A round-up of some of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Spurs, Chelsea, Bournemouth, Aston Villa and more.
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Another day of scurrilous gossip and scarcely plausible stories has been and gone, and that means it’s once again time for us to round up some of the biggest and strangest Premier League transfer rumours which you might have missed over the past 24 hours – starting with a startling story involving Tottenham Hotspur.
According to TeamTalk, Spurs are “strongly considering” an unexpected bid for recently-released Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling, with head coach Thomas Frank said to be “on board” with the idea.
Spurs have a host of injuries up front (and everywhere else, for the matter) and supposedly see Sterling as an ideal player to sign on a short-term basis, with the England international’s much-publicised preference to remain in London offer Spurs a “distinct advantage” compared to other potential bidders.
West Ham, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Napoli are all mentioned as being interested too, but the report doesn’t suggest that any of those sides have made a concrete offer to Sterling as yet. As a free agent, he doesn’t need to be signed by the end of the transfer deadline either, meaning that there’s less of a rush.
The 3AM Verdict: While perhaps surprising, this does make a certain amount of sense for a Spurs side thoroughly bedevilled by injuries – if it’s a short-term deal, then the risk is low and if Sterling can somehow recapture a fraction of his previous form, it could prove to be a shrewd move. Still, we should note that this article is inherently speculative and we have seen no clear signals as to where Sterling might end up as yet.
Chelsea ‘preparing’ breathtaking £130m move for Real Madrid star
Let’s check out a story from Spanish gossipmongers Fichajes now, who allege that Chelsea are themselves “preparing” a staggering €150m (£130m) bid for Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Apparently Bellingham’s recent inconsistent form means that the “stage is set” for Real to accept such an overwhelming bid, while it’s also claimed that the prospect of a return to England would be “extremely appealing” to the 22-year-old, although there’s no mention of his thoughts about moving to Chelsea specifically.
Real would be “willing to let him leave” if the right fee was offered, and while it’s not clear that £130m would be enough as yet, Chelsea will supposedly “spare no expense” to get this one over the line if they can.
The 3AM Verdict: Let’s just start by saying that Fichajes is not, in our opinion, a reliable source for such stories and they have a penchant for reporting colossal potential transfer deals which mysteriously never happen. We believe that this one will fall into the same category. Not happening in the foreseeable future.
Bournemouth ‘step ahead’ of Aston Villa and Everton in winger race
Let’s finish things up with a slightly more believable story from Sport Witness, who reckon that Bournemouth have “stepped ahead” of rivals Everton and Aston Villa in the race to sign Inter Milan winger Luis Henrique.
The 24-year-old Brazilian only signed from Marseille in the summer but has failed to score in 24 appearances and would be “free to leave” should Inter complete a likely deal for former Villa forward Moussa Diaby. Apparently the player would have to be “convinced” to leave for the Premier League, but a healthy salary usually helps to twist the necessary arms in such cases.
Bournemouth have supposedly tabled an offer which is somewhere between €20m and €30m (£17.5-26m), with different sources in Italy stating different sums, and the Cherries are apparently “ahead” of both Everton and Aston Villa, who are also alleged to be interested.
The 3AM Verdict: The Semenyo deal means that Bournemouth have both the money and the need, and this could be a fine signing based on his performances for Marseille. It’s very hard at this stage to gauge how likely a deal is to take place, however, with a lot of incomplete information going around. We doubt that Everton make a bid as they’re trying to keep things cheap this winter, but Villa could conceivably move with Evann Guessand leaving for Crystal Palace.