Manchester United set to bid for ‘teen sensation’ as Brighton eye former Liverpool star

Saturday has finally arrived but while most of us get to put our feet up for a couple of days, the rumour mill never stops turning – so we’re back with your daily digest of the biggest and strangest new Premier League transfer rumours.

Today, we’re going to kick things off with a story from GiveMeSport which suggests that Manchester United are “set to make a move” for teenage Sunderland midfielder and burgeoning star of the second tier Chris Rigg, with the Red Devils allegedly “closely monitoring” the 17-year-old, who already has three goals in 11 games this season in the Championship.

Apparently new part-owners Ineos, who are now in charge of transfer business at Old Trafford, want to sign more “high potential talents” and are particularly interested in getting their hands on more players who would qualify as home-grown down the line. Rigg, who has stood out with his league-leading club, fits the bill, but no financial details are mentioned.

The 3AM Verdict: Rigg is on a very rapid upwards trajectory, but we hope he has the sense to stay at a club where he’s getting regular starts rather than heading to a big club prematurely. We certainly don’t have any trouble believing that Manchester United are watching him, and we’d be shocked if half of the Premier League wasn’t monitoring him with equal intensity. We wouldn’t expect him to move until the end of the season, anyway.

Seagulls eye up former Liverpool star

News now from the south coast – Spanish outlet Fichajes claim that Brighton & Hove Albion are “closely monitoring” (a cliché getting plenty of use today) Monaco and Japan winger Takumi Minamino, who Premier League fans will of course recall from his time at Liverpool.

The 29-year-old’s performances in Ligue 1 are “attracting interest”, apparently, having “generated great excitement” with the prospect of a move to the Amex Stadium, although it isn’t made entirely clear who’s getting all that excited. The author, at least. Minamino has bagged three goals in 10 games so far this season.

The 3AM Verdict: Not that the story is necessarily implausible, but the complete absence of detail combined with Fichajes’ reputation for inaccuracy means we’re pretty sceptical that there’s any kind of firm basis to this one. But you never know.

London sides move for ‘monster’

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are both set to make a move for Lens centre-half Abdukodir Khusanov – at least, according to TeamTalk. They reckon that the 20-year-old, who would become the first Uzbek national to play in the Premier League, has made a “big impression” on his suitors, and could be plying his trade in England soon.

It’s not just those two sides interested in a defender apparently described by his team-mates as a “monster”, either – Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Brentford, West Ham and Brighton are all namechecked in the article, as well as a slew of the usual European suspects. Apparently his recent form would mean that he would command a massive £25m transfer fee.

The 3AM Verdict: Khusanov has been one of the best defenders in Ligue 1 so far this season, so we’re not surprised to see blanket links with a move away from Lens – as for whether any of these specific sides are really keen, it’s hard to say, especially given the lofty price tag. But players on that kind of form rarely take long to find a bigger club somewhere, so keep an eye on him for next summer. One thing the article doesn’t make clear, by the way, is why Chelsea and Spurs are called out especially.