EURO PAPER TALK: MAN UTD EYE AWESOME FOURSOME WITH SEVEN SOLD OFF IN £360M SQUAD REBOOT; ARSENAL AGREE €50M ITALY RAID
Manchester United want to sign four players and move seven on as part of a staggering €425m squad rebuild, Liverpool have strong belief a raid on the Bundesliga is on, while Arsenal have struck gold with a €50m Serie A raid agreed.
MAN UTD PUT SEVEN UP FOR SALE AS ASHWORTH LOOKS TO RAISE FUNDS
Manchester United are looking to generate serious transfer funds this summer to put towards a squad rebuild, with a report naming the seven stars they will look to cash in on.
The Red Devils know major investment is needed in a squad that badly under-performed last season and ended up finishing in a lowly eighth in the Premier League – the worst ever finish in the competition ever recorded by a Manchester United side.
And while they did win the FA Cup to qualify for the Europa League – in what was seen by the club as a very sizeable salvation of an otherwise bleak campaign – they do see themselves as being regulars back in the Champions League going forwards.
In order to fulfil that ambition, United have already shown the door to Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial at the end of their deals, which has already added an additional £590,000 a week to their coffers.
However, that is just the tip of the iceberg with the club also looking to make more serious savings – and generate some serious transfer funds in the process – by offloading a number of established stars too.
To that end, TEAMtalk revealed on Wednesday that offers will still be accepted for Harry Maguire this summer, with a £35m fee on the England defender’s head.
Our transfer correspondent Rudy Galetti also revealed that talks over the sales of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Scott McTominay – both to the same Champions League club – was also gathering serious pace.
Now, the Daily Mirror has revealed United are open to offers for some more of their unwanted stars with new sporting director Dan Asworth, following conversations with Erik ten Hag, after confirmation of his new deal, telling four more players that their time is up.
And with Christian Eriksen, Jadon Sancho, Casemiro and Victor Lindelof also up for grabs, Ashworth hopes to raise at least £200m with the sales, not to mention another £600,000 a week in saved wages.
However, the first big name out the door will likely be Mason Greenwood after it emerged that Marseille were thundering towards his signing.
Man Utd identify first four signings with De Ligt up first
However, it is news on the incoming front which will most intrigue fans and Ashworth has also set the wheels in motion for a brilliant quadruple deal that will significantly strengthen their squad.
TEAMtalk has reported all summer how United, now under Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s control, plan to strengthen their spine of their side, with a new central defender, a midfielder and a striker among their top targets. A new right-winger is also seen as highly-desireable.
On that front, Ashworth and Co have now identified their priority signings in each position – and there is a growing cause of optimism that all four will sign on the dotted line.
First up, United are closing on the capture of Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt, with the Bundesliga giants willing to accept a fee in the region of €60m (£50.8m) for the Netherlands star.
And with the player also willing to accept a reduction on his current €15m a year package – worth £242,000 a week – there is optimism that a deal for De Ligt will quickly be agreed after Euro 2024 concludes.
Bayern’s willingness to sell will help fund their move for Joao Palhinha after the German giants agreed on a €56m (£47.4m) fee with Fulham for the Portuguese midfielder.
They had also been looking at Manuel Ugarte, but United now have a clear run to sign the PSG man, who has been given permission to leave if their initial €60m investment is matched.
With the player also green-lighting that move, United believe he will arrive as an upgrade for Casemiro this summer.
Finally, Ashworth hopes to seal a double raid on Bologna to strengthen their attack, with optimism also growing that a deal for Joshua Zirkzee will soon be concluded. The Netherlands forward has a €40m exit clause in his deal, though United will have to pay a €15m supplement to his agent Kia Joorabchian to finalise that deal.
United have also made a move for his teammate, Dan Ndoye, who managed three goals and five assists for the Serie A side last season.
Per updates in the Swiss media, United have now ‘made contact’ over a deal, with Bologna seeking a fee worth €25m (£21m) for their man.
Deals for all four players, if they arrive, will set the Red Devils back a combined €200m (£169.3m) – close to the amount they hope to raise with their planned fire sale.
LIVERPOOL GIVEN HOPE OF JOSHUA KIMMICH TRANSFER
Manchester United have no intention of letting Rasmus Hojlund join Napoli as part of any deal for Victor Osimhen after deciding the young Dane is one of four stars deemed ‘untouchable’ this summer. Napoli also remain confident that the Nigeria striker will report back for pre-season training next week amid strong interest in his services. (various)
Liverpool and Barcelona continue to hover over a deal for Joshua Kimmich after it was revealed he wants to leave Bayern Munich after they asked him to accept a 25% pay cut to stay. (Bild)
Aston Villa have made contact ‘in the last few hours’ over a deal with Juventus to sign Dean Huijsen. The Serie A giants have stuck a €30m (£25.4m) price tag on the Spain Under-21 defender’s head. (various)
Atletico Madrid are determined to sign Conor Gallagher this summer but currently regard his €40m price tag as too high. However, with his deal due to expire next summer, Atleti believe Chelsea will have no choice but to lower their demands towards the back end of the summer window with Todd Boehly determined not to be left out of pocket. (Mundo Deportivo)
Juventus plan to complete their midfield rebuild by launching a firm offer for Teun Koopmeiners next. The Bianconeri have already added Douglas Luiz and are also closing in on the signing of Khephren Thuram. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
West Ham are ready to launch an improved bid to sign Jean-Clair Todibo with Man Utd’s interest in the Nice star over and after seeing an opening €35m (£29.6m) offer rejected. (Le10 Sport)
Liverpool saw a monster bid worth €57m (£48.2m) rejected by Juventus for Turkey’s Euro 2024 hero Merih Demiral back in summer 2021. (Sportmediaset)
Leeds winger Crysencio Summerville has been discussed by PSG but looks unlikely to be on their radar to replace Kylian Mbappe at the Parc des Princes this summer. (Fabrizio Romano)
TOTTENHAM TRUMPED IN CHASE FOR TOP TORINO STAR
Tottenham have been beaten to the signing of Alessandro Buongiorno after Napoli agreed a €35m (£29.6m) plus €5m (£4.2m) in add-ons deal with Torino for the defender. (Sky Italia)
Tottenham defender Emerson Royal has agreed personal terms with AC Milan worth €3m a year over five seasons at the San Siro, though the two clubs are yet to agree on a deal for the €18m (£15.2m) rated defender. (Corriere dello Sport)
Manchester United are pushing hard to sign Girona left-back Miguel Gutierrez, but have warned the Spanish side they have no intention of matching their €35m (£29.6m) demands. (Sport)
Joao Felix’s chances of returning to Barcelona are slimmer than ever, with the Blaugrana’s failure to generate interest in Ansu Fati curtailing any hopes of bringing him back. As a result, Atletico Madrid are exploring other avenues to move the Portuguese on, with a return to Benfica, on a season’s loan, among his options. (Mundo Deportivo)
Manchester City look unlikely to sell unwanted full-back Joao Cancelo to Barcelona, though Saudi Arabian sides Al-Ahli and Al-Ettifaq are both now exploring €30m (£25.4m) deals. (Sky Italia)
Real Madrid will net €12m from the sale of defender Rafa Marin to Napoli, with Los Blancos retaining a buyback clause of €25m in 2026, and €35m in 2027. The complex deal means Napoli can also increase that buyback option to €70m, if they can pay the LaLiga champions an extra €10m next summer. (Fabrizio Romano)
ARSENAL TRANSFERS: EDU SEES CALAFIORI OFFER ACCEPTED
Arsenal have had an improved bid for €47m (£40m) rising to €50m (£42.3m) accepted by Bologna for Riccardo Calafiori, with the player also making it clear he wants the move. (Sky Italia)
Arsenal are big admirers of Riccardo Calafiori
An agreement between Arsenal and Sevilla for Albert Sambi Lokonga is now described as ‘inevitable’ with the loan deal for the Belgian midfielder expected to be finalised before the end of the weekend. (AS)
Barcelona are serious contenders to sign both Dani Olmo and Nico Williams this summer and will look to move on both Raphinha and Ronald Araujo to finance the extraordinary double deal. (various)
Barcelona’s Plan B for Williams is Toluca winger Maximiliano Araujo, who has been one of the stars of Copa America with Uruguay. Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are also tracking the 24-year-old. (AS)
Kylian isn’t the only Mbappe Paris Saint-Germain will lose this summer with his younger brother, midfielder Ethan, set sign a long-term deal at Lille. (Fabrizio Romano)
Everton are chasing a deal for Cameroon defender Jackson Tchatchoua, whose club Hellas Verona value the 22-year-old at €8m (£7m). (Tuttomercato)
Atalanta are closing on the loan signing of Nicolo Zaniolo from Galatasaray with the option to sign permanently, after Aston Villa decided against his signing. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
Real Madrid have agreed new contracts for goalkeeping coach Luis Llopis and fitness coach Antonio Pintus, with both men seen as key members of Carlo Ancelotti’s staff. (Marca)
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