Rounding up the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Spurs, Arsenal, Sunderland, Newcastle and more.
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Another day of gossip and speculation is in the books, and that means another edition of 3 Added Minutes’ morning round-up of all the biggest and juiciest new Premier League transfer rumours – starting with a story from Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal fans.
Spurs may have been thumped in the North London Derby last weekend, but Caught Offside believe that they could get one over on their old rivals in the transfer market, with Thomas Frank’s team said to be “leading the race” for Porto striker Samu Aghehowa.
Spurs have repeatedly been linked with the free-scoring Spaniard, who would apparently cost them €90m (£79m), just €10m less than his mandated release clause – but Arsenal are also one of the “two main teams to watch” in the bidding, apparently, despite having been mentioned far less frequently as a potential suitor.
Chelsea are “continuing to keep an eye” on Aghehowa, apparently, and Newcastle United are mentioned too although they are said to have “cooled” their interest due to Nick Woltemade’s impressive start at St. James’ Park. There’s no word on whether Spurs or Arsenal have made a formal approach, either.
The 3AM Verdict: Spurs certainly have at least some interest in Aghehowa, but we’d be surprised if Arsenal were in the bidding in the near future after spending so much on Viktor Gyökeres – and to be frank, we don’t expect them to be busy at all in January. They could perhaps be keeping tabs on him ahead of next summer should he still be available, but we doubt that their interest is quite as serious as suggested here, at least at this moment. We do think that Aghehowa is unlikely to move in January, wherever he ends up.
Sunderland get problematic update in midfielder hunt
Over to Sunderland now, who have been strongly linked with a January bid for Mattéo Guendouzi this January – but may find it tougher to sign him than they thought, according to Sport Witness.
Apparently there was “confidence” that the Black Cats could meet Lazio’s asking price for the midfielder (which isn’t specified) and that the Serie A side were happy to negotiate to help alleviate their financial situation, but there’s one unexpected barrier to a transfer – Guendouzi himself.
Reports from Italy seem to suggest that the former Arsenal man “isn’t interested in a move” and that he doesn’t want to go to the North East. Further complicating matters is the fact that Napoli might be interested, too, and are likely to be rather more appealing to Guendouzi.
The 3AM Verdict: The sources for this story are Italian journalists who may well have an inside track, and if they’re right then a deal which had seemed very likely to take place may be off after all. Don’t expected Sunderland to give up easily, but this deal could be in trouble.
Newcastle want £21m as Crystal Palace target midfielder
Let’s wrap up with a story from The Daily Telegraph which claims that Crystal Palace are “considering” a January bid to sign Newcastle midfielder Joe Willock, with the London club under the impression that he is available after falling down the pecking order on Tyneside.
Newcastle would apparently want to recoup the £21m they spent to sign Willock from Arsenal to help with their PSR position, although it’s suggested that Eddie Howe may be “reluctant” to let Willock leave mid-season. It’s unclear whether Palace are prepared to pay full whack or whether they are hoping to negotiate a reduced fee.
Newcastle’s transfer team may be more keen than Howe to sell Willock in order to provide funds for a bid for AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit, widely regarded as one of the most talented young players in the Netherlands. It’s suggested that an offer could well be made in January if the funds are there.
The 3AM Verdict: It’s hard to question the logic of trying to move from Willock, who has had a rough ride with injuries since the start of last season, to Smit, who seems to be a huge talent – the reporter behind the piece, Luke Edwards, is typically reliable for Newcastle-related stories, so we suspect there’s every chance that a deal takes place, although there could be a lot of haggling left to take place.