Arsenal striker shortlist revealed as former Chelsea man linked with mighty £80m return

Welcome to your Friday morning round-up of all the latest, biggest and often wildest Premier League transfer stories that we’ve caught coming off the rumour mill – and we’ll start things off with a report which claims that Arsenal have drawn up a six-man shortlist for the largely vacant role of centre-forward.

Caught Offside reckon their sources know which handful of players the Gunners have narrowed things down to, and it’s worth noting that Sporting striker Viktor Gyokëres isn’t among them despite numerous rumours suggesting that Arsenal were keen.

Instead, there are a few names we’ve heard before, such as Alexander Isak and Benjamin Šeško (who we reported yesterday were also alleged to be at the top of Chelsea’s shortlist for next summer), a few that have cropped up in other reports such as Mateo Retegui and Bryan Mbeumo, and two players that we’ve not seen linked with the Gunners before – Randal Kolo Muani and Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap.

The 3AM Verdict: Well, if you’re going to list a load of names, your odds that one of them ends up being correct are quite good. We’re pretty sure that the interest in Isak and Šeško is quite genuine, but finances may dictate that they look elsewhere. Delap is an interesting wildcard option – he’s been excellent for Ipswich but also not necessarily the most consistent.

Chelsea set to bring former star home

On to some more news from the capital now, courtesy of TeamTalk – who reckon that there remains a chance that Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi, the subject of an extended transfer bid from Newcastle United over the summer, may well leave in January. The twist is that Newcastle aren’t the only team who could be keen.

The Magpies retain a “firm interest” but Chelsea could provide some “solid competition” for their former player, who could cost around £80m. Apparently Enzo Maresca is keen to strengthen at centre-back, while Guéhi himself would be keen to go back to Stamford Bridge and has a “very strong relationship” with many players there. Palace had wanted £90m last summer in the end, but won’t go that high this time, which will no doubt relieve Eddie Howe.

The 3AM Verdict: The article suggests that this could be a January move but unless several major sales take place, there’s almost no chance that Chelsea can spend that kind of money until next summer. Newcastle could, but we’ll see whether they choose to or decide to splash out elsewhere over the coming year or so. A slow start to the season may have focussed their mind on other areas of the squad.

Brighton set for free swoop

Last up today, we’re off to East Sussex with a story which suggests that Brighton & Hove Albion could be set to get a real bargain at the end of the season. Sport Witness have picked up on a claim from PSV Eindhoven defender Olivier Boscagli which suggests that the Seagulls were after him in the summer – and that he was keen to make the move.

PSV decided to keep him but his contract is running down this year and with the player apparently discussing Brighton quite openly, it looks likely that he’ll become a free agent next summer, with the south coast side “likely waiting” for the 27-year-old.

The 3AM Verdict: Boscagli is a versatile and very capable defender with an excellent passing range and superb technique, and it’s slightly surprising that a side from a big-five league haven’t yet taken a chance on him as he’s been very good at PSV for some time. This would be a fantastic free signing for Brighton – but expect competition for his signature when the time comes.