Man Utd flop close to stunning sudden exit as Spurs target £43m midfielder

Welcome to Wednesday’s round-up of the biggest and boldest Premier League transfer rumours currently doing the rounds – and we begin with a report which would see quite a few Manchester United fans sighing with relief if it proves to be true.

According to Football Insider, Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr are considering a bid for Antony, the Brazilian winger whose abject failure at Old Trafford has made him a figure of fun for rival fans. It seems that Cristiano Ronaldo’s club have made Antony a “top target” after failing to agree terms with Barcelona’s Raphinha.

The report states that United would, rather unsurprisingly, make a loss on their initial £82m outlay, which as it stands will go down as one of the worst wastes of money in top flight history – but they are “willing to sell”, and quite probably actively enthusiastic about the idea, regardless.

The 3AM Verdict: It’s hard to come up with anything kind to say about Antony at this point. He has been truly awful, a ceaseless cavalcade of pointless tricks and turns which go nowhere. If United have any way to get him off the books, no matter the financial hit they need to take, they should take it. We have no idea if this story is true at all, but we suspect most people who pray at the altar of Old Trafford will fervently hope that it is.

Saints’ loan star ready for move

A story from Caught Offside now, who reckon that while Southampton’s Argentine midfielder Carlos ‘Charly’ Alcaraz won’t be heading to Juventus following a loan spell in Turin last season, he may well be on his way out of St. Mary’s anyway, with two Premier League clubs allegedly interested.

The 21-year-old played 10 games for the Old Lady after impressing in the Championship with the Saints, and while Juventus weren’t sufficiently excited to trigger his €50m (£42.9m) option-to-buy clause it seems that he’s done enough to be a consideration elsewhere – and while the report doesn’t definitively state who the interested clubs might be, it does put two and two together to suggest that Tottenham Hotspur may well be one, with the North London club linked earlier in the summer.

The 3AM Verdict: There’s no word on how much Southampton would need to consider selling him and it isn’t entirely clear as to whether he fits into Russell Martin’s plans this season, but he looks like an extremely talented player with excellent technique and the ability to be very dangerous indeed when supporting the attack. He’s quick, nimble, creative and an excellent dribbler – and while £43m might be a bit rich, he’s certainly worth a look.

Forest target heading for exit

Finally, a piece of news which might end up being relevant to fans of Nottingham Forest – Feyenoord striker Santiago Giménez, who was linked with clubs like Arsenal and Spurs before his form fell off a cliff around the turn of the year, is “working towards a transfer” with his club “more than ready” to move him on, according to Sport Witness.

Forest come into this as they are apparently preparing to make an “ambitious bid” for the Mexico international, who was one of the hottest forwards in Europe not long ago but has struggled for goals in 2024. Apparently the striker would prefer to join a club “further up the chain” but may find his options narrower now than they might have been back in January. There’s no word on a fee.

The 3AM Verdict: Gimenez scored 49 goals across the last two seasons and started the 2023/24 campaign off like a train, scoring 19 in his first 17 fixtures before his confidence in front of goal suddenly evaporated. That makes assessing how good he might be rather challenging – there’s the lethal, physically imposing forward of 2023 or the leaden-footed struggler we’ve seen since. If Forest fans want a good omen, however, he did bag a brace against PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch equivalent of the Community Shield over the weekend.