Newcastle United lead race for £52m elite defender as Man Utd forward prepares to leave Old Trafford

He’s one of the hottest defenders in Europe, has a list of admirers that includes Real Madrid and practically every club in the Premier League, and would cost a small fortune to buy – but Newcastle United might just be in pole position to sign Sporting centre-back Gonçalo Inácio, according to a new report from Sport Witness.

Practically every big club in Europe wants to buy the 22-year-old Portuguese international, but it seems that Eddie Howe might be the manager who has his dreams come true. Newcastle will, however, have to pay full price if they want to sign him in January. Sporting aren’t especially keen to sell and would only let him leave for €60m (£52m), which is his minimum fee release clause.

The 3AM Verdict: Inácio is a massive talent, a technically-gifted defender with a superb passing range and a defender who doesn’t miss many tackles either. Given that so many clubs are after him it would probably be smart to steal a march by meeting his release clause and see which other teams have the ready cash over the winter – he could easily become a foundational piece for the next generation at Newcastle, and the kind of player who could elevate the team even further.

Southampton in for United starlet

After a stunning season on loan at Sunderland last year, it’s no shock that Manchester United winger Amad Diallo – who has sat out the season so far with a knee injury – should be lined up for another temporary switch to a second-tier side whose name begins with S. It is, however, surprising that it’s Southampton.

Football Insider suggest that the south coast club have been the first to make a move for Diallo but the article does not that Sunderland are interested in bringing him back too, as are Championship leaders Leicester City.

The 3AM Verdict: Diallo was brilliant as he scored 14 goals at the Stadium of Light last year, and given that injury has derailed his bid for a first-team place with United it makes perfect sense for him to go back down a league to remind everyone at Old Trafford what he can do. Whether it makes sense for United to let a promising player go when they’re struggling so much for quality production up front is another question, of course…

AC Milan shifting target away from Villa man

AC Milan are keen to bring a budget-conscious defender in over the coming transfer window, but Italy’s third-placed club may be shifting targets away from Aston Villa’s Clement Lenglet and instead setting their sights on a West Ham United player, according to Sport Witness.

Apparently, Villa are reluctant to let Lenglet end his loan from Barcelona early despite the fact that they never give him a game – and with that preventing Milan from making a bid, they’ve turned their attentions to the Hammers’ underperforming Thilo Kehrer. Apparently they like his versatility, with the only real issue being that just about every club in Germany is also keen on signing the former Paris Saint-Germain player.

The 3AM Verdict: For whatever reason, Kehrer just hasn’t been able to get going at the London Stadium, and his departure in January seems completely inevitable – and one would imagine that Milan would be a tempting destination, although it would only be on loan. A permanent switch to the Bundesliga may be more appealing. As for Villa clinging onto Lenglet, that does seem a little baffling but clearly Unai Emery is conscious that his back line will look a little thin if another defender goes down with Tyrone Mings out and Pau Torres now carrying a knock as well.