West Ham’s £42m Bigfoot sighting, Aston Villa’s brass neck, and Liverpool’s cosmic duty

The banks may be on holiday, but the rumours never sleep. Unlike those lazy financiers, we here at 3 Added Minutes are committed to ploughing on regardless, swatting aside pesky distractions like coronations and general merriment in the name of cold, hard speculation.

Not all heroes wear capes. Some of us scour the gossip columns and repurpose our findings into one handy, bite-sized amuse bouche for your consumption. You’re very welcome. Shall we?

West Ham want Man City duo

You have to admire the ambition, at least. West Ham, those affable geezers of cyclical disappointment, are said to be interested in a double swoop for Manchester City duo Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips. According to 90min, the Hammers are keeping tabs on both England internationals ahead of potential summer raids amid widespread uncertainty over their future.

£42m man Phillips, for his part, has been seen less than Bigfoot this season, while Walker appears to be in the first throes of the long goodbye that usually proceeds a transitional changing of the guard. In the case of the latter, his former clubs Aston Villa and Sheffield United are also said to be keen, bless them.

The 3AM Verdict: You would imagine that West Ham’s spending power this summer will hinge largely on if, and for how much, they sell Declan Rice. The Irons skipper is expected to depart for somewhere in the region of £100 million, and if he were to go, they could do far worse than bringing in his England teammate Phillips to replace him. Likewise with Walker, who would certainly represent an upgrade at right-back. It is worth nothing, however, that as yet, there is no indication that City actually plan to sell either player...

Villa eye Vlahovic

Speaking of wild ambitions in claret and blue, Aston Villa are understood to be interested in a potential summer deal for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic. The Serbian was, for a long while, regarded as one of the most desirable attacking talents in world football. Perhaps that reputation has faded a little since his move to Turin last January, with a return of 22 goals in 59 matches hardly commanding an elite billing, but nevertheless, check out the brass neck on the Villans.

According to Football Insider, Unai Emery’s could pounce in the event of Juve missing out on Champions League qualification this term. As things stand, the Italian giants are still far from guaranateed a top four finish in Serie A, although they do have the safety net of a Europa League semi-final to fall back on too. It is claimed that Vlahovic will be allowed to leave if neither route to Europe’s top table comes to fruition.

The 3AM Verdict: What a statement of intent this would be. Villa have the feel of a side going places under Emery, but if they are to solidify that trajectory then a few signings of this ilk wouldn’t go amiss. In the right system, Vlahovic can be lethal, although just how lucrative any deal would have to be to lure him to Villa Park remains to be seen.

Liverpool join Tielemans race

And finally, Liverpool want Youri Tielemans. Supposedly. That’s according to Football Transfers, who suggest that the Reds are monitoring the Belgian, as well as Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister. Legend has it that if a single day goes by during which neither is linked to a top six Premier League club, the very fabric of space and time will cease to exist, collapsing in on itself and eradicating all we know and hold dear in one devastating swoop. We thank you, Football Transfers, cosmic guardian that you are.

The 3AM Verdict: Tielemans is going to make a very astute signing for somebody this summer. The Leicester City man is available on a free transfer, and has more than enough pedigree to compete at the very highest level, both domestically and continentally. Liverpool, for their part, need midfield reinforcements, and as long as this isn’t their sole deal of the summer, it could be a smart one.