Chelsea get clear path to £55m Man Utd move - but Red Devils could be gazumped by Ipswich

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We round up the latest Premier League transfer rumours, with updates from Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton and more...

There are just 11 days left in the January transfer window (it’s false advertising really, it extends into next month) and things are really hotting up in the land of the transfer rumour – which is why we’re here once more to run through some of the biggest new Premier League transfer stories and to give our verdict on whether or not they might happen.

According to TeamTalk, Chelsea have received some good news as they spend time “weighing up” a bid for Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho. Napoli, who had made two offers for his services, are set to withdraw from the bidding and instead focus their attentions on signing Karim Adeyimi from Borussia Dortmund.

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United have apparently dropped their demands to €65m (£55m) in order to facilitate a sale, but Serie A leaders Napoli were €10m short with their maximum bid, if the report has its facts straight. There will be one last meeting between the two clubs in the coming days, but it looks increasingly likely that Chelsea’s path will be left open.

It would have sounded improbable to suggest that the Argentine was up for sale just a couple of months ago, but new part-owners Ineos are keen to sell high-value home-grown players in order to facilitate a rebuild of the squad under new manager Ruben Amorim. Chelsea could be the beneficiaries, but may need to sell players first to make the numbers work.

The 3AM Verdict: It had widely been assumed that Chelsea wouldn’t have the profit and sustainability space to make a move like this work, and even if that assumption as been disproven it remains remarkable that United could consider selling one of their brightest talents to a direct rival. We’re still not clear on how Chelsea can afford to make this work in January, but it looks like we’re a step closer to a truly remarkable move.

Man Utd in surprise Seagulls swoop

We may not have to wait long to discover who United will replace Garnacho with, as it happens – Sport Witness have picked up on a story from Italy which suggests that the Red Devils could make a surprise move to sign Brighton & Hove Albion attacking midfielder Julio Enciso.

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The Paraguayan had been expected to move to relegation strugglers Ipswich Town on loan, but United have made a “last-minute approach”, apparently. They want him to “be the replacement in case Garnacho goes” but might not have much luck – the reports goes on to cite a journalist who claims that Enciso is likely to turn them down in order to ensure he gets first-team football.

Should Ipswich’s bid faulter then United may be back in play for the talented 20-year-old, but Valencia, Atalanta and Borussia Dortmund are also interested. It sounds like Brighton are likely to want him to stay in the Premier League however, as he becomes a home-grown player at the end of the season. That would also likely rule out a permanent move, at least until the summer.

The 3AM Verdict: Enciso has shown a lot of talent in flashes but a move to Manchester feels a little premature, so it’s nice to see common sense prevailing – he could easily do well at Portman Road, just as his team-mate Facundo Buonanotte has at Leicester. It must be a bit galling for United that Ipswich can beat them to a signing these days, though.

Arsenal could make winter Šeško swoop

To round things off today, a story from TBR Football which could be of interest to Arsenal fans – as their increasingly desperate search for a striker continues, it seems that the Gunners have asked RB Leipzig to “name their price” for star striker Benjamin Šeško, who had previously not been thought to be for sale.

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Leipzig don’t want to sell, but it seems that there is a “gentleman’s agreement” between the Slovenian and his club which would see them serious consider bids in the region of £60m – Arsenal, meanwhile, value the 21-year-old at up to £65m, and believe a deal can be struck in January.

A loan deal will not be considered, unfortunately for the Gunners, so they will need to make sure they structure the deal to fit within PSR restrictions, but given that have also been reported elsewhere to have decided to pay Viktor Gyökeres’ release clause if required, we assume that they think it can be done.

The 3AM Verdict: There have been so many rumours about which striker Arsenal want to sign that it’s hard to keep up with them, less still to determine which have more truth to them. We suspect Leipzig will try to push any deal back to the summer, however, and that the Gunners may be frustrated unless they really go big on the offer. One way or the other, we would be amazed if Arsenal didn’t sign a new striker by 3 February…

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