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The latest Premier League transfer rumours, including news from Chelsea, Spurs, Everton and Nottingham Forest.
Welcome to Tuesday’s dose of the latest and sometimes wildest Premier League transfer rumours that we’ve caught washing around the internet – and we start today with news of a three-way transfer tussle that’s allegedly about to erupt over free agent defender Mario Hermoso.
The five-cap Spain international has spent the last five years as an important member of Diego Simeone’s squad at Atlético Madrid but has let his contract run down in order to seek pastures new – and while Aston Villa had already been linked with him, Sport Witness now believe that they face competition from both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
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Napoli are also interested in signing him, meanwhile, and have been in “direct contact” with the 29-year-old, who made 174 appearances for Atléti before deciding to move on. Apparently Chelsea and Villa have both made “timid” approaches to the player, while Spurs’ interest remains “dormant” – but with Napoli looking to jettison players before they make new signings, there is time for any of them to swoop in and disrupt his Serie A move.
The 3AM Verdict: Given that he’s experienced, extremely capable, covers both centre-half and left-back and wouldn’t cost a penny, we’re surprised that we haven’t heard about more clubs looking into Hermoso. He’s an excellent technician and calm under pressure, which makes him ideal for teams that want to play around the high press and also a good passer who gets the ball forward quickly and accurately, which suits sides who play a strong tempo. Really, these are three teams who should get a move on before Napoli get it over the line.
Toffees linked with former Barcelona star
One of the more unlikely Barcelona players of recent years, 33-year-old Denmark forward Martin Braithwaite, could well be on the move this summer despite earning promotion to La Liga with Espanyol last season – at least, according to TeamTalk, who claim that he has a clause in his contract allowing him to leave the Catalan club for free.
Apparently, his representatives have already been in touch with Everton about bringing the veteran forward back to England, five years after he played for Middlesbrough. Perhaps optimistically, they have also been on the phone to Chelsea, too. According to the article, the Toffees are more interested in signing Armando Broja or Elijah Adebayo, but if Dominic Calvert-Lewin leaves then things could change quickly.
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The 3AM Verdict: Braithwaite’s hard-grafting stint at Barcelona may have entered meme territory fairly quickly but he would likely be a very useful back-up for a bottom-half Premier League team these days – he’s scored 31 goals in 67 games for Espanyol and despite his advancing years he propelled his club out of La Segunda. Still, while he’s a solid depth signing, we don’t expect any top-flight teams in England to make him a priority.
Forest a few million short for Serb
Nottingham Forest are also looking to get busy in the transfer market, and reports in the Italian media (duly relayed to us via Sport Witness) say that they’ve made an opening bid for Fiorentina and Serbia defender Nikola Milenković, who played in all three of his nation’s group stage games at Euro 2024.
Apparently Forest opened negotiations with a €15m (£12.6m) offer, but La Viola want at least another €5m on top of that. Talks are only at an early stage and a deal “doesn’t look close right now” but the 26-year-old is definitely under discussion. Spurs, Aston Villa and Fulham are all also alleged to be taking a look at the defender, but it sounds as though Forest are the only team to have made a move so far.
The 3AM Verdict: Milenković is a towering physical presence and almost unbeatable in the air – as he should be at 6’5” – and otherwise noted for his strong positioning and marking as well as his grit and determination. He’s not necessarily a very technical defender, but is still likely good enough to cut it in the Premier League, although €20m (£16.8m) sounds a little steep. Not by miles, mind you.