Liverpool shortlist Alexander-Arnold replacements as Man Utd’s £46m bid for Serie A star revealed

Welcome to Friday’s round-up of all the biggest and boldest Premier League transfer rumours currently doing the rounds – and with several spicy stories floating about today, we’ll start with news that could be of interest to Liverpool fans.

With Real Madrid “increasingly confident” of being able to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season, Liverpool have drawn up a three-man shortlist of potential replacements – at least, according to Caught Offside.

They claim that with contact talks with Alexander-Arnold at “something of a standstill”, the Reds are preparing for the worst by looking into possible deals for Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong, Fiorentina’s Michael Kayode and AS Monaco’s Vanderson. There are no details of which of the three Liverpool might view as the priority, nor any revelations as to the financial details.

The 3AM Verdict: We don’t doubt that Liverpool’s transfer team are working on candidates to replace Alexander-Arnold if they can’t persuade him to stay at Anfield, and Frimpong has been linked with the Reds before, so he seems like a plausible candidate and one of few wing-backs who can replicate Alexander-Arnold’s attacking output. Vanderson was close to a move to Tottenham Hotspur over the summer, and Kayode has been linked with Aston Villa, among others. The latter may be seen as too green just now.

Magpies set to swoop for south coast star

Meanwhile, Newcastle United may have stepped up their search for a new right winger, if TeamTalk have their facts straight – they reckon that Eddie Howe’s side are now “leading the race” for Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, who’s fine early-season form had already seem him linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur elsewhere.

Apparently Howe himself is “a big fan” of the Ghanaian forward, whose versatility appeals to a club in need of reinforcements both on the right wing and up front, with Miguel Almirón and Callum Wilson liable to leave in the near future. The bad news is that it would take “a huge offer” to make Bournemouth consider selling a player who is rapidly becoming one of their most important.

The 3AM Verdict: This would all seem more plausible if Semenyo hadn’t signed a new five-year deal with the Cherries just a few months ago, but we’ve seen a lot of rumours suggesting that Spurs are keen. Those stories have often come up with a figure of around £30-35m – not one that’s repeated here, for what that’s worth – which also seems a little on the low side given the new deal. We suspect if anybody does make a move, it won’t be until next summer.

Man Utd’s £46m bid revealed

Manchester United may have succeeded in signing what appeared to be their first-choice midfield target this summer – in the shape of Manuel Ugarte – but Sport Witness have picked up on a report from the Italian press which suggests that they may have had a different man in mind, and could perhaps go back to the well in the near future.

Apparently, the Red Devils had a bid of €55m (£46m) including add-ons for Brazilian midfielder Ederson “rejected out of hand” by his club Atalanta – and it would seem that Newcastle previously had a go at signing him in January, too. Whether this means that he remains a United target isn’t necessarily clear, but it’s interesting to note that he was high on their list and perhaps even their first choice.

The 3AM Verdict: A lot of big teams have been linked with Ederson at this point – he has three years left on his deal in Bergamo, and it’s clear that Atalanta want a lot of money for him, which is all that’s holding them back from making a move. Given that he’s had a strong start to the season and seems to be improving and developing his attacking game as well, we’d expect the price tag to keep climbing…