Newcastle & Aston Villa keen on £54m winger as Wolves identify potential ‘saviour’
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Welcome to your Wednesday round-up of all the biggest and boldest Premier League transfer rumours currently doing the media rounds – and we’ll kick our daily digest off with news of a potential transfer battle brewing between Newcastle United and Aston Villa.
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Hide AdAccording to Caught Offside, both teams are interested in making a move for 23-year-old Villarreal winger Álex Baena, whose performances in Spain have seen his value shoot up to around €65m (£54m).
That may be the biggest stumbling block to any kind of deal but both sides have apparently sent scouts to watch him in action of late regardless and have been “impressed”. Baena himself is allegedly keen on a move to the Premier League, which would help matters, and is apparently interested in working under Unai Emery again in the future, which could give Villa an edge.
The 3AM Verdict: Baena is a tricky winger who is developing into a serious creative force – he registered 14 assists in La Liga last season and has five already since the summer, although he isn’t great in front of goal himself. It’s worth noting that he’s primarily a left-sided player primarily, which means that we’re doubtful that Newcastle are interested, as they need a right-sided player, which may be why The Daily Telegraph instead reports that the Magpies want Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo. The Villa link is plausible enough but if that transfer is at all accurate, then it’s unlikely that a move happens any time soon.
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Hide AdWolves’ second-tier salvation
News now from an embattled Wolverhampton Wanderers side who find themselves stuck in the relegation zone and without a single Premier League win. If a report from GiveMeSport is on the right lines, some help may be on the way, in the form of Watford and Georgia attacking midfielder Giorgi Chakvetadze.
The article cites Championship transfer journalist Alan Nixon and claims that he said that the 25-year-old could be the “Premier League saviour” for Gary O’Neil’s struggling side and may offer them the “attacking ideas and inspiration” they’ve been missing. Apparently Watford would demand somewhere between £15m and £20m for the playmaker, who can play out wide or up front but typically acts as a number ten.
The 3AM Verdict: Chakvetadze only signed for Watford permanently over the summer, which may partly explain the high price tag – they certainly have no incentive to sell unless the price is outrageous by second-tier standards. Creative and impressive with the ball at his feet, he could certainly offer Wolves some of the dynamism they’ve been lacking behind a strong front line, but it’s a big gamble on a player who is unproven at the very highest level.
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Hide AdMan City’s ‘major revamp’
Finally, some news from TeamTalk, who claim that their sources have uncovered details of Manchester City’s planned “revamp” of the squad should they get through their FA hearing unscathed – and two of the brightest stars in the Bundesliga are at the very top of their shopping list.
Their “top transfer target” is Bayer Leverkusen’s sublime attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, although Xabi Alonso’s side would apparently charge a “huge” fee for his services, potentially of up to £90m – but City are also interested in making a move for Bayern Munich forward Jamal Musiala, who is “admired” by the club’s transfer team. Apparently Chelsea are keeping “close tabs” on the Germany international, as well.
The 3AM Verdict: Neither of these links are new but they’re hardly implausible, either, and while it’s hard to evaluate what kind of money Manchester City will be spending over the next year until after the hearing into 115 charges of financial breaches has been completed, they of all clubs have the financial firepower to make deals like this happen. Otherwise, this is another example of the best players being linked with the best clubs, and such rumours are often proven true.
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