Newcastle brace for massive Saudi bid as Spurs aim to hijack £60m Bournemouth deal
Welcome to our regular morning round-up of all the biggest and boldest new Premier League transfers – and we’re kicking things off today with an absolutely huge story which may well worry a lot of Newcastle United fans.
According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal are set to bring their colossal wealth to bear on a bid for Alexander Isak, with the Saudi side intent on making “a big statement” in the summer transfer window.
They are apparently plotting “a massive offer” to tempt Newcastle into a sale which they have made clear they wouldn’t consider if Liverpool were involved. Di Marzio doesn’t claim to know just how big that offer might have to be, but previous stories had suggested that Newcastle had set a notional asking price of £150m in order to deter suitors for the Swede.
That may not deter Al-Hilal, however, as they’re one of the few clubs in the world who can find money like that down the back of the sofa – and it could help their cause that they just so happened to be owned by the Saudi PIF, who have a majority stake in Newcastle. Whether that impacts the Magpies’ decision-making process remains to be seen…
The 3AM Verdict: Before we spoil too many Newcastle fans’ mornings, we should note that there is no suggestion that a formal offer has been made, and the report feels very speculative – a suggestion of what Al-Hilal might do, rather than anything implying that the wheels are already in motion. But if anyone can offer enough money to prise Isak away from St. James’ Park…
Tottenham Hotspur ready to hijack big-money PSG move
We’ll let Mr. Di Marzio have another article under our spotlight now, as he also had a pretty huge story concerning Tottenham Hotspur yesterday – he claims that Spurs are “keen” on Bournemouth defender Ilia Zabarnyi, who is a major summer target for PSG.
PSG have offered around €60m (£52m) to the Cherries in order to land the 22-year-old Ukrainian, but have seen their bids rejected so far with Bournemouth, who have already lost Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez, demanding €70m (£60m) – and it’s claimed that Spurs are “ready” to pay that in order to win the battle.
The player’s preference, however, is to move to Paris, although “it remains to be seen” whether the European champions will return with an improved offer, or whether Zabarnyi will be happy to head to Spurs if they’re the only option. Either way, the odds that Bournemouth lose another key player seem to be increasing.
The 3AM Verdict: Spurs are certainly opening their wallets this summer, and Daniel Levy can’t be accused of being tight this time around – but it doesn’t sound as though they’ve made the bid that Di Marzio suggests they will yet. Time will tell if he’s right and they do break the bank to land a hugely promising centre-back, and we wonder how much hinges on the future of Cristian Romero.
