A round-up of the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Spurs, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Hull City and more.
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Every evening, we round up some of the biggest (and strangest) new Premier League transfer rumours which you might have missed over the course of the day – and we’re kicking our latest digest off with a story involving both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
A new story from Sport Witness – based in part on a story from the latest print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy – suggests that Spurs and United are “vying” for the signature of Freiburg striker Igor Matanović, both of whom are among a number of clubs showing “growing interest” in the 23-year-old.
Croatia international Matanović – who you may recall as the player whose almost invisible flicked header caused a crucial goal to be disallowed against Portugal during the World Cup – is also said to be a target for Fiorentina. Apparent interest from the Premier League, however, will supposedly make their attempted purchase “difficult.”
There’s no mention of the kind of transfer fee which Freiburg might demand for a player who only signed for them last summer, nor any suggestion that he has formed any particular preferences about his potential destination.
The 3AM Verdict: Manchester United have been linked with Matanović before, so perhaps they are in the market for the Croatian – but with Spurs agreeing to sign Omar Marmoush, we have a hard time imagining that they’ll be looking for another centre-forward. It’s also worth noting that Fiorentina are believed to be in for Joshua Zirkzee, which casts further doubt on elements of the story.
Aston Villa making ‘major push’ to sign Serie A star
Over to a story from TEAMtalk now which has been echoed by a number of different media outlets – they claim that Aston Villa are making a “major push” to “hijack” Galatasaray’s bid for AC Milan winger Rafael Leão, who is expected to leave the San Siro in the coming days.
Galatasaray have agreed a deal worth €45m (£39m) and offered the Portuguese international a contract which would double his Milan salary, but Villa are attempting to muscle in on negotiations with Leão apparently “intrigued” by the prospect of a move to the Premier League.
Apparently discussions took place between Villa and the player’s representatives on Wednesday, but their offer includes a far smaller pay packet – it remains to be seen whether it will be sufficient to tempt him.
The 3AM Verdict: Enough reports corroborate this story at this point that we have no problem believing it, but there’s very little indication as to whether Leão will actually accept Aston Villa’s offer – the riches on offer in Turkey may end up proving quite persuasive.
Brentford hold firm amid Hull interest
We’ll wrap up with a story from Sky Sports which looks at Hull City’s alleged interest in Brentford attacking midfielder Fábio Carvalho – a player that the Tigers have supposedly been monitoring for some time following a successful loan spell at the MKM Stadium in 2023/24.
Brentford apparently “want to keep” the former Liverpool man following his return from an ACL injury, and are expected to hold firm on keeping him as he works his way back towards full match fitness.
There’s no word, however, on whether direct discussions have taken place between the clubs, nor on whether the player himself might be keen on the move – and no hint of the kind of transfer fee which might change Brentford’s mind.
The 3AM Verdict: Carvalho is still just 23 and has plenty of potential, so we’re not surprised that Brentford want to give him a chance to work his way back into first-team contention. He’s under contract for another three years – four if Brentford exercise an option clause – so this would not be easily affordable for Hull unless it were a loan deal or Brentford were actively looking to move on.