Arsenal line up swoop for Chelsea flop as big guns eye up £60m man

All the latest Premier League transfer rumours, including updates from Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool

Today we start with one of the more eye-popping reports we’ve seen in recent weeks, courtesy of Caught Offside, who suggest that Arsenal are lining up a shocking move for Chelsea’s Mykhaylo Mudryk.

It’s shocking, of course, because Mudryk only signed for the Blues a year ago in a deal which could be worth up to £85.5m, and because he has largely been seen as a flop at Stamford Bridge.

It’s admittedly slightly less shocking when you recall that Chelsea famously sealed the deal by gazumping Arsenal, who were only a few crossed Ts and dotted Is away from buying the 23-year-old themselves. Apparently, Juventus could also bid for Mudryk if Chelsea decide to cut their losses.

The 3AM Verdict: One of the primary sources for Caught Offside’s story is Fichajes, who are not historically reliable, and even they don’t seem to be pushing it especially hard as an idea, so our suspicion is that this is pure paper talk.

But Arsenal certainly wanted Mudryk before, so perhaps the idea of them rekindling that interest isn’t so far-fetched.

Another report now from Caught Offside via Fabrizio Romano. The story is about Porto midfielder Alan Varela, a 22-year-old defensive midfielder who has caught the eye of both Manchester City and Liverpool.

He has a release clause of £59.9m, which implies that any move for Varela will be far from cheap.

The 3AM Verdict: Whether it’s a good deal or not will come down to cash – £60m, give or take, is a lot and Varela still has some development to do, so we’d suggest at that price that both teams could do better.

HITC reckon 20-year-old striker Luciano Rodríguez, who scored nine goals in the Uruguayan top flight last year, is on the radar of both Manchester City and Chelsea.

The 3AM Verdict: It sounds more like it’s the ownership groups who are interested in the player rather than the clubs – so he’s maybe more likely to be a target for Girona or Strasbourg rather than City or Chelsea. His scoring record is pretty impressive though, and he looks a real talent.