The latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Spurs and Crystal Palace.
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Once again, 3 Added Minutes have pored over the global gossip columns to bring you our regular morning round-up of all the biggest and juiciest new Premier League transfer rumours – and today, we start off with a story from Manchester United.
Football Transfers combine stories from a couple of different outlets to suggest that United are “preparing” a January bid for Nottingham Forest standout Elliot Anderson as the Red Devils work to rebuild their midfield.
Apparently they are getting ready to launch “an opening offer of €58m” – that’s roughly £50m – and United see Anderson as a “cheaper and more viable” alternative to Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba, who could cost twice as much if they make a bid next year.
The bad news for United fans is that Forest are said to be “unlikely to grant a sale mid-season” – but the club are still prepared to “test [Forest’s] resolve” once the winter transfer window opens in a few short months.
The 3AM Verdict: The key source for this story is Spanish outlet Fichajes, who provide the financial details, and their track record doesn’t inspire much confidence in us – nor do we think that Forest are remotely likely to permit a move in January unless the fee is absolutely outrageous. Finally, we doubt that United have enough PSR room left to make a £50m bid for anyone unless there’s an unexpected sale. In short, we doubt the entire story.
Spurs make England star their ‘priority’
Having just slated Fichajes, we’ll give them a second chance after they printed a story which could interest Tottenham Hotspur supporters – they claim that Spurs have “shown the most interest” in arranging a deal for former Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, and have made him a “priority”.
Apparently, Spurs are “planning a move in the next transfer window” after a summer in which a number of rumours connected Gallagher with a move back to England, with several sides alleged to be interested in securing his services a year after he left to join Atlético Madrid.
Manchester United were said to have been “very close” to signing the England international, too, but Atléti are still unsure how to proceed and are “carefully analysing” their next move as they decide whether to negotiate with other teams or keep hold of Gallagher. The player is said to be “comfortable” in Spain but won’t rule a move back home out.
The 3AM Verdict: We suspect that a few teams did indeed enquire about Gallagher over the summer but with nothing happening we doubt that he’s a “priority” for any clubs right now – not to say that Spurs aren’t interested to some degree. The next few months will determine whether Atléti decide to keep or sell, we suspect.
‘Talks ongoing’ over Crystal Palace deal
Let’s round off today’s digest with an update on a potential transfer deal involving Crystal Palace – Sport Witness state that Turkish side Besiktas are “planning a late move” for Jefferson Lerma, which can take place immediately as their transfer window remains open.
The Istanbul side have “started talks” with Lerma’s representatives, although the outcome is “still open” according to one of the journalists quoted in the article. Palace’s stance on the potential deal is unknown and there is no suggestion that formal bid has been lodged.
The Colombian winger, who is entering the final year of his Palace contract, is said to be one of several names on Besiktas’ shortlist, but they have “intensified” talks as they work to get a deal done.
The 3AM Verdict: A plausible enough story, and one that seems to be corroborated by several sources in and outside of Turkey, which usually hints that it’s more than just paper talk. Whether or not the deal actually takes place, it seems as though the interest is very genuine.