Spurs set to make surprise swoop for former player as Fulham target £17m striker

Spurs are already preparing their transfer targets for next summer, judging by today’s report that they’ve picked out a player in Portugal for a future bid – and not just any player, but one that they allowed to leave at the age of 20. Marcus Edwards could be in line for a long-awaited return to north London.

Sporting manager Rúben Amorim recently said that he thinks the now 24-year-old winger should be in the England squad, and his 12 goals in 49 games last year does lend some weight to the idea that he might be pretty handy. Spurs seem keen to put that to the test, although Sport Witness do take pains to point out that they are but one of “several European clubs” who are tracking the Enfield-born wideman.

Apparently Spurs stand to benefit either way – they hold a 35% sell-on clause on the player. It had been 50%, but they reduced as part of the deal that saw them sign Pedro Porro. You can’t do that in Football Manager.

The 3AM Verdict: Edwards has been quietly racking up plaudits in the Primera Liga for some time now, and he’s an excellent dribbler who presents a pretty decent goal threat – although he is one of the least defensive-minded forwards imaginable, which may not mesh all that well with Ange Postecoglou’s high-energy pressing football. No transfer fee is mentioned, but that meaty sell-on clause should give Spurs a pretty strong hand in negotiations.

Fulham back in for Stuttgart star

VfB Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy has scored a frankly absurd ten goals in his first five Bundesliga matches this season – which is probably making Marco Silva feel pretty sick given that Fulham made a concerted effort to sign him towards the end of the summer transfer window.

That didn’t work out (obviously) but neither has anyone else playing up front for the Cottagers, so they may be relieved to hear that he has a €20m release clause in his contract for next summer – pretty good money for anyone who can hit double digits before the end of September, and Sport Witness – for it is them again with the scoop on this one – reckon they’ll be back for a second attempt at securing the Guinean forward’s signature.

The 3AM Verdict: After several solid but not necessarily spectacular years in France, the 27-year-old Guirassy has exploded into form at Stuttgart and now totals 21 goals in 27 top-flight games for the German club. Probably a massive bargain at €20m, then, but one would imagine that Fulham won’t be the only team aware of the release clause by the time next June rolls around.

City looking to sign Brazilian star… from themselves?

Finally, Spanish outlet Fichajes has some transfer news that may well interest Manchester City fans – 19-year-old Brazilian forward Sávio, who has impressed with La Liga surprise package Girona this season, could well be on his way to the Etihad in the near future despite interest from both Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Making all of that easier, of course, is the fact that City already own him. Well, City Group do, anyway – in fact, he technically plays for French Ligue 2 outfit Troyes, who loaned him to Girona for the season. Given that both clubs, as well as City, are all owned by the same people, one would imagine the negotiations won’t be especially tense. No transfer fee has been mentioned, but who cares when you’re buying from yourself? In any case, this is one for next summer – for now, the teenager can crack on with an impressive season.

The 3AM Verdict: Multi-club ownership has a hell of a lot of potential pitfalls for football, but it certainly makes it easier for superclubs like City when they can just have other people do all the scouting and youth development for them. Anyway, Sávio is still very green but is an exceptional dribbler and a pretty lethal presence in front of goal. Early evidence suggests that he isn’t very good at any other aspects of the game yet, but it’s debatable as to how much that matters in a winger.