Newcastle United could sign £40m powerhouse defender as Nottingham Forest eye top class gem

The 2026 World Cup finally got underway last night and the action certainly didn’t disappoint, as an opening clash between Mexico and South Africa finished up 2-0 to the joint-hosts, with three red cards shown over the course of the game. The Estadio Azteca was pumping, bringing the electric atmosphere it’s famed for to the world stage.

There’s over 100 matches still left to be played over the course of the next few weeks, with the tournament culminating with the showstopper final at the MetLife Stadium on 19th July. England will feel better about their chances following their 3-0 win over Costa Rica last weekend, with Anthony Gordon in particular dazzling in a much improved performance from their previous friendly with New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Premier League clubs are cracking on with their transfer business - despite the attention of the footballing world being firmly on North America - and will be ready to roll when the summer transfer window opens on Monday. A host of top tier sides are expected to spend big, with Man United and Newcastle in particular eyeing up costly deals.

We’ll begin today’s transfer rumours round-up at Real Madrid, where the Spanish giants have just about finished licking their wounds after failing to win a single trophy last season. Following their predictable presidential election, Florentino Perez finally confirmed that Jose Mourinho would be the new manager, and it looks like he’s already got a signing in mind.

Team Talk report that ‘The Special One’ will be prioritising Premier League talent when it comes to strengthening his defence, having already all but signed outgoing Liverpool star Ibrahim Konate. Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol has emerged as their top target, although the report concedes he may not be a realistic option, given the costs involved in pulling off the deal.

It’s also said that as Gvardiol only has two years left on his current deal at the Etihad Stadium, the club may need to sell sooner rather than later - if they can’t get him to agree to a new contract, that is. Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori and Chelsea’s Levi Colwill are also namechecked as potential targets that Mourinho has his eye on.

The 3AM Verdict: From a purely selfish, England perspective, having one of Croatia’s top players distracted with some Real Madrid interest ahead of Group L’s opening fixture next week is rather welcome news. Gvardiol would be an excellent signing for Real Madrid, but given that he would cost an absolute fortune and the club still want to sign a top class midfielder, getting the deal done could prove tricky.

Nottingham Forest eye £22m-rated gem

Over to the East Midlands, where Nottingham Forest will be hoping for a little more stability next season, after a chaotic 2025/26 season saw the club blow around £200m on new signings, sack three managers, bomb out of the both the domestic cup competitions in the third round, avoid relegation by just six points, and somehow make the semi-finals of the Europa League.

Vitor Pereira looks to have steadied the ship for now, and he’ll be keen to get spending in the summer window - especially if England star Elliot Anderson completes his £100m+ mega move to Manchester City. According to Italian outlet Tutto Mercato, they’re now in the running to sign Celtic’s star man Arne Engels, alongside Sunderland and Napoli.

The report states that the Belgian midfielder, who failed to make his country’s World Cup squad, is set to leave the Scottish Premiership champions over the coming weeks, and he could be available for around £22m. It’s said that both Forest and Sunderland have already made enquiries about the player, while Napoli are keen to find a quality replacement for Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa should he move on.

The 3AM Verdict: The ex-FC Augsburg midfielder has enjoyed an impressive couple of seasons at Celtic Park, making nearly 100 appearances and winning four trophies along the way. Whether he’s ready to make the step up to the Premier League remains to be seen, but he appears to have the technical qualities and positional versatility to make him a shrewd signing if he is available for around £20m.

Newcastle United and Spurs linked with Ndicka

Lastly, we’re heading north to St. James’ Park, where Newcastle United are moving at pace as they look to get the bulk of their summer business done early. They’ve already wrapped up a move for giant goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen from Ligue 2 side Reims, and are now closing in on Osasuna and Spain star Victor Munoz, with a bid close to £30m believed to have been made.

Next up on their summer wish list looks to be a new centre-back, as manager Eddie Howe seeks to add some quality to his options at the back. According to reports in the Italian press, via Sport Witness, Roma may need to sell star defender Evan Ndicka before the end of the month, as they look to fund their FFP settlement requirements.

It’s claimed that Newcastle, Spurs and indeed Bournemouth have the Ivory Coast international as a target, and that the club could let him go for less than their current £35m asking price. It’s noted that while Tottenham look to have already found their desired centre-back in Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke, Newcastle could be in the mix amid concerns over Sven Botman’s long-term fitness.

The 3AM Verdict: Call us sceptics, but this story does have a certain ‘Cash-strapped club getting their player’s name in the press to generate interest’ vibe to it. That said, there’s no denying that Ndicka is a seriously good centre-back, and he’s been linked with a Premier League move for some time. If Newcastle can haggle Roma down below the £30m mark, they could get a real bargain.