Man Utd ‘keeping tabs’ on mega £70m midfielder transfer as Man City & Arsenal get big striker signing update

It’s time for Saturday’s morning round-up and review of the biggest and juiciest new Premier League transfer rumours – and we’re starting things off with a story about a potential Manchester United deal.

Caught Offside claim that United “have a new name” on their list of targets for 2026 – Bayern Munich’s Aleksandar Pavlović, a 21-year-old Germany international who United see as a big prospect for the future and an immediate answer to their issues in the heart of midfield.

They’re said to be “keeping tabs” on the youngster should he decide to push to leave the Allianz Arena in search of a club that will give him more starts, and United view him as a potential replacement for Casemiro.

Pavlović won’t come cheap and United may have to pay as much as €80m (£70m) to get such a deal done – and it’s said to be “unlikely” that they would be able to force a transfer through in January regardless of the price tag. He’s “one to watch next summer” along with Adam Wharton and Carlos Baleba.

The 3AM Verdict: This isn’t a completely new name for the rumour mill as we’ve seen the link before, but it’s noteworthy that it’s being reiterated – although if there’s one team in the world that have their name attached to a lot of dubious transfer stories, it’s Manchester United. We haven’t seen a source we trust completely make the link yet, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea & Liverpool get chance to sign £44m striker

Over to a story from TeamTalk now which suggests that three Premier League clubs have just learned that a possible future transfer target may be cheaper and easier to sign than they thought – specifically, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have learned about a “rare exit clause” in the contract of Borussia Dortmund’s Serhiou Guirassy.

Apparently Guirassy, 29, can leave Dortmund for just €50m (£44m) but only if one of those four teams, Barcelona or Real Madrid are the club making the bid. Some sources in Germany seem to be wondering whether they may very well do so with Guirassy having scored an impressive 44 goals in 60 games for his club.

Barcelona are said to be the side with “the strongest interest” in a deal as they look to replace the ageing Robert Lewandowski, and there’s no evidence offered that any of the Premier League sides are set to make an approach.

The 3AM Verdict: Guirassy is a very good player and a proven goalscorer but even if the clause exists, these aren’t teams who are likely to be in the market for a striker save, perhaps, for Chelsea – but they’re unlikely to sign a player who turns 30 next year given their focus on youth. We doubt he’s in the Premier League by the start of next season, in all truth.

Real Madrid plotting big Nottingham Forest bid

Let’s wrap up with a story from Spanish outlet Defensa Central, who claim that Nottingham Forest (and now England) midfielder Elliot Anderson is “being followed” by Real Madrid, who want a new midfielder to bring some balance to Xabi Alonso’s system.

They are also looking at other options (including Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton) and have “not made a final decision” as to which they intend to sign, but Anderson is of interest despite having an estimated valuation of “no less than” €70m (£61m).

Complicating matters is the fact that the 22-year-old has “several suitors” including Manchester United and Liverpool, but he is still said to be “very popular” with Real’s recruitment team. Real could ease off their pursuit of another midfielder if Jude Bellingham successfully adapts to Alonso’s methods soon, in any case.

The 3AM Verdict: Real are starting to get linked with midfielders as frequently as United, so we’ll reserve judgement on this story for now, but if Anderson keeps playing at his current level then some very big teams will be in for him – so why not?