Overview

• Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham are all reported to be tracking 24-year-old Brentford captain Nathan Collins but no official bids have been lodged.
• Liverpool’s strong transfer balance, bolstered by summer sales of Darwin Núñez, Luis Díaz and Caoimhín Kelleher, positions it as the frontrunner.
• Manchester United must generate funds through player sales before they can pursue a deal for Collins.
• Tottenham’s new manager, Thomas Frank, admires Collins but may hesitate to make an approach out of loyalty to his former club.
• Brentford’s loss of manager Thomas Frank, Christian Nørgaard and Bryan Mbeumo this summer has made the club highly reluctant to sell another key defender.