Liverpool’s blood feud, Man Utd’s £55m root vegetable tussle, and Arsenal’s exodus plot

Sometimes, when I run out of ideas on how to start these transfer rumour round-ups, I simply google ‘On this Day in History...’. A little look-see behind the curtain for you all there. Today when I did that, I found out that May 24th is in fact the shared birthday of Queen Victoria, Bob Dylan, and Eric Cantona. That’s somebody’s dream dinner party right there.

Now, as far as triumvirates go, they don’t get much more auspicious than that, and while our trio of gossipy tidbits feel decidedly paltry by comparison, I still reckon you should give them a read. I mean, you’ve come this far, you might as well keep going.

Real deal for Robbo?

Nope, didn’t see this one coming either. According to the Daily Mail, Real Madrid have included Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson on a list of prospective targets ahead of the summer transfer window. The Spanish giants are understood to be in the market to sign a replacement for Ferland Mendy, and are supposedly enamoured with the Scotland international.

As for Robertson himself, he is under contract at Anfield until 2026, and has shown no indication that he wants to leave Merseyside any time soon. He also seems like exactly the kind of guy who would still be clinging on to a bitter grudge over the 2018 Champions League final.

The 3AM Verdict: Surely this doesn’t happen. Robertson is adored and valued at Liverpool, and while there have been rumours that the Reds are looking at Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich’s insistence that the Canadian is not for sale decreases the chances of the Scot leaving even further. Real might be interested, but they could be barking up the wrong tree.

Man United want Mount

Here’s a question for you - how many times do you think gossip column aggregators will make the exact same joke about clubs ‘mounting’ a move for Mason this summer? At this stage, it’s not even low hanging fruit; it’s more like a root vegetable.

Anyways, Manchester United are the latest side who are being linked with a swoop for the Chelsea midfielder. According to the Daily Mail (again), the Red Devils are in the process of launching a £55 million bid in the hope of stealing a march on the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal. And that might be seen as a wise tactic, if their offer didn’t fall £30 million short of Chelsea’s own valuation of the player.

The 3AM Verdict: Provided he could recapture the form that made him such a significant presence for Chelsea in the first place, Mount would be a fantastic signing for just about anybody this summer, United included. The Red Devils are going to need to up their game if they are serious about snapping him up, however. There’s lowballing, and then there’s whatever this is. Maybe Chelsea will crumble, but then again, maybe they won’t...

Arsenal plot Maddison scheme

And finally, Arsenal are said to be keen on Leicester City’s James Maddison. ‘But Jason’, I hear you cry, ‘however will they be able to afford such a deal, especially in the context of widespread speculation linking them to a number of other high-profile acquisitions in the approaching summer transfer window?’.

Well, dear reader, the simple answer, according to the Mirror, is that they’re going to sell some players. Kieran Tierney and Emile Smith-Rowe are among those being touted as possible departures.

The 3AM Verdict:You know what they say, if you’re not moving forwards, you’re moving backwards. Despite a stellar campaign, Arsenal will need to strenghten again this summer, and Maddison would be a fine addition. It would be a shame to see Smith-Rowe’s time in north London come to an end, but there’s not questioning that the Leicester City man would be an upgrade.