Man Utd have major trick up their sleeve, Chelsea striker’s escape route, and West Ham’s sensible decision

Manchester United fans have been hiding in the shadows since Manchester City won the treble over the weekend. Those associated with the Red Devils no longer hold any bragging rights over their bitter rivals, having to watch on miserably as their neighbours paraded their sparkling new trio of trophies through the streets of Manchester on Monday evening in the torrential rain.

The awful weather, AKA typical British summertime, didn’t seem to dampen the mood of Pep Guardiola and his players, especially Jack Grealish who doesn’t appear to know what day is it after admitting himself that he hasn’t slept for the past three days. Despite having a relatively decent first season under the guidance of Erik ten Hag with Champions League football in the bag once again, United have some serious catching up to do and need to strenghten their ranks with some signings when the transfer window opens.

They have been linked with a few names. But not many people saw this next one coming....

Man Utd eye Mbappe

Yes. United have a possible trick up their sleeve and are being linked with a move for PSG attacker Kylian Mbappe this summer. According to TEAMtalk, Ten Hag’s side along with Real Madrid could ‘step up’ their interest in the France international with him apparently looking to leave Ligue 1 over the next couple of months.

A cloud currently hangs above Old Trafford as the light currently shines across the city on the Etihad Stadium, and the down on their luck Red Devils are in need of a lift. Landing one of the world’s best players would certainly give their supporters something to shout about once again and would help the club get closer to Man City and Arsenal next term, but can they really pull this off?

The 3AM Verdict: Transfer speculation always need to be taken with a pinch of salt at this time of year and this story is no different. There is no doubt that United remain an attractive club to sign for but can they really persaude Mbappe to join them right now? The takeover of the club continues to drag on and the reality is that they won’t be forking out any money for players until it is known who is taking over from the Glazers, whether that be Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani or Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Chelsea striker linked with permanent exit

Time stood still for a moment during the Champions League final as the ball fell for Inter Milan loan striker Romelu Lukaku in the box. All he needed to do was head it either side of City stopper Ederson and the game in Istanbul would have gone to extra-time, but his header was straight at the goalkeeper.

Many forget he actually still plays for Chelsea. He is due to return to Stamford Bridge now and even though he is on the receiving end of a lot of scrutinity these days, the Belgium international hasn’t actually had a bad season. He has scored 14 goals in all competitions and has emerged on the radar of Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal, according to reporter Santi Aouna on Twitter, and they could offer him a salary of $20M a year if he leaves Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

The 3AM Verdict: This move would make sense for Lukaku and the Saudi Pro League is on the rise with the likes of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and erm, potentially Steven Gerrard, heading over there. He is now 30-year-old and a switch there would provide him a bumper pay day, even if you can argue that he still has another two or three years left to offer in Europe. It’s unlikely he will be in Pochettino’s plans with Chelsea opting for more younger players, and assuming Inter don’t want him back, most signs point towards the Middle East.

West Ham realise the grass isn’t always greener

It has been a successful week in Europe for English teams with West Ham also getting their hands on a European trophy, the Europa Conference League, which was massive for them. The Hammers, like City, also paraded in front of their fans after beating Fiorentina 2-1 in the finals courtesy of Jarrod Bowen’s dramatic last-gasp winner. David Moyes was seen dancing in the dressing room like a dad at a wedding to The Proclaimers after the victory in Prague and he has even more reason to be cheerful now with BBC Sport reporting that he will ‘stay on’ as manager for the next campaign - an idea met with the full 3 Added Minutes approval before the final.

West Ham have probably realised that there is nobody better for them at the moment than Moyes, and rightly so. He has done a steady job and it would be a risk to sack him and bring in someone else. Even though their Premier League performance wasn’t the best last season, ask any of their fans and they would take winning a European trophy for first time in 43 years and making life long memories is way more important, plus they never really looked like going down in the end. There were a few whispers going round that Moyes was on Celtic’s radar following Ange Postecoglou’s exit to Tottenham Hotspur but the Hoops will have to look elsewhere now for their next boss.

The 3AM Verdict: Parting company with Moyes would’ve been a strange move and the West Ham hierarchy have made the right choice by sticking with him. This is an important summer ahead for the London club now and they need to ensure they are ready for playing in both the Premier League and the Europa League next term. It is expected that midfielder Declan Rice will head out the exit door for a new challenge elsewhere, with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Bayern Munich all mentioned as potential suitors over recent times, and they need to ensure that they bring in the right replacement so that he doesn’t leave too much of a void if he is to leave.