A look at the latest Premier League rumours - with news from Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and more.
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Another day dawns, and another slew of fresh Premier League transfer rumours is here for us to report on and analyse – and we’re kicking today’s edition of our regular morning round-up with a story which should pique the interest of Aston Villa fans.
According to Sport Witness, who cite Brazilian media sources, Aston Villa have embarked upon a “transfer mission” which will see them attempt to sign striker Kaio Jorge from Cruzeiro – and the Midlands outfit allegedly had scouts watching him in action against Grêmio recently.
The 23-year-old, who had a spell with Juventus before returning to his home country last year, has scored 22 goals in 40 games this season and as such Cruzeiro will only come to the table if the price is right. Apparently, they will “only consider negotiations if January offers reach around £30m.”
Villa are now debating whether to make a concrete offer, but strengthening their attack is said to be a key priority in January with Ollie Watkins struggling desperately for form this season. Kaio Jorge, who is under contract until 2029, is said to be “fully committed to Cruzeiro,” which may not bode well for the chances of a deal taking place.
The 3AM Verdict: The winter is the Brazilian off-season, which makes doing deals with their sides a little easier than it can be between European teams, and we suspect Kaio Jorge won’t necessarily be too averse to a second crack at Europe if given the chance. Much will depend on Villa’s finances, not so long after they were forced to sell their women’s team to their owners’ holding company to avoid running afoul of profit and sustainability rules.
Spurs target ‘falls into Paratici’s lap’ as transfer looms
Down to the capital, now – TeamTalk claim that a major Tottenham Hotspur target is set to “fall into [sporting director] Fabio Paratici’s lap” ahead of the January transfer window just months after a summer deal fell through.
The player in question is Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, who was the subject of an offer prior to the last deadline only for the proposed terms to be turned down by the Serie A side. That’s a decision they may now regret after Lookman’s public falling-out with his club intensified.
Lookman, who has made it clear that he was angry about not being allowed to leave in the last window, has now had a pitchside bust-up with his manager, Ivan Jurić, and his future in Bergamo is said to look “clouded.” It’s suggested that Atalanta will be looking for a permanent deal over the winter, rather than a loan-to-buy. Bayern Munich may still be interested, too.
The 3AM Verdict: While the odds of Lookman leaving Atalanta are clearly increasing, there is nothing in this report to suggest that Spurs are actively looking to rekindle the deal they couldn’t get through this summer – it’s pure speculation beyond the fact that Lookman clearly wants a change. None of that makes it unlikely that Spurs will make a second bid, of course, and it would be no shock if they did.
Manchester United targeting ‘new Erling Haaland’
Let’s wrap up with a story from Caught Offside which suggests that Manchester United are “eyeing up” Brazilian wonderkid Dell, a 17-year-old striker optimistically described in the headline as “the new Erling Haaland.”
Apparently United’s scouts have sent “positive feedback” about the Bahia forward, and they are now the “favourites to win the race for his signature.” There is, unfortunately, no mention of which other sides might also be in said race, but apparently the Red Devils “might need to move fast” to get a deal done.
Dell, a Brazilian Under-17 international, has a fine scoring record at youth level but has only made two senior appearances for Bahia and hasn’t made it onto the scoresheet just yet. There’s no word on how much he might cost, or whether he is ready to make the move to Europe at such a young age.
The 3AM Verdict: With so little detail here, it’s hard to say whether United really are in a good position to strike this deal, especially as we don’t know whether Dell would prefer to fight for first-team football in Brazil before making a move overseas. He’s certainly a player who’s attracting interest from scouts around the world, however.