Newcastle United & Spurs poised to bid for Dutch midfielder as Barcelona target £51m Everton man

Welcome to Thursday’s round-up of the biggest and boldest Premier League transfer rumours currently doing the media rounds – and we begin this week with reports of an emerging transfer tussle between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, both of whom are apparently interested in Dutch midfielder Quinten Timber.

HITC claim that both clubs are keen to make a bid for the 22-year-old twin brother of Arsenal defender Jurriën, who has impressed with a string of fine displays for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie and has recently earned his first call-up to the Netherlands national team.

The article also wonders whether Arsenal themselves might make a bid, presumably to avoid any awkward family dinners if the Timber twins end up on either side of the North London divide, but it seems to be Spurs and Newcastle who are the most intrigued by a player described as having “Rolls Royce-like qualities.”

The 3AM Verdict: Timber originally broke into the Feyenoord first team as a defensive midfielder but it’s in a more attacking role that he’s really shone – he has six goals and six assists already this season and his ball-carrying skills and ability to create chances in tight spaces around the box have really stood out. No price tag is mentioned, so it’s hard to gauge exactly how good a deal might be, but he’s not looked far off Premier League quality this season, if at all.

Barcelona eye Everton man

The list of players to turn out for both Everton and Barcelona isn’t all that long – an idle bit of searching turned up seven, ranging from Yerry Mina to Mark Hughes – but 90min reckon that it could get a little longer this summer as Barça’s technical director Deco has put Amadou Onana on his shopping list.

A midfielder is the top priority at the Nou Camp, apparently, and Onana’s name appears on a list of four options alongside Joshua Kimmich, Aleix García and Mats Wieffer. The report reckons that Everton will want around €60m (£51.2m) to sell Onana, which might make him too expensive with a player like Wieffer likely to cost around half of that sum, but apparently the Belgian’s “physique, confidence, aerial ability and danger in the opposition box” make him a genuine contender for the Spanish superclub.

The 3AM Verdict: Everton probably can’t afford to turn down a bid for Onana this summer, and the player himself probably wouldn’t think about for all that long, so this will really come down to whether the perennially penniless Catalans can scrape together enough cash or decide to settle for a cheaper option. In the meantime, we will politely query how much “danger in the opposition box” is offered by a defensive midfielder with a career total of eight senior goals.

Leeds hoping to hold onto youngster as top clubs circle

Meanwhile, Football Insider claim that there are no fewer than six (unnamed) Premier League clubs pursuing Leeds United wonderkid Archie Gray, a budding teenage superstar who can play in a wide range of positions and who has consistently impressed with his performances in the Championship since breaking into the senior side at the start of the season.

Leeds, however, are keen to ward that interest off by signing him to a new contract, despite the fact that the 18-year-old signed a new deal just two months ago which ties him to the club until 2028. Apparently they will hope to persuade Gray to stay put with “a further big pay rise,” which will no doubt be music to the ears of Gray’s bank manager.

The 3AM Verdict: Gray has been brilliant at both right-back and in midfield this season, so one can see the appeal – and it would be interesting to know what level of club are interested, because his star is rising at great speed. Whether he leaves or not may well hinge on yet another new contract, but could also depend on whether Leeds earn promotion back to the Premier League. They’re currently top of the table, and one imagines that top-flight football would make it easier to convince Gray to stay.