Love them or loathe them, transfer rumours are a staple of the football landscape. But not all gossip was created equal. We’re here to help you sort the wheat from the chaff – so here are the pick of today’s football transfers, ranked.
Fulham want to renew Marco Silva’s contract
Rumour rating (out of 10): 9
Well, duh. The bigger surprise would be if Fulham were looking to get shot of Marco Silva, who has established the Premier League club as a solid mid-table presence since his arrival at Craven Cottage in July 2021.
Before the Portuguese took up the reins, Fulham had been bobbing up and down like a buoy on the nearby River Thames. Relegated from the Premier League twice in the previous three seasons, the club was crying out for a period of stability. Silva has delivered just that. The 48-year-old won the Championship at the first time of asking and has not looked back since, a substantial achievement when you consider the growing tendency for promoted teams to go straight back down.
Fans have occasionally bemoaned the rigidity of his tactics and longed for the free-flowing style that characterised Silva’s promotion campaign, when Aleksandar Mitrovic bagged 43 goals, breaking the English league record for a 46-game season. Yet the ends have justified the means, with Fulham finishing 10th, 11th and 13th over the past three seasons – and the last of those campaigns yielding a club record Premier League points total of 54.
With Silva’s contract due to expire next summer, Fulham’s anxiety to secure his future is understandable, particularly given the long list of clubs that have been credited with interest in his services. Happily for Fulham owner Shahid Khan, who has said the Portuguese is “in our long-term plans”, Silva seems receptive to the idea, his well-documented frustration with the club’s inertia in the summer transfer window notwithstanding.
“I have felt always part of this football club, from the first day,” said Silva. “I have been here five years, why not more?”
Why indeed.
Arsenal want to renew Jurrien Timber’s contract
Rumour rating: 9
As with Marco Silva, this one is a no-brainer.
Since his £38.5m move from Ajax two summers ago, Jurrien Timber has become an integral part of one of the best defences in Europe. At 24, his best years are ahead of him, and while the Dutch right-back’s existing contract does not expire until 2028, Arsenal have shown that they are eager to keep their back line together for the foreseeable future.
William Saliba signed a new five-year contract last month, while Gabriel Magalhães also reaffirmed his commitment to Arsenal this summer, agreeing a deal that will keep him in north London until 2029. Retaining Timber, a right-back who can also play at centre-half, would ensure the defensive core around which Mikel Arteta has constructed his side remains intact.
Despite his relatively short time at the club, the Dutchman has offered ample evidence of his resilience and tenacity, recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament suffered on his Premier League debut in August 2023 to establish himself as a key figure.
“Jurrien is a really good example of someone that, especially under very difficult circumstances, with a very early injury in his career, with a really difficult injury, the way he’s come back and what he’s doing for the team, it’s phenomenal,” Arteta said earlier this season.
Small wonder, then, that Arsenal want to keep him.
Manchester United want Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand
Rumour rating: 7
Given Manchester United’s well-documented personnel problems, it is unsurprising that the club has been credited with renewed interest in Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand.
To be effective, Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 system demands the presence of two deep-lying midfielders. One of those roles has been shared between Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro, while the other has been occupied by club captain Bruno Fernandes. Kobbie Mainoo, meanwhile, has been shunted to the margins, with Amorim questioning his tactical discipline as a No 8 and ability to set the midfield tempo as a No 6.
In truth, though, none of the options at the Portuguese manager’s disposal appears ideal. At 33, Casemiro is no longer a man for all seasons, while Ugarte, though a fine ball-winner, lacks passing range and is less comfortable on the ball than Amorim’s tactics demand. The latter criticism hardly applies to Fernandes, yet the feeling persists that he is a square peg in a round hole, with United missing his creativity further up the pitch.
Enter Hjulmand, with whom United were also linked this summer after Brighton’s £120m asking price for Cameroon international Carlos Baleba was deemed a little too rich by the Old Trafford club. At 26, the Sporting midfielder is five years older than Baleba, but lacks nothing of the younger man’s dynamism and spark. Amorim is a confirmed admirer of Hjulmand’s “monster mentality” and leadership skills, and appointed him captain during his time at Sporting. The midfielder, whose contract expires in 2028, has won two Primeira Liga titles at the Lisbon-based club.
While the Denmark international undoubtedly fits the current profile for a United midfielder, however, he has yet to play in any of the top five European leagues. For that reason, a move for either Baleba or Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton would seem to make more long-term sense for United, although Amorim’s relationship with the player should no more be discounted than the possibility that Sporting would reportedly consider doing business with their former manager at less than the official asking price of £70m.
Barcelona and Real Madrid want Crystal Palace defender Marc Guéhi
Rumour rating: 5
Ah yes, this old chestnut. Marc Guéhi’s next destination has been the subject of constant speculation since the deadline-day collapse of Liverpool’s £35m move for the Crystal Palace defender.
Long story short: yes, Palace manager Oliver Glasner has confirmed Guéhi will leave the club when his contract expires next summer; yes, Real Madrid are looking to recruit a defender in preparation for the expected departures of Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba at the end of this season; yes, a move for a free agent would appeal not only to Madrid, who specialise in such deals, but also Barcelona, given their financial situation and desire to bolster manager Hansi Flick’s defensive options; and yes, Guéhi will be free to sign a pre-contract with a foreign club come January.
None of which alters the fact that reports closer to home continue to suggest Guéhi remains interested in a move to Anfield next summer, while supporting evidence is thin on the ground when it comes to stories linking him with La Liga.
Everton’s Vitalii Mykolenko is wanted by La Liga and Serie A clubs
Rumour rating: 3
With Everton manager David Moyes seemingly unconvinced by 19-year-old Morocco international Adam Aznou, signed from Bayern Munich this summer for an undisclosed fee, Ukraine international Vitalii Mykolenko remains Everton’s first-choice left-back.
While a significant bid from La Liga or Serie A could alter the picture, the departure of Mykolenko, whose contract expires next summer, seems unlikely. The full-back has prospered under Moyes, and Everton have an option in their favour to extend his deal by a further year. In addition, no clubs have been specifically mentioned in reports emanating from France.
Barring an offer Everton can’t refuse, expect Mykolenko to remain on Merseyside for the time being.
