Man Utd ready to challenge Newcastle United for mighty £60m centre-back as Spurs pursue ‘new John Stones’

Happy Friday one and all, and welcome to today’s round-up of the biggest and boldest Premier League transfer rumours that we’ve spotted while trawling our way around the media in the past 24 hours.

This week, we kick off with news from Sport Witness, who have written not one but two articles about the future of Juventus and Brazil defender Gleison Bremer – one which tells us that Manchester United are “serious” about signing him, and another which separately states that Newcastle United are interested too, but that according to the Italian media they are “lagging behind” in the race.

The former article also claims that United have settled on a bid of €60m (£51.3m) for him, which “will be accepted.” The only issue, apart from some apparently lackadaisical competition from Newcastle, is that Atlético Madrid are in the hunt as well.

The 3AM Verdict: Bremer is an excellent and very well-rounded defender with a superb fitness record, an attribute that United will probably prize after a slew of injuries this season. The same is true of Newcastle, of course, and it isn’t clear why they aren’t pushing a little harder – perhaps they feel that United have already beaten them to the punch.

Spurs among sides looking at Italian ace

Next we take a trip over to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, because HITC claim – via Italian outlet Tuttomercato – that Spurs are one of three sides tracking Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori. The 21-year-old, who is apparently rated at £17m, is also drawing attention from Juventus and AC Milan.

He’s also got a pretty glowing review from none other than Nineties legend Fabrizio ‘The White Feather’ Ravanelli, who tells us that “if he played for Manchester City, he would be the new John Stones.” HITC extrapolate this into suggesting he’s been “tipped” to join City, which is a distinct reach, but it’s still a mark of the esteem in which the young centre-back is held in his home country.

The 3AM Verdict: Calafiori only signed from Swiss side Basel in the summer but has made a big impact as Bologna battle for a surprise spot in Serie A’s top four. His positioning, judgement in the tackle and passing range have all been highly impressive, and the John Stones comparison isn’t far-fetched in our opinion. £17m would be a steal.

Chelsea could keep loan star at Stamford Bridge

Finally, we’ll hop on the tube to the far side of London for some news that might interest Chelsea fans. Caught Offside have an article which discusses the likelihood that the club sell some of their home-grown players in order to stay within profit and sustainability limits, but they reckon that it’s looking increasingly likely that they hang on to one of their academy products – Ian Maatsen.

Currently on loan at Borussia Dortmund, the Dutch left-back reportedly attempted to force a move last summer in order to secure regular first-team football, but having impressed with the Champions League semi-finalists there is apparently some staff will “urge the club to keep him.” They believe he could be a “key player” at Stamford Bridge, apparently. More liable to leave is Trevoh Chalobah, who has been linked with Fulham.

The 3AM Verdict: Maatsen made just one league start for Chelsea over the first half of the season and is 13 from 13 for Dortmund, with a goal, two assists and some pretty solid stats to his name. The implication is that Chelsea may have misjudged Maatsen’s quality and that it’s probably worth keeping him around, especially with Marc Cucurella likely up for sale and Ben Chilwell regularly dealing with fitness issues.