Euro Paper Talk: Ratcliffe spies bargain striker signing for Man Utd; Barcelona believe huge Liverpool raid is ON (original) (raw)

Manchester United are eyeing a double €75m raid with a bargain deal for a LaLiga striker first, Tottenham are to trigger the exit clause to sign a Japan defender, while Barcelona are to step up their quest to prise a star man from Liverpool.

RATCLIFFE GIFTED CHANCE TO BRING SEVILLA STRIKER TO MAN UTD

Manchester United are reportedly eyeing a move to bring Youssef En-Nesyri to Old Trafford this summer after it was confirmed that Sevilla are willing to cash in on the prolific Morocco frontman for a bargain fee.

The Red Devils are keen to strengthen their squad this summer as Sir Jim Ratcliffe plots a major improvement on their lowest-ever Premier League finish of eighth, with plans in place to bring in at least four new names to strengthen the Manchester United squad.

To that end, TEAMtalk understands that the British billionaire wants to sign a new centre-half (more on that later), a midfielder, a right-sided attacker and a striker, having identified all four positions as areas of weakness in their current squad.

Indeed, United finished the current campaign with a mere 57 goals from their 38 games, making them the join-lowest scorers in the top half of the Premier League and having only netted five more than Luton, who finished in the relegation places.

As a result, United have a real need to add another striker to their mix this summer; a desire that has strengthened further with the confirmation this week that Anthony Martial has been allowed to leave Old Trafford as a free agent at the end of his contract.

And while Rasmus Hojlund did well in patches through his debut season, the 20-year-old is still learning the game and could very much benefit from experienced cover and competition.

Now reports in Spain claim United can land on the perfect option in the form of En-Nesyri.

The Morocco international has scored 93 goals across 290 career appearances, with 73 coming in 196 games for Sevilla.

Now United have been granted the green light to seal his signing with Estadio Deportivo revealing the Andalusian side are being forced to cash in on the 27-year-old to help ease their financial burden.

Their report writes: ‘The transfer of En-Nesyri has become a fundamental factor for Sevilla’s planning for next season, as it needs to make money with his transfer as soon as possible.’

How much will En-Nesyri cost Man Utd?

As a result, clubs in Saudi Arabia, as well as Tottenham, long-term suitors West Ham and now United are all being linked with his signature.

And with Sevilla needing to raise funds – and quickly – it’s suggested a bargain fee could be enough to secure his signing on the cheap.

The report adds ‘The most logical thing would be for them to settle for an amount that was around €20-25m with the inclusion of bonuses, although there are voices that suggest that Sevilla would accept offers of around €15m’.

As a result, it’s easy to see why Ratcliffe would be keen to secure the 70-times capped striker for such a bargain sum. In the modern market £12m, rising to £21m is nothing and En-Nesyri could prove an excellent option to supplement their strikeforce and help take Hojlund’s game to another level.

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He could become the latest Moroccan to sign for United after his close pal Sofyan Amrabat, though it looks highly unlikely that Ratcliffe will take up the €20m option to make his move from Fiorentina permanent.

United, meanwhile, are also being tipped to launch a fresh move to beat Liverpool to the signing of Goncalo Inacio after confirmation that the €60m-rated Sporting Lisbon target is on their list of defensive targets this summer.

The 22-year-old is regarded as one of the best young defenders in world football, but the Portuguese outfit will be unable to prevent his exit if any side matches his release clause.

And while Liverpool have been tipped to make a move, Fabrizio Romano claims United are very much on his trail and could make the first move to sign the centre-half as they consider a replacement for Raphael Varane.

VILLA, SPURS, WEST HAM CHASE FORMER CHELSEA STRIKER

Aston Villa lead Bournemouth in the chase for Tammy Abraham after Roma gave the green light for the striker to leave this summer. The Giallorossi need to raise €10m before the end of June and a cut-price move for the England striker could be considered. TEAMtalk, meanwhile, understands both West Ham and Tottenham have been offered the chance to bring the former Chelsea man back to London. (TMW / TEAMtalk)

Leeds United have been given the green light to pursue a deal for €15m (£12.8m) rated Stuttgart winger Silas – but will likely face Premier League and Ligue 1 competition for the DR Congo star. ( Suedwest24)

Liverpool will face competition from Tottenham, Newcastle and West Ham if they pursue a move for Feyenoord’s 23-year-old Dutch defender Lutsharel Geertruida. (Algemeen Dagblad)

Gleison Bremer has stressed his happiness at Juventus but has refused to rule out a possible exit amid claims Manchester United are ready to meet his €60m (£51m) exit clause. (Marca)

Atletico Madrid are open to selling young winger Samu Omorodion this summer if any suitors match their €40m asking price. The Spain Under-21 attacker has been linked with both Aston Villa and Tottenham. (AS)

Reported Liverpool target Federico Chiesa has been left frustrated by Juventus’ approach towards a new contract with new boss Thiago Motta seemingly not keen to keep him. The Italy winger is now ready to push for a move to Roma. (Calciomercato)

Romelu Lukaku has confirmed he will leave Chelsea this summer with a move to Saudi Arabia not ruled out, though he has strongly hinted at a preference to hook up with Antonio Conte at Napoli after naming him as the best coach he has worked for. (Het Laatse Nieuws)

Liverpool are pushing to secure the summer signing of PSV winger Johan Bakayoko – and want him brought in this summer regardless of whether Mo Salah decides to stay or go. (various)

TOTTENHAM READY TO MOVE FOR JAPAN DEFENDER

Tottenham are ready to launch a bid to bring VfB Stuttgart defender Hiroki Ito to N17. The Japan centre-half or left-back has a €30m release clause in his deal with the Bundesliga side which is valid until 2027. (Christian Falk)

Atletico Madrid have charged their Argentinian trio Angel Correa, Rodrigo de Paul and Nahuel Molina to help convince their compatriot, Julian Alvarez, to quit Man City this summer and move to the Spanish capital, though Pep Guardiola is determined not to sell and any offer is likely to fall short. (Marca)

Newcastle striker Alexander Isak insists he is having no thoughts about quitting the Magpies this summer amid talk he could become a £100m transfer target for Arsenal. (Fotballskanalen)

Marca Roca is set to secure a second season on loan with Real Betis but the LaLiga side are keen to restructure their purchase option on the midfielder down from it’s current €10m (£8.5m) agreement. (Diario de Sevilla)

Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany is keen to tie down Alphonso Davies to a new contract and that it his priority over potential links to Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko. (Sky Germany)

West Ham have launched an opening €8m (£6.8m) bid for 23-year-old Brazilian central defender Vitao. (Revista Colorada)

Real Madrid are ready to sell young Uruguyan striker Alvaro Rodriguez this summer, after he fell down Carlo Ancelotti’s pecking order. The 19-year-old will be allowed to leave as long as Los Blancos can secure a 50% sell-on with his next club. (The Athletic)

Fabrizio Romano says it is more likely Arsenal move for Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi this summer than Benfica star Joao Neves, owing to the €60m differences in their release clauses, while a move for Amadou Onana has now been ruled out. (various)

BARCELONA CONFIDENT OF LUIS DIAZ SIGNING FROM LIVERPOOL

Barcelona are ready to launch a giant move to sign Luis Diaz to the club this summer, though any move for the Liverpool star is entirely dependent on the Blaugrana offloading Raphinha first. Barca chief Deco believes the Colombian can be prised from Anfield for a fee of around €50m. (Mundo Deportivo)

Luis Diaz, Barcelona

Luis Diaz has many admirers at Barcelona ahead of attempts to sign him in the summer

Galatasaray have made a firm approach for Anthony Martial, but have warned his agent he will need to take a vast reduction on his £250,000 wages while at Manchester United if he is to make the move to Istanbul this summer. (ESPN)

Feyenoord are set to interview former Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter over becoming the successor to Arne Slot following the manager’s departure to Liverpool. (1908)

Barcelona will abandon plans to sign both Arsenal target Martin Zubimendi and Everton midfielder Amadou Onana this summer to pursue the capture of Real Sociedad’s former Newcastle star, Mikel Moreno. (Sport)

If they fail to capture Moreno, Barcelona will focus on a move for Wilfried Ndidi with the Nigeria midfielder seen as a cheaper alternative. (Sport)

Carlo Ancelotti is desperate to convince veteran defender Nacho Fernandez to sign a new deal with Los Blancos having made a personal plea to convince the 34-year-old to stay. (Marca)

Manchester United have suffered a double rejection with Matheus Cunha eager to stay at Wolves and Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana set to join AC Milan. (Globo Esporte)