Man Utd make Everton star their ‘top target’ as Chelsea eye ‘crunch talks’ over £50m star’s future

It’s once again time for us to delve through the gossip columns to bring you a round-up of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours which you might have missed over the past 24 hours – and we start today with a story involving Manchester United and Everton.

According to Football Insider, United are plotting a major overhaul of their defence in 2027 and towering centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite is still a “top target” for the club, more than two years after they had a pair of bids for the defender rejected.

Branthwaite is said to be “pretty high up” on United’s list, but they may not be the only team who are keen – Everton’s arch-rivals Liverpool are also mentioned as being potential suitors. The Toffees, for their part, would prefer not to deal with Andoni Iraola’s team but are open to offers in the region of £80m.

To help fund what appears to be an expensive refurbishment of their struggling defence, United are also said to be consider the sale of Lisandro Martínez in a separate report from the same publication. Apparently the Red Devils plan to trigger a one-year contract extension they have an option on, and then find a buyer.

The 3AM Verdict: We should start by noting that Football Insider are not, in our opinion, a reliable source for such stories, and while United have held historic interest in Branthwaite we haven’t heard anything to suggest that he’s a particular favourite of current director of football Jason Wilcox. Branthwaite is on a long-term contract and would cost a fortune – still, it’s far more likely that he ends up moving to Old Trafford than to Anfield. You can forget that part of the story.

Chelsea ready for ‘crunch talks’ with £50m star

A story about a potential outgoing now, and one which may well worry any reading Chelsea fans – according to TEAMtalk, wonderkid winger Estevão Willian is “growing increasingly frustrated” with his lack of playing time under new head coach Xabi Alonso, and his future at Stamford Bridge may now be in doubt.

The Brazilian, who signed for Chelsea from Palmeiras in a deal which could end up being worth as much as £50m in 2025, is said to be “surprised” and “concerned” about finding himself down the pecking order after an impressive debut season in England, and it’s suggested that if he can’t force his way back into the line-up soon then he may start to push for a move.

Chelsea are apparently preparing to hold “crunch talks” with the 19-year-old, and are said to still see Estevão as a key part of the club’s near-term future despite his reduced playing time. The player himself will apparently “revisit” his own assessment of his position at Chelsea should he not be playing more regularly by January.

The 3AM Verdict: While we don’t doubt that Estevão is frustrated by his reduced role under Alonso, we certainly don’t expect anything to happen in January – and it’s worth noting that there is no mention of any suitors, which if nothing else suggests that his agent isn’t floating names around in the hopes of forcing a move or making a point. This is probably fuss over nothing. For now.

Brighton to battle RB Leipzig over Juventus starlet

We’ll finish up with a transfer rumour for the Brighton & Hove Albion fans among you: According to Italian transfer journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, several clubs – most prominently the Seagulls and RB Leipzig – are “monitoring” Germany age group international Adin Ličina, who is making waves in Italy.

The 19-year-old winger is currently on loan from Juventus at Serie B side Cremonese, and his form has been sufficiently impressive as to attract growing attention, with Juventus expected to make a decision on whether to sell or keep him around in the coming months.

There’s no word yet on the kind of transfer fee that Ličina, who started his career in Bayern Munich’s academy before moving to Turin at the start of 2026, might command, but he’s committed to Cremonese for the rest of the campaign, so any deal is only likely to take place next summer – although Di Marzio’s report hints that a January deal isn’t off the table entirely.

The 3AM Verdict: Di Marzio tends to be pretty accurate when it comes to Italian football, so there’s every chance that Brighton have indeed sent some scouts down to Cremona to take a look – but it’s clearly too early to know how likely it is that a deal takes place, or what the financials might look like. One to watch, probably long-term.