Newcastle bid for £26m star is ‘coming’ as Man Utd plot Premier League raid for Jadon Sancho replacement

We begin Tuesday’s Premier League transfer rumour round-up with news of Manchester United’s plans to replace ostracised winger Jadon Sancho. The England international has fallen heavily out of favour at Old Trafford following the breakdown of his relationship with manager Erik ten Hag, and according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the Red Devils could look to draft in either Wolves star Pedro Neto or Club Brugge talent Antonio Nusa to bolster their options out wide if and when Sancho leaves - although deals in the January transfer window could prove to be fairly difficult.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, the renowned journalist said: “Neto is obviously a player they know very well, but at the moment, they are not having contact to sign this player, they are keeping things tight also, because these are very expensive players. I think, for Neto in January it is going to be very difficult to reach an agreement with Wolves. For Nusa, it’s the same. Nusa is a player with a very big value and I think it’s going to be tough to go for this kind of player. Maybe more for some opportunities instead. Maybe in the January transfer window, you can find some players on loan until the end of the season.”

The 3AM Verdict: The situation surrounding Sancho looks increasingly unlikely to improve, and if he is destined for the exit door, then United could do far, far worse than signing Neto in particular. The Wolves attacker has been in sparkling form of late, and it is little wonder that he is attracting admiring glances from some of the biggest clubs in the country. Valued at around £70 million, however, he will not come cheap.

Toon offer for Dragusin is ‘coming’

Elsewhere, the agent of Romanian defender Radu Dragusin has once again reiterated Newcastle United’s apparent interest in signing the player. The Magpies have been linked with the Genoa centre-back for quite a while now, and his representative, Florin Manea, is increasingly bullish about the prospect of the Premier League club firming up their pursuit in the near future.

Speaking to Romanian outlet Fanatik, he said: “I don’t think there is anyone in Italy who would give this amount of €30m. I talked about the Premier League area, I talked about Newcastle, but they are not the only ones, there are several teams I am talking to.

“Genoa don’t want to give him now, but in the summer yes. If they get the price they want, you realise it’s a lot of money. Genoa want €30 million [£26.2 million], they said directly.” He added: “There’s no official offer yet, but it’s coming. It will be a pleasant surprise when it arrives.”

The 3AM Verdict: Newcastle could certainly use reinforcements at the heart of defence, and they could absolutely do worse than securing a deal for Dragusin, a player with plenty of pedigree available at a relatively reasonable price. Whether there is genuine interest, however, or whether this is a case of an agent trying to stir up some kind of bidding war for his client, remains to be seen.

Fulham face new Palhinha test

And finally, Bayern Munich are set to renew their interest in Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha in January, according to the Evening Standard. The Portuguese star had looked to be on the cusp of joining the Bundesliga giants over the summer, only for a proposed deal to collapse at the eleventh hour.

Palhinha has contined to impress during for the Cottagers the early knockings of the current campaign, however, and it is understood that Bayern are willing to rekindle their pursuit this winter. For their part, Fulham are expected to do their utmost to once again fend of interest in their prized asset.

The 3AM Verdict: Losing Palhinha would be a hammer blow for Fulham. The midfielder is integral to so much of the work that Marco Silva’s men do, and given a choice, you would imagine that they would much rather keep hold of him than receive a hefty financial compensation for his departure. That being said, if a club like Bayern set their sights on a player, it can be hard to hold them off for too long.