Rounding up the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Manchester United, Spurs, Everton, West Ham and more.
Sign up to our newsletter for the most distinctive football content delivered direct to your inbox
Sign up
Thank you for signing up!
Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to 3 Added Minutes, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
Submitting...
The weekend may mean a welcome break for many of us, but the rumour mill never takes a breather, especially in the middle of a transfer window. With stories flying thick and fast, we’re hoping our regular daily round-up and review of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours will help keep everything in order – and today we start with a story that concerns Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and just about every other elite club in Europe.
Caught Offside allege that managerless United have “made their move” to sign RB Leipzig wonderkid Yan Diomande, a 19-year-old wide forward who has scored seven goals in his first 16 games for the club and blown many observers away – but while Leipzig are happy to let United discuss a salary with the Ivorian, it won’t be easy to get a deal done this January.
Leipzig are demanding a “huge offer” of around €100m (£87m) to sell Diomande, more than the €60-70m that United are said to have tabled so far. The German club apparently see a summer deal as more realistic, and are only open to selling sooner if the offer is colossal.
United have offered a wage package worth around €3.5m per year for up to six years, apparently, but it’s not clear whether Diomande is keen on the move or not. In any case, they may not be alone in the bidding if a deal does start to materialise – Spurs are one of several sides “closely monitoring” the situation, alongside Manchester City, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and PSG.
The 3AM Verdict: We agree with the tone of this article, which strongly suggests that Diomande – who is in currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations – isn’t likely to move this winter, but it’s interesting to see a story that United have made a formal offer. For starters, we aren’t sure that they have the money to make such a deal happen this January. Spurs, Liverpool, and City, on the other hand, all do…
Everton ‘hesitating’ over major La Liga move
Let’s head over to a story from Sport Witness now, which summarises stories from Spain which suggest that Everton have the chance to sign Sevilla right-back Juanlu Sánchez – but are “hesitating” about making a move.
Everton and Bayer Leverkusen are both said to “have him on their radars” but neither side has made a bid and it’s not clear whether he’s a priority purchase for either team despite Everton needing reinforcements at right-back. Napoli, who had a deal for Juanlu collapse over the summer, could also come back with another offer.
The 3AM Verdict: The key piece of missing information here is, of course, how much Sevilla are demanding for Juanlu – if it’s a reasonable fee, we’d be surprised if Everton weren’t sincerely interested as he’s a talented player who fills a position of need. If multiple teams are hesitating, however, there must be a valid reason. One to watch, nonetheless.
Brentford man emerges as West Ham target
Let’s wrap today’s digest up with a story which suggests that West Ham United are looking to sign an experienced defender from Premier League rivals Brentford this January – 32-year-old Ethan Pinnock.
The Daily Mail’s Mike McGrath took to social media on Friday to state that the Jamaican international was “emerging as a potential target” for the Hammers, whose defence has let them down for much of the season so far.
There’s no word on how much Pinnock, whose contract has 18 months left to run, would cost West Ham, but McGrath does claim that if Brentford decide to sell him then “competition [is] expected,” although the other clubs who could be interested are not named. There’s no suggestion that a formal offer has yet been made.
The 3AM Verdict: There’s not a ton of detail for us to go on here but McGrath is a reliable source for such stories and the deal certainly seems like one that could easily get done given that Pinnock has lost his starting spot at Brentford under Keith Andrews.