Newcastle United could snatch PL rivals' £30m striker as Liverpool and Man City 'make offers' for wonderkid
The latest Premier League transfer news including Newcastle, Chelsea, Liverpool and more
The summer transfer window is just around the corner, and Premier League clubs are scrambling to get their shortlists drawn up ready for a hectic few weeks of wheeling and dealing. We’re expecting it to be a particularly busy window, with a number of top tier English sides preparing for significant squad overhauls.
Manchester United need to shake the dust off their creaking midfield, Manchester City and Chelsea will be having squad restructures under their new managers in Enzo Maresca and Xabi Alonso respectively, while Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle are also expected to see a number of players sign as well as be sold before the start of September.
We start today’s transfer rumour round-up at Old Trafford, where Man United are on the hunt for a new left-back. Caught Offside claim they’ve now found their man - Newcastle’s Lewis Hall. Their report says that the Red Devils’ director of football, Jason Wilcox, is a big fan of the ex-Chelsea starlet, and is now “pushing the club” to make a move.
It goes on to say that the Magpies have no desire to sell Hall this summer, but could be tempted should a suitably lucrative offer - potentially in the £55m ballpark - come their way. Interest from Bayern Munich, which we covered last week, is also mentioned, with the Bundesliga giants looking to strengthen in the same position this summer.
The 3AM Verdict: Hall will have been gutted to miss out on a place in England’s World Cup squad, which comes after a deeply frustrating campaign for Newcastle. Man United, with a rejuvenated squad and Champions League football, could prove a highly tempting proposition, for a player who will head into the new season fresh after a summer off. We could see this one happening.
Newcastle United ‘keen’ on deal for Delap
Let’s stay at St. James’ Park for our second story, but this time look at a potential Magpies signing: Chelsea’s £30m striker Liam Delap. He’s had an absolute stinker of a first season in west London, breaking as many opponent’s jaws as he has scored Premier League goals. That, however, doesn’t look to have put off Newcastle, who were keen to sign him last summer.
Delap was one of a number of strikers the Magpies missed out back then, as they proceeded to make an absolute pig’s ear of dealing with the Alexander Isak saga. According to Football Insider, they’re now ready to go in for the ex-Man City forward again, with the ex-England U21 international likely to be moved on by the Blues once the window opens.
The 3AM Verdict: This would be a serious risk for the Magpies, but one that could pay off if they get it right. Delap has been shocking for Chelsea, there’s no getting around that, but at a new club with a style of play more suited to his combative tendencies, he could recapture the formidable form that saw the Blues sign him from Ipswich Town last June.
We’ll round things off at Anfield, where Liverpool have made an offer for a talented young midfielder. That’s according to Team Talk, who claim that both the Reds and Manchester City have made approaches for teenage Hertha Berlin prospect Kennet Eichhorn. The story says that both clubs are willing to offer him a pathway to the Premier League, in the form of initial loan spells elsewhere.
Newcastle, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal, alongside six clubs in mainland Europe, are also mentioned as potential suitors, which either highlights how highly-sought after the youngster is - or how keen the original source of the report are to see their story circulated far and wide. It is noted that he couldn’t move to the Premier League straight away, due to the fact he’s only 16-years-old.
The 3AM Verdict: Finding the next big wonderkid can be a highly lucrative business, with teenagers bought cheap going on to be sold for a huge profit years down the line. There’s no real front-runner to sign Eichhorn here, with so many clubs listed. He’s a name to keep an eye on, though, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him snapped up and shipped straight back on loan to Germany to continue his development.