Man Utd prepare £35m swoop for ‘complete’ midfielder as Chelsea fear brutal loss on outbound flop

The summer transfer window feels as though it only closed a few days ago, but January is already rapidly approaching, which means only one thing. Transfer chaos is right around the corner and plenty of links are being uncovered and revisited as the end of 2023 comes to a close.

The battle at the top of the Premier League is hotting up, with last season’s title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal leading the pack on 21 points each, while Liverpool sit third just one point adrift, level with Tottenham Hotspur.

If things carry on as they are, England’s top flight could be in for its most competitive title challenge in recent years. But how will the January window impact the race, and who will pull out all the stops to strengthen their sides? Let’s take a look at some of the latest transfer rumours doing the rounds.

Arsenal pose January threat to Liverpool

Fluminense’s André continues to be one of the main transfer links on Liverpool’s radar as the January transfer window fast approaches. The Reds are still looking for new midfield signings as they scour the market for a solid No.6, but they face competition for André from Premier League rivals Arsenal.

Last week, Football Insider reported that the Reds were confident they could strike a deal for the Brazilian in the new year, but a new update has claimed the Gunners could ‘step up’ their pursuit of André, providing they can offload some first team players in the same window.

The 3AM Verdict: Arsenal already have both Jorginho and Thomas Partey who are on the potential outgoings list, whereas Liverpool have just suffered a hefty midfield exodus. They brought in four to replace the five who departed over the summer but they are still struggling with their defensive position, and they have one vacant space at least still to fill.

Liverpool need a new No.6 more than Arsenal do, especially with blockbuster signing Declan Rice joining just months ago, and both Jorginho and Partey still on the books. Jurgen Klopp’s only natural defensive midfielders are new recruit Wataru Endō and youngster Stefan Bajcetic, who are both yet to make full impacts.

Man Utd eyeing up ‘complete’ midfielder

Manchester United have set their sights on signing midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan. According to reports in Italy (via Sport Witness), both the Reds and Paris Saint-Germain have registered their interest in the 25-year-old, who only joined the San Siro from AZ Alkmaar in July. Reijnders has provided two assists in nine appearances this season, but tallied an impressive seven assists and three goals across all competitions during the 2022/23 term.

The reports claim the Dutchman would be available for €40 million (£34.6m), which is said to be ‘not too much’ for United.

The 3AM Verdict: While the asking price is quite a friendly one, United currently have ten senior midfielders on their roster. They may be looking to part ways with some of them once the January and summer windows roll around, but right now that should be their priority over bringing in new recruits. It’s likely Reijnders will be looking for as many minutes as possible as well, considering how crucial he was for Alkmaar and the fact he has started every single league match for Milan since he joined.

Chelsea offered almost 90 percent less for Kepa

Kepa Arrizabalaga’s relationship with Chelsea has been inconsistent over the years and since joining Real Madrid on loan, talks are swirling around whether his future lies at Stamford Bridge. His short-team deal expires next summer but Spanish outlet La Defensa has reported that Los Blancos are eager to keep him beyond that deadline. Madrid are apparently willing to offer £8.7 million for the permanent signing of Kepa, which is almost 90 percent the amount Chelsea paid for him in 2018.

The Blues forked out a record £72 million for their shot-stopper and his current contract is set to expire in 2025.

The 3AM Verdict: Sometimes, clubs need to take losses on the chin and this looks like it’s going to be one for Chelsea. Kepa has expressed how happy he is with Madrid and it seems the club are equally as pleased with how things are going. The Blues also have four senior goalkeepers on their roster, not including Kepa, and Mauricio Pochettino has said he is ‘happy’ with Robert Sanchez. Kepa will have entered the final 12 months of his contract once his loan with Madrid ends and it seems like he no longer has a spot at Stamford Bridge, so Chelsea probably need to just cash in for what they can get and continue to look ahead.