Leeds could make stunning signing in next few days as Arsenal put Chelsea winger on shortlist

The weekend may mean a break for many of us, but the rumour mill keeps churning away as always – and that’s why we’re here with our regular morning round-up of the biggest new Premier League transfer stories, starting with an intriguing update for Leeds United fans.

Italian website Calciomercato, Leeds have “made an approach” to the entourage of Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz, who was among the best players in the Premier League during the 2023/24 season before struggling after a big-money move to Turin.

Juventus apparently even want to sell the former Aston Villa man by the 30 June if they can for financial reasons, and a deal with Leeds is already said to be “taking shape”, although there are no specific mentions of club-to-club negotiations.

Luiz’s departure is inevitable, according to the report, which poetically describes him as having “returned to oblivion” over the course of a rough year in Italy. Manchester United are suggested as being another potential destination, but that sounds purely speculative, and the article also notes that another of Luiz’s former teams, Manchester City, don’t seem to be making an offer.

The 3AM Verdict: The Aston Villa version of Luiz would be an extraordinary signing for the Whites, even if the Brazilian that we’ve watched over the past year isn’t a player you’d pay all that much to buy. Speaking of which, there’s no mention of a price point, only the clear suggestion that Juventus want to sell at almost any cost.

Arsenal’s seven-man shortlist includes Chelsea star

Over to Caught Offside now, who reckon they’ve got details of Arsenal’s final seven-man shortlist as they seek to sign a brand new winger this summer – and there are Aston Villa and Chelsea players on there whose names haven’t been widely reported in the media.

A few we know about already: Nico Williams (seemingly bound for Barcelona) is on there alongside Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze and Rodrygo, as well as Feyenoord’s Igor Paixao.

More surprisingly, perhaps, is the inclusion of both Morgan Rogers and Noni Madueke. There’s no word on whether any approach has been made for either player or what kind of price points Arsenal would be looking at, but both are intriguing additions to a relatively lengthy shortlist.

The 3AM Verdict: Aston Villa may be forced to make a quick sale for PSR purposes, so Rogers isn’t quite so far-fetched of a move as it sounds, but Chelsea’s Madueke would seem like a strange suggestion, simply because Arsenal need a left winger more than they require competition for Bukayo Saka. If they think they can get him at a good price, of course… We’ll see.

Aston Villa could miss out on key signing

Finally, some bad news for Villa fans… Well, more bad news, given that we’ve already introduced the idea of the team selling Rogers. According to Sport Witness, a Turkish journalist has claimed that Marco Asensio, who shone on loan at Villa Park this year, has been offered to Fenerbahçe.

The Süper Lig side probably aren’t the only team that PSG have been in contact with, as the article states that the European champions “are offering Asensio around” as they grow impatient to find a new buyer.

Unai Emery is apparently “keen” to get Asensio back next season, but with a tight financial situation and the failure to qualify for the Champions League, there are no assurances that they can get a deal over the line.

The 3AM Verdict: Villa’s financial situation should – on paper – get a little more straightforward once the PSR accounting deadline passes on 30 June, but they may need to avoid waiting too long if they want to get Asensio back on board next season. It sounds as though PSG want the cash in their bank balance as quickly as possible.