Man Utd & Man City battle for Barcelona star as Chelsea goalkeeper update emerges

Welcome to Saturday’s round-up of the biggest and boldest new Premier League transfer rumours – and we’re going to kick things off with a developing story which could be of interest to both Manchester clubs.

As has been widely reported, Barcelona have failed with their bid to register summer signing Dani Olmo for the second half of the Spanish season, and as a result the forward could be available on a free transfer by the end of January if his current club’s lawyers can’t find a way to persuade the Catalan courts to let him be registered to play.

That means quite a few clubs are suddenly on high alert with a potential bargain in the offing, and Manchester United and Manchester City are among the teams keeping an eye on the situation – and according to The Daily Mail, Olmo’s agent is already in Manchester.

Arsenal are also mentioned as another Premier League club who could be preparing to pounce on the chance to sign a player who cost Barcelona £50m in the summer, but who could leave for nothing if the Catalan club can’t sort out his registration. The club’s ongoing financial crisis is the cause of the courts’ refusal to allow him to play. It’s worth noting that while Olmo’s agent may well be in England, the Mail report that the player’s “priority” is to remain with Barcelona if possible.

The 3AM Verdict: We’ve been here before with Barcelona – it looks like they’re going to have dug their fiscal hole so deep that they won’t be able to register their own players, then at the eleventh hour they sell a player or some other club asset off and get the registrations they need over the line. It’s pretty much what happened with Olmo in the summer, and it would hardly be a shock if they managed it again. If Olmo really does leave Barcelona on a free, however, expect every single major team in Europe to make a bid.

Chelsea stoppers set to stay

Over to Stamford Bridge now, where TeamTalk claim to be able to shed some new light on speculation that Chelsea will try to sign a new goalkeeper in the coming months – and despite criticism of current number one Robert Sánchez’s performances, it seems that Enzo Maresca isn’t planning on making any changes between the sticks.

Apparently the head coach is “very happy” with both Sánchez and summer signing Filip Jörgensen, who has been playing in European games, but that doesn’t mean that alternatives weren’t considered – both Everton’s Jordan Pickford and Yashin Trophy holder Emiliano Martínez were looked at, but it was decided that Chelsea would prefer to continue signing younger players.

The 3AM Verdict: Chelsea still have a glut of goalkeepers on the books but there seems to be some belief that former Villarreal man Jörgensen, who cost about £20m in the last transfer window, could be the long-term solution, even though Sánchez is starting in the league for now. The Spaniard will surely have to up his game to hang on to his spot, but we do suspect that Chelsea will stay put for the time being.

Man City ‘battle’ to keep talented midfielder

To wrap up today, we’re going to head back to the Etihad – according to The Daily Telegraph, Manchester City “face a battle” to keep hold of talented youngster James McAtee, who is wanted by a slew of clubs both within the Premier League and overseas.

Nottingham Forest, West Ham United, Brentford and Crystal Palace are all “keeping a close eye” on developments, along with Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen. City are “pushing hard” to keep the 22-year-old on the books but have given him few chances even during a dismal run of form. McAtee’s current contract expires at the end of the 2024/25 season.

The 3AM Verdict: City may want to keep McAtee but given that they won’t put him in the team it’s hard to envisage him staying put when so many other clubs want to sign him given a chance. The question is whether they will try to sell him in January to make a little money rather than allowing him to leave on a free.