it to be a permanent move. We suspect he’ll stay at the Emirates for the season before leaving with no shortage of suitors.