Nottingham Forest chase 38-goal lethal striker as Man United ready 'official' move for Bundesliga gem
Premier League transfer news update as Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Man United look to push through late window deals
We’ve just about got our breath back after an exhilarating opening weekend of Premier League action. The 2026/27 campaign was billed in advance as the most unpredictable in years, and if Gameweek 1 was anything to go by, that may well be the case. Highlights included Hull City upsetting Man United, Brentford turning over Spurs and Brighton thrashing Aston Villa.
Off the field, we’re now less than a week away from the summer transfer window closing, and pressure is growing on Premier League clubs to get their business done before the 11pm deadline on September 1st. Plenty of England’s elite are expected to be busy, with a number of deals likely to go right down to the wire.
Today’s rumours round-up gets underway in the West Midlands, where Aston Villa are looking to move past their brutal, 4-0 opening day defeat against Brighton. Unai Emery is in dire need of a striker, with Oli Watkins moving closer to a Saudi Pro League move and there be little in the way of backup ready to immediately fill the void his exit will leave.
Team Talk report that while the Villans were knocked back in their approach to sign Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, they could now look to bring in AC Milan’s Rafael Leao instead. The club are said to want £42m for the Portugal international, who they’ve struggled to sell all summer so far. Villa are said to admire Leao’s ability to play across the forward line, and could look to strike a loan deal with an option to buy.
The 3AM Verdict: Villa are in a tricky situation at the moment, as they look to sign a striker with very little time to do so - most clubs won’t entertain a sale, given how hard finding a replacement in late August can be. Emery is left with Leao, who Milan don’t want, Nicolas Jackson, who Chelsea don’t want, or Mateta, who wants to leave Palace. We’d be going all in on Mateta.
Manchester United join race for young defender
Over at Old Trafford, Man United will be just about as glum as Villa following last weekend, after they were taken apart by newly promoted Hull City. The Red Devils are expected to sign a left-back before the window closes, and now Caught Offside claim they could also bring in a new central defender: VfB Stuttgart starlet Finn Jeltsch.
The story says that United have joined the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Juventus in monitoring the 20-year-old, and could now make “official contact” with his club with an eye to making an offer. It’s suggested that he could cost around £43m, with Stuttgart in a strong negotiating position due to their player being under contract until 2030 as things stand.
The 3AM Verdict: He may well be the second coming of Mats Hummels, but United don’t really need to be spending that kind of money on another up and coming centre-back now, with Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven already at the club. They’d do well to target a more experienced, cheaper option, and keep the big money back for their new left-back.
Nottingham Forest step up striker hunt
We’ll finish up at the City Ground, as Nottingham Forest complete our trio of sides who had a poor opening weekend and are now looking to rectify things with a new signing or two. The Tricky Trees failed to score in their 1-0 home loss to Leeds United, and reports from French outlet L’Equipe suggest they’re now after a new striker in Sporting CP’s Luis Suarez.
The 28-year-old blasted his way to 38 goals in all-competitions for the Portuguese side last season, and the report says that Forest are looking to step up their efforts to sign the 17-cap Colombia international. It’s suggested that should Sporting opt to start Fotis Ioannidis instead, then they could well be willing to sell Suarez - although there’s no suggestion of how much the club will demand in terms of a fee.
The 3AM Verdict: We’re not too sure on this one, especially with Forest said to be moving closer to signing Liam Delap from Chelsea. Suarez, who was once signed by Watford but never made an appearance, did very little during his previous spells in European top flight football. Signing him would be a real gamble, and potentially a very expensive one.