Reviewing the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Manchester United, Spurs, Crystal Palace, Brighton and more.
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It’s once again time for 3 Added Minutes’ regular morning round-up and review of some of the biggest and juiciest new Premier League transfer rumours – and today, we kick off with a story about a deal which would be pretty remarkable if Manchester United could pull it off.
According to Spanish gossipmongers Fichajes, Italian international striker Mateo Retegui is now a “firm target” for United as they search for some fresh firepower up front following the disappointment of Benjamin Šeško’s first few months at Old Trafford.
The 26-year-old Retegui only moved to Saudi Pro League side Al Qadisah this summer for a fee of over £55m and has scored three goals in his first four games, so it comes as some surprise that there could be any prospect of his moving on – but United are nevertheless said to be “keeping a close eye” on his progress in the Middle East.
Despite Al Qadisah having “the intention of keeping him,” Fichajes claim that a deal could still be done in the €50-60m range – less than he cost in the first place. Quite why the Saudi side would agree to such a deal is unclear, but apparently it could be pulled off if United “negotiate well.”
The 3AM Verdict: This doesn’t make a shred of sense, quite frankly. Everyone has a price, but it’s generally more than a club paid for a player just a few months ago. We should probably note that we have a fairly low opinion of Fichajes’ reliability, an opinion which isn’t being improved by a story we think has precisely zero legs to stand on. Sorry, United fans.
Spurs, Crystal Palace and others ‘considering’ €50m January bid
Over to a slightly more realistic story from Caught Offside now, who allege that Tottenham Hotspur are among the sides “considering a January move” for Lazio centre-half Mario Gila, who is apparently a “serious candidate” as Spurs look to strengthen their defence.
Spurs aren’t the only team keeping track of the 25-year-old, with Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion all said to have “kept close tabs” on the Spaniard – with Bournemouth and Brighton even said to have made contact with his representatives already as they search for defensive reinforcements.
Spurs have apparently learned that a deal for Gila would set them back €45-50m (up to £43.5m), but it’s said that such a valuation “won’t scare Tottenham,” who are set to “test the water” in January.
The 3AM Verdict: The focus on Spurs in this report may not reflect the truth by the sounds of it, with several teams apparently considering a deal. The price isn’t too off-putting, so this is a perfectly plausible January deal for a few different sides.
Brighton pursuit reaches ‘crucial stage’
Let’s wrap up with another transfer story involving Brighton – Sport Witness bring word from Brazilian media sources on their apparent pursuit of Internacional midfielder Gustavo Prado, with negotiations said to be reaching “a crucial stage.”
The Brazilian side are “ready to negotiate” over the 20-year-old but are demanding a fee between €10m and €20m, a pretty broad price range which runs from about £8.5-17m. Complicating a deal further is the fact that the player’s economic rights are divided between three parties, including Prado himself.
Porto and City Group side Bahia have both “made enquiries” and sent scouts to watch the youngster as well, with Internacional under financial pressure to sell. With the Brazilian season ending fairly soon, this is a deal which could well happen in January.
The 3AM Verdict: We’ll confess that this one flew under our radar before now, but the level of financial detail here is enough to convince us that there’s some very real journalism behind the story, and that this isn’t just another slice of idle gossip. As for how good Prado is, Brighton don’t miss very often.