Man United line up shock bid for £22m England midfielder as Arsenal & Aston Villa chase bargain La Liga gem

Welcome to Wednesday’s round-up of the biggest and boldest Premier League transfer rumours that we’ve caught doing the rounds over the past 24 hours – and we’ll start our spin around the rumour mill at Old Trafford, where a report suggests that Manchester United are lining up a remarkable bid for a new midfielder.

TeamTalk claim that the Red Devils are considering a bid for Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton in 2025 amid uncertainty over the long-term future of players such as Casemiro and Christian Eriksen. This claim follows on the back of reports that Bayern Munich were considering a bid this past summer, while Liverpool and Manchester City could be interested too.

No fee is mentioned in the report, and Wharton isn’t the only midfielder that has caught Erik ten Hag’s eye – it seems that Middlesbrough and England Under-21 player Hayden Hackney is also on the shortlist, with his “good progress” under Michael Carrick drawing favourable reviews.

The 3AM Verdict: If Wharton continues to progress as he has so far, then the biggest clubs will be snapping at his heels before too long but we’ll sound a note of caution here – the original source for the story seems to be Spanish outlet Fichajes, which has a pretty patchy track record when it comes to accuracy. Hackney, meanwhile, is a gifted playmaking midfielder with a lovely passing range, but Manchester United would be quite the leap at this stage in the 22-year-old’s career.

Arsenal & Villa to go to war for Spanish starlet

There’s been growing buzz around Valencia midfielder Javi Guerra’s name in the last year or so, and Caught Offside reckon that both Arsenal and Aston Villa are interested in securing the 21-year-old’s services, with the Gunners favourites to make a move as they step up their interest.

Apparently Guerra, who has seven caps for the Spanish Under-21 side and was a first-team regular at the Mestalla last season, could be sold for as little as €30m (£25.3m) in the near future as Valencia look to make a quick buck. The player himself prefers a move to Arsenal given the choice, apparently, largely because he wants to work with Mikel Arteta.

The 3AM Verdict: Guerra is still a developing prospect but another year as a Valencia starter could be enough to see him make the strides forward he needs to – he has a ton of talent but his consistency and decision-making aren’t at an elite level just yet. Certainly £25m could end up being a bit of a bargain if he continues his upward trajectory.

Norwegian wonderkid earns admirers

From the country that brought you Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard comes another sparkling prospect – FC Nordsjælland teenager Sindre Walli Egeli, who made his international debut at the age of 18 last week, is drawing rave reviews and considerable Premier League interest, at least if HITC have their facts straight.

They claim that Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United have all scouted the forward, who has only made ten senior club appearances but impressed sufficiently to be brought straight up to Norway’s senior squad. Described as having “extreme” ability, he has been compared with Arjen Robben.

The 3AM Verdict: No word on how much he might cost in this report, but he’s certainly a highly-regarded talent with impressive technique and excellent ball-carrying ability, and looks set to go far. He’s also got a very impressive goal-scoring record right through the Norwegian age group sides – in other words, it’s no shock that so many teams are tracking his progress. Presumably other European teams will be in the market, too.