Aston Villa get worrying Marcus Rashford transfer update as Everton target shock Man City swoop

It’s time for our Monday morning run-through of the biggest and juiciest new Premier League transfer rumours – and we’ll kick things off with a story which affects both Aston Villa and Manchester United.

As you might surmise, it involves the future of loan star Marcus Rashford, who has impressed since making the move to Villa Park… but who may not spend any more time there, according to Sport Witness.

They’ve picked up on rumours from Italy which suggest that Champions League semi-finalists Inter Milan are set to become “a major threat” to Villa’s chances of landing Rashford on a full-time basis. It seems that the Nerazzurri made a bid in January, too, and their interest hasn’t dwindled since.

With Inter guaranteed a Champions League place next season they may prove to be an attractive proposition for Rashford, and the report claims that Villa “will find it difficult to land” the England forward on a permanent basis despite the £40m purchase option included in the loan move that brought him down from Old Trafford.

The 3AM Verdict: Rashford’s resurgence means a lot of clubs are now paying close attention, and a £40m price tag will prove very tempting for some teams. For months, reports have hinted at the idea that Rashford may want to move overseas, away from the glare of the British tabloid press, and while that all remains speculation, one can see the appeal. It certainly sounds as though Villa’s chances of keeping him are dwindling, but there are a lot of negotiations still to be completed. A Champions League place could go a long way…

Everton getting the band back together

Plenty of outlets have been running stories which suggest that Everton are keen to bring former forward Richarlison back into the fold this summer – but why sign one former hero when you can sign two? That’s what TBR Football reckon that the Toffees could be about to do.

The player in question is Manchester City defender John Stones, whose future at the Etihad is “far from certain” as the club work to rejuvenate their squad following a disappointing season – and Everton are “open to the prospect” of a return for the 30-year-old, who spent three seasons at Goodison Park before moving to Manchester.

Stones has “interest” from the Saudi Pro League (who doesn’t these days?) but both Everton and West Ham would be “willing” to take a chance on him despite a torrid time with injuries over the past two years. Stones being settled in the North West helps Everton’s cause, according to the report.

The 3AM Verdict: We wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Stones leave City this summer. The departures of Kevin de Bruyne and Kyle Walker suggest that they’ve realised that a refresh is required, Ederson may well leave, and moving Stones on would suit the broader strategy, especially with his fitness problems. There’s no financial details in this report and it feels a little speculative, but a move back to Everton doesn’t sound so outlandish.

Tottenham Hotspur among four Premier League sides in striker battle

We’ll round this morning’s transfer rumour digest off with a story from Caught Offside, who reckon that Spurs are one of four Premier League clubs “monitoring the situation” of Borussia Mönchengladbach forward Tim Kleindienst.

Should Mönchengladbach fail to qualify for Europe – which is all but certain to be the case – they will entertain bids in the region of €30-35m (roughly £25-30m) for a 29-year-old striker who has netted 16 goals in 32 games this season.

Tottenham are joined by Wolves, Everton and West Ham in being “keen” on the striker, while Serie A sides such as AC Milan and AS Roma are said to be taking a look too, but it’s the English clubs that are reportedly “ready to pay” the asking price.

The 3AM Verdict: Throw another striker’s name into the transfer window tombola. We’ve seen very little connecting Kleindienst to the Premier League and his relatively advanced age will put some teams off, but his scoring record over the past few seasons is impressive and he creates them, too, racking up 10 assists this season. We suspect he isn’t many teams’ first choice, but he’s worth keeping an eye on.