Harry Maguire offer ‘dismissed’ and West Ham in for Palhinha as Bruno Fernandes stays put despite Saudi bid

Stripped of the captaincy and now being farmed out of the club he joined for a record £80m just a few years ago… you do have to feel somewhat sorry for Harry Maguire. Perhaps Manchester United overpaid a little when they signed him from Leicester City, but you’d still have expected more to come from the last few years than the meme of him explaining something to a lady at the Euros. At the very least, he deserved a good photo was the inflatable unicorns.

Instead, a slightly tepid bidding war has begun for the substantially-foreheaded centre-back. West Ham United have made the first move, according to The Guardian, but their offer to take Maguire on loan has been “dismissed” by United, who want shot of him permanently, but the Hammers currently feel that a permanent deal could be “too expensive” even with the Declan Rice money burning a hole in their collective back pocket.

West Ham are at least happy to splash some cash in the direction of Fulham’s midfield dynamo João Palhinha, and have made a £45m bid – but that has been rejected too. The Guardian also report that West Ham are looking at Ajax’s Edson Álvarez, while other websites suggest Juventus’ Denis Zakaria is a more likely purchase.

The 3AM Verdict:West Ham definitely need to add some competition to their defence, with Nayef Aguerd on a few shortlists, Kurt Zouma often injured and Angelo Ogbonna just rather old. Maguire, surely, has something left in the tank – he usually finds it for England – so he’d probably be a pretty good gamble to take if the money is right. Palhinha would be a superb buy, but Fulham aren’t in a selling mood right now and it’s debatable whether Palhinha will push for what is ultimately a bit of a sideways move.

Bruno’s Saudi shutdown

Maguire may not be going anywhere just yet but there’s some better news for Manchester United fans – according to the king of the Football Twitter Blue Ticks, Fabrizio Romano, Bruno Fernandes turned down “more than two approaches” from the Saudi Pro League in favour of staying at Old Trafford.

And there’s more Salford-centric news from the only football journalist to feel the need for a catchphrase, too. Apparently Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat, hero of Morocco’s historic World Cup run, is on their shortlist to fill the midfield hole left by the likely departures of Fred and Donny van de Beek. Romano does note that a deal is “no imminent” and that no actual offer has been made.

The 3AM Verdict:Fair play to pouty Portuguese midfielder Bruno for being one of the few footballers who doesn’t seem to think that adding an extra “multi” to “multi-millionaire” is a life-changing experience. As for Amrabat, he’s a very decent player with a ton of heart, but is relatively limited and very expensive – reports have suggested the market for his services is so small simply because La Viola want around £40m for him – which is, frankly, too much. If you want a version of Scott McTominay who can pass a ball five yards, however, he is absolutely your man.

Forest have bid accepted for Brazilian wonderkid

In a world turned upside down – a world where climate change threatens to devastate the planet, war wracks Europe and Jeff Stelling no longer presents Soccer Saturday – why shouldn’t Nottingham Forest beat Real Madrid to a signing? It doesn’t even threaten the Top 100 Most Unlikely Things To Happen This Week in this day and age. Anyway, that’s precisely what seems to be happening as an agreement has reportedly been struck for Botafogo teenager Matheus Nascimento.

The Brazilian club’s owner has confirmed that they “accepted” an offer from Forest, according to a report from NottinghamshireLive, but no agreement has yet been made between club and player.

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“For a transfer to materialise, Matheus Nascimento just needs to accept the offer,” said Botafogo chairman Captain Obvious. “Behind the scenes, people involved in the negotiations have claimed that the player gives priority to Spanish football."

The 3AM Verdict:Ah. Maybe Real don’t need to fear the Forest threat just yet, then. Quite why a talented Brazilian teen might prefer a move to one of the biggest clubs in the world, or living in one of the most cosmopolitan and sun-drenched cities in Europe, to jostling for a place in a 46-man squad before being loaned out to Olympiacos is unclear. Anyway, by all accounts he’s a talented player, albeit not a big goalscorer at this stage, so if Forest can get it all over the line then it’s probably a rather good deal.