Liverpool identify surprise Salah transfer replacement as West Ham & Villa eye rising Spanish star

Welcome to your Tuesday dose of all the biggest and boldest new Premier League transfer rumours currently doing the media rounds – and we’ll start with some news from Anfield, where the uncertainty over the future of some of Liverpool’s star players is no closer to being resolved.

Mohamed Salah is one of several key players currently out of contract at the end of the season, and Liverpool seem to be preparing contingency plans should the Egyptian leave – at least according to TeamTalk, who claim that the Reds are “making regular checks” on Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo.

Apparently there is still belief at the club that Salah will sign a new deal, but Mbeumo’s superb early-season form has put him towards the top of the list should a replacement be required. Liverpool may not have it all their own way, however, as both Arsenal and Newcastle United are also “big admirers” of the Cameroon international.

The 3AM Verdict: Mbeumo is finally starting to get the recognition he deserves for his consistently high levels of performance in the Premier League and we wouldn’t be surprised to see any of those clubs making a move next summer. So much will, of course, depend on what Salah decides to do with the Saudi Pro League likely to make a lucrative offer. Mbeumo isn’t Salah, but would be a fine player in what could quickly become a problem position should Salah leave.

Villans & Hammers battling for La Liga star

News which may interest fans of Aston Villa and West Ham United now, courtesy of Caught Offside, who claim that their sources have told them that the two clubs are “both in a fierce battle” for the potential signing of Valencia striker Hugo Duro, who hit 13 goals for the Spanish strugglers last season.

Apparently, West Ham are making “serious moves” to sign him, while Villa see him forming “a potent partnership” with Ollie Watkins amid uncertainty over Jhon Durán’s long-term future at the club. The report speculates that Duro would cost €25-30m (£20-25m) but that appears not to be a best guess rather than anything they have a source on.

The 3AM Verdict: The 24-year-old isn’t an especially strong technical player but is a good finisher and brings a ton of energy and dynamism to his team, as well as some goals. He only really found his form last season, so there will be some question marks over whether he can sustain it, but he does have two goals from his opening six games, which is respectable given that Valencia are rooted in the relegation zone.

Former England star offered fresh start

We’ll wrap things up today with a story which could be of interest to Everton fans, as well as just about anybody else who likes a happy ending – former England midfielder Dele Alli, who has spoken movingly about the mental health struggles and sleeping pill addictions which derailed his career, could get a chance to sign for Serie A side Genoa, at least if Sport Witness have things right.

Dele, who has been training with Everton since his contract at Goodison Park expired in the summer, is seen as a potential replacement for Ruslan Malinovskyi, who has suffered a serious injury. The move is far from definite and there will be question marks over Dele’s fitness given that he hasn’t played since last February, but apparently Genoa remain “at the window” for him.

The 3AM Verdict: We don’t know if Dele will get his fairy tale return to top-tier football, but we desperately hope that he does. He’s been through an immense amount and a happy ending for him, in England, Italy, or anywhere else, would be a wonderful thing. As for how likely this specific move is, we don’t know, although it would be an unusual move to sign a player who will likely by short of match fitness to cover for an injury. Hopefully, though, he finds a club that suits him.