Man Utd hit by £28m bombshell as Man City star in ‘advanced’ exit talks, Chelsea to ‘bid again’ for midfielder

I have some bad news. My esteemed colleague, and 3 Added Minutes’ resident tactical egghead, Matt Gregory is not here for the rest of the week because he has gone to Glastonbury. Jammy swine. Insert your ‘inverting the Pyramid Stage’ jokes here.

Anyways, the reason why this is bad news is that you are now stuck with me for the remainder of the week as we trundle through these Premier League transfer rumours together. Although, come to think of it, I too am off on Friday because I’m headed down to Manchester for Outbreak Fest to have my head kicked in by 5,000 hardcore punks all weekend long. There are levels to this game, Gregory.

I’ve already had two concussions in the past year, can I make it a hat-trick? Be here first thing on Monday morning to find out! In the meantime, here are Tuesday’s speculative top flight mutterings. Don’t say we don’t do anything nice for you...

Bailly eyed for cut-price exit

Everybody loves a bargain - from your buy-one-get-one-frees and your 50% off coupons to your random yellow stickered items at the end of that one refrigerated aisle in your local Tesco. There is a reason why Martin Lewis is regarded with a near-divine fanaticism in this country. Anyways, Real Betis have been rummaging amongst the out-of-date houmous and the slightly damaged microwavable ready meals, and they’ve only gone and stumbled across Eric Bailly.

The Manchester United defender, according to the Daily Mail, could be sold for as little as £2 million this summer - quite the reduction from the £30 million or so that he cost the Red Devils - and the La Liga outfit are chief among his admirers. The Ivorian’s current contract at Old Trafford expires next summer.

The 3AM Verdict: Bailly leaving feels like the right move at this stage, but losing any player at such a significant loss is always likely to smart a little. If nothing else, though, at least United will be able to clear some space on their wage bill as they prepare for a summer that could define their silverware prospects next season.

Walker in advanced discussions with Bayern

More like Kyle Talker, amirite? Wait, wait, don’t close the tab, we need this traffic... Anyways, the Manchester City full-back, seemingly frustrated with Pep Guardiola’s propensity for dropping him in the biggest of games, is understood to be in advanced negotiations with German champions Bayern Munich, with a summer move on the cards.

A number of Premier League clubs are also said to be keeping tabs on the situation, but it is Bayern who look set to win the race for the 33-year-old’s services, according to Sky Sports Germany.

The 3AM Verdict: For most other clubs, losing Walker would be a hammer blow. Then again, Manchester City aren’t most other clubs. If Pep Guardiola believes that he can allow the England international to depart and still weather that storm, then City fans just have to trust him. He did a similar thing with Joao Cancelo, after all, and subsequently went on to win a treble.

Chelsea plot Caicedo raid

And finally, Chelsea - buoyed by a sudden and not-remotely-suspicious influx of Saudi Arabian interest in their costly deadwood - look set to make another attempt to sign Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo. That’s according to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who has described the situation thusly: “Chelsea will also bid again for Moises Caicedo. The idea is to make an official bid to Brighton, with personal terms very close with the player. Discussions are ongoing on the player side, but for sure they will also open negotiations with Brighton soon.”

And hey, if that doesn’t work, maybe the Saudi government can just buy Brighton instead, and gift Caicedo to the Blues in a little hamper with a bowed ribbon stapled to his forehead.

The 3AM Verdict: Shady machinations aside - what a wonderful thing to have to write about the Premier League on a semi-regular basis - Caicedo would be a great signing for Chelsea. There is a reason why he is so highly sought after, and why Brighton have fought tooth and nail to hang on to him for as long as they have. Everybody has their price, however, and the sooner the Seagulls get a monstrous fee for the midfielder, the sooner they can reinvest it in that astute way that only they can.