Brexit rules could Man Utd & Man City ruin transfer plans as Chelsea star’s future revealed
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We’re over a fortnight into the January transfer window and let’s face it – not all that much has happened so far, even though this is poised to be one of the busiest winters in recent Premier League history. If you’re wondering why it’s not been too busy, today’s round-up of the biggest top-flight transfer stories may help to shed a little light.
We’ve got stories for Chelsea and Brighton fans coming up shortly, but we’ll kick things off with a tale that concerns fans of both Manchester United and Manchester City, both are which are trying to do some business with Serie A outfit AC Milan – and which demonstrates just how convoluted transfers can be.
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Hide AdAC Milan, you see, are interested in both United outcast Marcus Rashford and Kyle Walker, who unexpectedly told Pep Guardiola that he wants to leave the club as soon as possible. Both Premier League clubs are happy to sell (or loan) for the right price, but Milan simply aren’t allowed to buy both, and somehow it’s all caused by Brexit.
The Daily Telegraph explains that Serie A sides can only sign three non-EU players in any given season, and Milan already bought two such players – as a result, they can only sign one, with inevitable knock-on effects for the future careers of Rashford and Walker and for their current clubs’ transfer plans. As for which player they’ll go for, the report notes that Rashford’s representatives are the ones that Milan have actually spoken to.
The 3AM Verdict: It sounds as if talks over Rashford are more advanced and a forward is perhaps a more urgent need for Milan, so we’d suggest that Walker is the more likely of the two to have to find another way out of Manchester. If we were Manchester United supporters, we’d be more worried about claims that Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho could be sold to help service profit and sustainability requirements, mentioned in the same report…
Chelsea defenders future becomes clearer
Over to a story for Chelsea supporters now courtesy of Caught Offside, who reckon that Enzo Maresca has green-lit the sale of defender Axel Disasi – with three team in the mix to make a bid as the Blues add another player to the list of senior players that could be swept aside by the new broom.
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Hide AdJuventus, Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen are all interested, according to Caught Offside’s sources, and Disasi is now available “if the right offer comes in”. There’s no word on what such an offer might look like, frustratingly, and only Atalanta have actually made contact to enquire about the player’s situation. There has, as yet, not been a “significant breakthrough”.
The 3AM Verdict: The article rather rudely notes that Disasi “surely won’t be missed” at Stamford Bridge, which is harsh but perhaps not unfair – after some early flashes, it seems as though the Frenchman isn’t really cut out for the Premier League or for Maresca’s methods. We wouldn’t be surprised if Chelsea waited until the end of the season to sell, though, as clubs like Juventus would only be offer cut prices for the time being. We suspect his time in London is coming to a close sooner rather than later, however.
Brighton set to lose player in bargain deal
Last up for today, a story from the south coast – Sport Witness have picked up on a report from the Netherlands which claims that midfielder Jakub Möder is set to leave Brighton & Hove Albion for a bargain basement fee, with Feyenoord the beneficiaries.
Möder hasn’t featured in Fabian Hürzeler’s plans this season, playing just 10 minutes of Premier League football, and as such his stock is rather low, with Feyenoord expected to pay just €2m (£1.7m). Apparently there has been “concrete” contact between the sides, whatever that means, and the deal is “on the verge” of being struck.
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Hide AdThe 3AM Verdict: Maybe not a huge loss from a playing perspective, but Möder cost an estimated £9m when he was bought back in 2020, proving that even Brighton can’t turn a profit on every young player – so who knows, maybe this will be a crushing psychological blow which will cause their directors to weep into a bed made from the Caicedo cash.
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