Aston Villa line up deal for England star as Newcastle United transfer plan ‘revealed’

Reports in Italy have suggested Jose Mourinho is ready to launch a raid on former club Manchester United and hand Jadon Sancho a chance to reinvigorate his career at Roma.

The former Red Devils manager has spent the last two seasons in charge of the Serie A club and has persuaded a number of players to swap life in the Premier League for a move to Italy. The likes of former Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio, ex-Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku and Leeds United loanee Diego Llorente all form part of a Roma squad that has started the Serie A season with just one win in five games.

Italian outlet Il Romanista have now claimed Mourinho wants to add Sancho his ranks and could make a move during the January transfer window as questions remain over the winger’s long-term future at Old Trafford.

The 3AM Verdict: There is no doubt Sancho needs a move away from Old Trafford if he is to regain the momentum he picked up during his time at Borussia Dortmund. The longer his dispute with Erik ten Hag goes on, the more damage will be done to a career that has already offered so much.

Aston Villa working on deal for England striker

Aston Villa are reportedly ready to stave off interest in Ollie Watkins by handing a new deal to the England striker.

The 27-year-old frontman grabbed his first goal of the Premier League season on Sunday afternoon as Unai Emery’s side claimed a notable 1-0 away win at Chelsea and moved into sixth place in the table. That took Watkins onto four goals in all competitions after he plundered a hat-trick in Villa’s 5-0 demolition of Hibernian in a Europa Conference League play-off round tie last month.

Watkins has scored 47 goals in 125 appearances in all competitions since joining Villa from Brentford in a £28m deal during the summer of 2020 and earned his first senior England cap just months later as he marked his debut by finding the net in a 5-0 win against San Marino.

A number of clubs have been linked with a move for Watkins in recent months but the Express and Star have now revealed Villa boss Emery has confirmed the club are ‘in touch’ with the striker and his representatives over a new contract.

The 3AM Verdict: It does not seem too long ago that some were suggesting Watkins could be moved on from Villa but his performances under Emery have shown he is a real threat and presence when leading the attack. Villa seem to be a club on the up under the former Arsenal manager so it is no surprise both parties would be keen to get a deal agreed.

Magpies January transfer plans confirmed

Newcastle United are set to experience ‘a quieter January’ as the Magpies continue to contend with Financial Fair Play regulations.

United manager Eddie Howe added the likes of Harvey Barnes, Sandro Tonali and Tino Livramento to his ranks during the summer transfer window as he prepared his squad for a return to the Champions League. The main news coming out of St. James’ Park in recent weeks has been over a possible agreement on a new deal for key midfielder Bruno Guimaraes - but journalist Ben Jacobs is unsure whether the Brazil international will be joined by any new team-mates when the winter trading period opens in January.

He told The Debrief podcast: “They could do with cover for Sven Botman. Extending Bruno Guimaraes’ contract is naturally important. Could they also look for more goals? That could be a consideration in the summer.

“But it’s important to understand that Newcastle can’t break the bank because of Financial Fair Play. Just because they got into Europe once they can’t necessarily just change their model. Now that they have Champions League football, players will want higher wages, but Newcastle have done well to ensure they don’t have one stand-out earner. They have to be conservative, and that’s why I also sense they’ll be in for a quieter January.”

The 3AM Verdict: Newcastle had endured a challenging start to the Premier League season - but that seemed to be blown away by Sunday’s record breaking win at Sheffield United. There is still room for improvement in Eddie Howe’s squad but the club are aware of the limitations imposed by Financial Fair Play regulations. New signings will arrive in January and next summer - but they may not be on the level of spending some people expect.