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Our take on the latest Premier League transfer rumours, with news from Manchester United, Spurs, Liverpool and more...
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Welcome to Wednesday’s round-up of all the biggest and boldest Premier League transfer stories currently making their merry way around the rumour mill – we’ve got news for fans of Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City coming up, but today we’re going to get started with a story for the red half of Manchester.
According to Sport Witness, who cite the Italian press as their source, Manchester United are “serious” about trying to “tempt” Napoli’s superstar winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Old Trafford, and have prepared a wage package worth €9m (£7.5m) per year in order to make the move happen.
Napoli are keen to sign their best player to a new contract but haven’t been able to agree a deal yet, and could sell up if United fork out a hefty €100m (£83.4m). The good news for United’s bean counters is that the Italian side would apparently be happy to come up with a payment plan. Klarnatskhelia, if you will.
The 3AM Verdict: This clashes with recent claims suggesting that United plan to curb their spending next summer, which is when we assume a move would have to happen due to the Premier League’s financial rules – and United get linked with every big-money move going, in the way of these things, which makes us rather sceptical. That said, there’s a lot of specific detail here, which often hints that a story is properly sourced rather than pure hearsay, so you never know…
Spurs in for Serie A star
On to North London now, with a story from TeamTalk – who reckon that Tottenham Hotspur “have prepared a bid” for Inter Milan and Italy midfielder Davide Frattesi with an eye on a January move.
The midfielder, who can play as a number ten or in a deeper central role as has 25 caps for his country, is apparently unhappy to find that he’s been relegated to the bench just a few months after making a loan move from Sassuolo permanent, and as such is pushing for a move. Inter would accept a “significant” fee of around €35m (£29.2m), allegedly.
The 3AM Verdict: The players Frattesi is losing time to are Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Nicolò Barella, so being benched is hardly an indication that he isn’t good enough – Frattesi is creative and very dangerous in the final third. He isn’t, however, a great defensive asset and doesn’t force many turnovers, which is something Ange Postecoglou seems to prize in his midfielders. We’ll see.
New contenders in for Liverpool target
Lastly today, we’re going to return to an old favourite of transfer columns everywhere – the future of Real Sociedad midfielder Martín Zubimendi, who famously turned Liverpool down this summer after deciding that he liked life in the Basque Country too much to leave.
Since then, there has been plenty of speculation suggesting that the defensive midfielder regrets his decision following Sociedad’s poor start to the season, and that Liverpool might try again – which, according to Caught Offside, they will, but they’ll have some competition.
With Sociedad “ready to listen to offers” for the Spain international, Arsenal are also ready to make a bid of around £50m, which Manchester City “could be one to watch” as they wonder whether to replace Rodri in January.
The 3AM Verdict: Whether Zubimendi sincerely regrets his decision or not, he probably won’t stay put forever – but we doubt that Arsenal will spend so much on another central midfielder when they already have Declan Rice and Mikel Merino, and we doubt that Manchester City will make a big move this January, all of which would leave Liverpool in the clear if they want to go back. We’ll see, but we aren’t expecting him in the Premier League until next summer, anyway.