Liverpool enter race for huge free agent signing as PSG target shock Bournemouth swoop
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Welcome to your Saturday morning round-up of all the freshest Premier League transfer rumours currently rolling around the rumour mill – and we kick today’s digest off with a story that should be of interest to fans of both Liverpool and Manchester United.
Caught Offside reckon that Arne Slot’s league-leading side are now ready to enter the race to sign Bayern Munich utility man Alphonso Davies, who had been widely expected to sign with Real Madrid on a free transfer at the end of the season.
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Hide AdThat deal is looking less likely by the day, and there were growing rumours that Manchester United would make a move too – and now they’ve been joined in the hunt by their regional rivals, with Davies “not 100% fixed” on a move to Madrid or Manchester.
Their source for the claim is German sports journalist Christian Falk, who reckons that Liverpool “have a chance”, but also notes that Real and United’s interest is “more concrete” as it stands.
The 3AM Verdict: There would be some irony should Liverpool end up snapping up one of the world’s best defenders on a free transfer after all the worry about their own legion of free agents, and we certainly believe that they’re looking for a new left-back to replace Andrew Robertson given how many similar rumours we’ve seen. This is the first serious link to Davies we’ve seen, so it’s one we’ll take with a pinch of salt for now, but one could scarcely blame them for trying.
Cherries star lined up for shock swoop
Illia Zabarnyi has been generating some glowing reviews since signing for Bournemouth last summer, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a surprise to see him linked with a move to continental superclub Paris Saint-Germain – but that’s exactly what’s happening, with French outlet L’Equipe claiming that “initial discussions” have taken place over a move.
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Hide AdNo transfer fee is mentioned but that wouldn’t be the stumbling block, according to the French media – instead, the presence of Russian player Matvei Safonov in the PSG squad could be the problem, although the article doesn’t claim to have any clear information on whether Safonov would take issue with working with the 22-year-old Ukrainian…
The 3AM Verdict: There’s more speculation than detail in this report and as such we’re a little sceptical – and certainly there doesn’t seem to be anything concrete behind the claim that Safonov could cause problems over such a bid. Zabarnyi is developing at an impressive clip, but a move to PSG would surely be a step too far just for now. We suspect there’s at least some interest in him, but that Bournemouth won’t get many big bids just yet.
Man Utd get boost but it’s bad news for Newcastle
We’ll wrap things up today with another story which impacts fans of two Premier League sides – but this time, it’s not two clubs battling for the same signature but a case of one transfer which could beget another.
TeamTalk reckon that Italian giants Juventus want to sign Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali, and would need to cobble together €55m (£45.6m) to make that move happen – and in order to raise the funds, they would consider selling 19-year-old Turkey international Kenan Yildiz, who just so happens to be a Manchester United target.
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Hide AdApparently United would be “very interested” in striking a deal for Yildiz should he become available and reports in the Italian media reckon that might just happen. TeamTalk are a little more sceptical, however, saying that they believe Newcastle have no intention of selling Tonali. Perhaps this particular domino rally will never get started.
The 3AM Verdict: We’re taking TeamTalk’s side here – Newcastle have no incentive to sell Tonali unless a bid was considerably higher than that, and unless Juve badly need some money to make a signing, they have no incentive to sell Yildiz. We suspect the interest in the young Turk is quite genuine, but these specific circumstances sound unlikely.
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