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The latest Premier League transfer rumours, including news from Spurs, Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Manchester City and more...
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It may be a while before clubs can sign players again, but the post-transfer window period is prime scouting season – and to help you keep track of all their latest movements as teams work on their shortlists, we’re here with our daily dose of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours.
Up first, we’ve got a story from Give Me Sport, who claim that Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace have both sent their scouts to “monitor” 19-year-old Sunderland starlet Jobe Bellingham – and that the Black Cats could sell if they receive a suitable offer.
The player himself is “open” to moving on from the Stadium of Light, too, and his club will happily let him move on should they get “a good offer” – at least if they miss out on promotion. There are no details of the kind of finances which may be involved, and the implication is that we aren’t close to that stage yet, with both Spurs and Palace keeping a watching brief for the rest of the season.
The 3AM Verdict: We suspect that there will be other clubs keeping close tabs on Bellingham, who has shown plenty of promise in the second tier. Apparently his older brother plays football, too, so maybe someone should find out how his career is going and see if it offers any pointers. Anyway, we don’t doubt that both teams are compiling report cards, but it’s too early to say whether anything will come of it – although Palace were linked with a bid back in the summer, too.
Chelsea ask after (another) winger
We’ll move on to a story from TBR Football, now, which offer some insight into summer transfer plans at Stamford Bridge – although in fairness, we would probably all have guessed that Chelsea would be another winger, so this one may not come as a huge shock.
Apparently, their first choice is Athletic Club’s Spain international Nico Williams, but he’s somewhere on the wish list of just about every elite club in Europe – and happily, they’ve developed an alternative as a result of recent conversations with AC Milan over the eventual loan of João Félix.
During those talks, they “asked for information” about the future of Portuguese winger Rafael Leão, according to unspecified sources – not that those initial chats went all that well, with Milan apparently informing Chelsea that Leão was “a firm part of their plans” and “they won’t sell him.”
The 3AM Verdict: I think we all suspect that Chelsea are the kind of club that can bring about a bid big enough to test Milan’s resolve, so long as they keep dodging the glare of the PSR spotlight. It’s also worth noting that a lot of talks at this stage are informal and exploratory by their nature – if Chelsea are really keen, they won’t be deterred.
Man City eye Serie A star ‘to replace De Bruyne’
Finally, a story from TeamTalk, who claim that Manchester City’s recruitment team have “an extensive file” on Atalanta and Belgium midfielder Charles De Ketelaere, who they have “shortlisted” as a potential replacement for compatriot Kevin de Bruyne.
It seems that City have had scouts in attendance at his games recently, whose asking price for the 23-year-old isn’t specified but should not be “too extravagant” despite the presence of a 10% sell-on clause to AC Milan. City won’t have it all their own way with De Ketelaere, however, with local rivals Manchester United seemingly interested too.
Apparently, Pep Guardiola can “anticipate a big summer window” as the club’s owners embark on a bit of a rebuild, with the seemingly declining De Bruyne one of the players who might face the axe. The article also notes that reports in Spain suggest City might also be interest in Pablo Dybala, who has a bargain £10m release clause – although the suggestion that he would be a replacement for De Bruyne seems a bit wide of the mark.
The 3AM Verdict: City are back in big-spending mode and have clearly come to the conclusion that an ageing squad is part of the reason that it’s all gone south this season – but is De Ketelaere the man for the job? He’s had a very up-and-down start to his career, moving to Milan with a lot of hype but falling flat before resurrecting his reputation at Atalanta. We’ll see if he’s persuaded City to make a move…