Man United plot audacious swap transfer to land major deal as Tottenham in danger of transfer hijack

It’s once again time for us to round up and review the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours – and we’ll kick things off with a story which suggests that Manchester United and Aston Villa could pull off one of the biggest deals of the summer window.

Caught Offside allege that United “are considering” a cash-plus-player part-exchange offer for Ollie Watkins which would see unwanted winger Alejandro Garnacho head to Villa Park.

Building on an earlier report from The Independent, this article suggests that United have decided to use Garnacho as a “bargaining chip” having struggled to find a buyer for the winger, who United are doing their best to sell this summer. The deal would not be a straight swap, as selling Garnacho to Villa as part of the negotiations would allow the Red Devils to treat his transfer as pure profit for PSR purposes.

Villa have “not indicated any interest” in the idea of allowing Watkins to leave but United seem to believe that including the Argentine in the deal “could bring them to the negotiating table”.

The 3AM Verdict: This report zigs while everyone else in the media zags, and we believe that suggestions that United are focussing on Bejamin Šeško are accurate. Ruben Amorim, however, is supposedly very keen on Watkins, so don’t be shocked if United do try and force Villa’s hands later in the transfer window if negotiations with RB Leipzig don’t pan out as planned.

Manchester City star inches closer to exit

As speculation over the future of Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson mounts, Sport Witness cobble together some reports from Turkey to bring us the latest – and it suggests that the Brazilian’s future is “likely to be away” from the Etihad.

Galatasaray has been “pursuing a deal” and with James Trafford now returning to City, it’s been claimed by the Istanbul media that the Turkish team have “agreed personal terms” with the goalkeeper, although the two clubs have yet to reach an agreement on a fee.

That agreement is said to be “close”, however, with a fee expected to start at “€8-9m, likely with bonuses” for the 31-year-old. The report does note that the claims have not yet been backed up by the English media, however.

The 3AM Verdict: It seems remarkable that such a fine goalkeeper would be sold for so little, and we’re not sure if the financial details will necessarily prove accurate, but it does look as though Ederson is likely to leave sooner rather than later. Out with the old at the Etihad.

Brentford could beat Spurs in transfer tug-of-war

We’ll finish our latest round-up off with a story from Football Insider, who claim that Brentford have “leapfrogged” Tottenham Hotspur in supposed race for Celtic attacking midfielder Daizen Maeda.

The 27-year-old Japan international, who racked up 26 goal contributions in the Scottish Premiership last season, is “interested” in making the move to the Premier League, especially now that talks over a new deal at Parkhead seem to have stalled out with Maeda having “had his head turned.”

Brentford are said to be “more likely” than Spurs to try and strike a deal, which could be worth as much as £25m apparently, with the North London side apparently expected to look elsewhere despite monitoring the Celtic star in recent months.

The 3AM Verdict: The detail in this story really doesn’t make it sounds like any kind of battle is actually taking place, rather it’s a report that suggests Brentford could make a bid. They haven’t yet, and may be waiting for clarity on the future of Yoane Wissa, who is trying to force a move to Newcastle.