Man Utd in bold £50m defender claim as Tottenham respond to major bid and Liverpool player holds exit talks

Between the cricket, the tennis, and the mental gymnastics Ed Balls has displayed to legitimise his new podcast with best frenemy and hapless confetti magnet George Osborne, football feels as if it has very much faded into the sporting background a little over the past few days. In truth, that is to be expected. After all, nobody has kicked a meaningful ball in weeks now, and we are still a little while away from the start of the Women’s World Cup, or indeed, the resumption of the domestic campaign.

But chugging along in the background - ceaselessly and ravenously - is the rumour mill, and while we may still lack action on the pitch, there is no shortage of speculation whirling and swirling around boardrooms all across the continent. So, with that in mind, here are a smattering of Tuesday’s most pressing whispers, served up to you in one handy, bite-sized morsel. Bon Appetit!

Man United set Maguire price

How much is a Harry worth? Well, back in 2020, Spotify agreed a $20 million multi-year deal with Prince Harry for the privilege of him doing a few podcasts here and there. The Harry Potter franchise netted around $10 billion at the global box office over the course of eight movies. And now, according to the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United are asking for somewhere in the region of £50 million this summer as they look to offload everyone’s favourite inflatable unicorn pilot, Harry Maguire.

Some may baulk at such a lofty valuation for a player whose profile has nose-dived faster than a famished king fisher in recent seasons, but given that United paid £80 million for the centre-back - still the world record for a defender, by the way - it’s understandable that they want to minimise their loss as much as humanly possible.

Ultimately, the Red Devils could end up shooting themselves in the foot, however, with suggestions that Maguire may be forced to stay at Old Trafford and gather dust like an antique sideboard unless they are willing to compromise on their demands.

The 3AM Verdict: At this stage, for the sake of everyone involved, you just hope that a solution can be found to Maguire’s ongoing purgatory. It’s clear the player doesn’t have a future in Manchester, and it would suit both him and United to get him off the books as soon as possible. There’s no denying that the England international has struggled immensely at Old Trafford, but that’s not to say that he couldn’t still a job elsewhere. Fingers crossed that he gets a chance to ressurect a career that once promised so much greatness.

Spurs to reject Kane bid

Speaking of the Harry economy, Tottenham are set to weigh in with their own valuation of a certain talismanic Mr. Kane. Bayern Munich have been pestering Daniel Levy with an offer of around £68.5 million plus add-ons for the striker, who is entering the final 12 months of his contract in north London.

According to the Evening Standard, however, Spurs are set to meet the German champions’ advances with a resounding ‘nein’, and are said to be unwilling to sell the England captain this summer if at all possible. Makes sense.

Tottenham may have to reconsider their stance if they receive an offer in excess of £100 million, however, although as things stand, it could be a while before Bayern approach anything near to that kind of figure.

The 3AM Verdict: Ordinarily, a bid in the region of £70 million for a player pushing 30 in the final year of their contract would have to be seriously considered. Thing is though, Kane is no ordinary player. You can absolutely understand Spurs’ refusal to let him go for anything less than top, top dollar, but if he ends up leaving on a free transfer next summer, this could be a game of brinksmanship that comes back to bite them squarely on the behind.

Thiago in Galatasaray talks

And finally, a man who is unequivocally not called Harry. Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara sparked a minor furore last week when he deleted the club from his Instagram bio. Scandal! We are reaching a point at which the machinations of the transfer market are essentially indistinguishable from the aftermath of a series of Love Island.

Anyways, this week, Turkish outlet Fanatik have entered the fray by claiming that Galatasaray have held multiple positive meetings with Thiago over the prospect of a move to the Super Lig. They suggest that the club’s vice-president Erden Timur has travelled to England several times and has tabled a ‘very good offer’ to the Spaniard. Whether this comes to fruition or not still remains to be seen, but we can say with a decent amount of certainty that if there is a player who comfortably suits the concepts of a few twilight years strutting about on the banks of the Boshphorus, it is Alcantara.

The 3AM Verdict: Thiago struggled for regular minutes last season, but there is no getting away from how remarkably talented he is, and given the issues that Liverpool have had in midfield of late, it would surely only make sense to move the Spaniard on if a readymade replacement was waiting in the wings to take his place. Perhaps there is, and perhaps we just know nothing about it at present, but this is a decision that the Reds will have to mull over very carefully.