Sir Jim Ratcliffe is poised to make a huge move from Manchester United this summer by signing Real Madrid’s top striker, while Newcastle are eyeing a Saudi Pro League striker to bolster Eddie Howe’s frontline.
Ratcliffe to make massive United splash
Manchester United are reportedly preparing to splash out a whopping £172 million on the Real Madrid striker. Vinicius Jr. If this summer Kylian Maffe Complete the transition to the Bernabeu.
The Red Devils are expected to make up for a quiet January by going all-in under Sir Jim Ratcliffe this summer once the childhood Manchester United fan finally gets through the door.
united On Christmas Eve it was announced that Ratcliffe had agreed a deal to purchase a 25% stake from the Glazer family, subject to ratification by the Premier League.
And when the deal finally goes through, the British billionaire will take control of Old Trafford’s football operations. And he’s seemingly poised for great success.
Few clubs have received as much criticism as United over the past decade for their transfer business, which was linked to the resignation of legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Goals have been a particular problem for United this season. Erik Ten Hag’s men have managed just 24 goals in 21 Premier League games so far.
Marcus Rashford looked a shadow of the lethal player in front of goal last season, while big-money signing Rasmus Hoslund in the summer excelled in the Champions League but underperformed domestically.
Less is said about Anthony Martial, but he has scored just twice in 19 games this season, so it’s probably better. He is also expected to be out for the next 10 weeks with a groin problem. And I think I’ll be leaving the club in the summer anyway.
And with United looking weak in attack, Ratcliffe is keen to make a big statement that signals the club will be back in business in the transfer market.
Recent reports have claimed Ratcliffe has given Man Utd the green light to launch a £172m bid for Vinicius Junior in the summer transfer window if Real can finally get a deal done for Mbappe after years of trying.
That would make the Brazilian winger the second most expensive signing in football history after Neymar, and would also break United’s record transfer fee record.
In Focus: January transfers: 9 deals planned by Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City before window closes
Ready to offload Vinicius.
And now Spanish outlet Nacional have claimed that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has ‘decided to sell the Brazilian immediately’ if Mbappe heads to Madrid.
To bring Mbappe to Spain, Real Madrid will first have to make ‘some casualties’ and will ‘sell Vinny’ to make room for the French superstar, according to reports.
Bild also claims Mbappe has decided to join Real Madrid when his contract with PSG expires on June 30, adding that the 25-year-old is also expected to earn a cool ’70 million euros per year’. Yes.
The La Liga giants have already set a cap of €35 million per year, and despite Mbappe agreeing to the move, this could still cause problems going forward.
For Vinicius Junior and United, the winger is at his best on the left, raising questions about where Rashford still fits.
Working from outside to inside on the left remains the England player’s best position, with Rashford often struggling when asked to play more centrally.
Vinicius has scored 69 goals in 243 appearances for Real since joining from Flamengo in 2018 and has emerged as one of the best attacking talents in European football.
But United’s biggest question is whether they should invest so much money in one player or spread it out across three or four, given the scale of rebuilding that is likely to occur over the summer.
Chelsea demand price for Lukaku
Chelsea have offered a £38m bid for Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, who is on loan at Italian club Roma. (Calciomercato)
Marseille have a 50-50 chance of signing Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares at the end of the January transfer window. (Requipe)
Inter Milan are close to signing former Premier League target Mehdi Taremi from FC Porto. (Calciomercato)
Brighton and Crystal Palace are planning to sign FC Nordsjælland star Ibrahim Osman in the winter market. (tip blade)
Brentford have agreed a £2.6m fee with Swedish club Elfsborg to sign Icelandic goalkeeper Haakon Valdimarsson. (various)
Fulham remain at the top of Andre Dill’s side.
Fulham continue to be favorites to sign Brazilian midfielder Andre despite interest from other clubs. (Requipe)
Belgian club Standard Liege have shown interest in signing Nottingham Forest defender Jonathan Panzo on loan. (Fabrizio Romano)
Royal Antwerp have made an inquiry about Leicester midfielder Denis Preight, who is attracting interest from Torino. (La Dernière Eure)
Aston Villa youngster Josh Feeney is currently waiting to find out whether his move to Real Unión will be approved due to Brexit concerns. (El Diario Vasco)
Lazio are considering a move for Federico Bernardeschi after sending Atalanta an offer for Nicolo Cambiagi. (Gianluca di Marzio)
Genk right-back Daniel Munoz has gone on strike to attempt a move to Crystal Palace. (various)
Newcastle, join the hunt
Newcastle are reportedly interested in signing Al Ittihad winger Jota in the January transfer window. (various)
Jota is being tipped for a move to Newcastle.
Divock Origi is set to officially leave Nottingham Forest, but Milan could send the 28-year-old to MLS with three clubs interested. (Soccer Italy)
Monza have reportedly signed a deal with Hellas Verona for centre-forward Milan Duric, which will see him pay an expected fee of €500,000 plus a series of performance-related bonuses. (TMW)
Burnley and Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Ajax striker Carlos Forbes. (various)
Wolves defender Jonny Otto is set to move to PAOK. (various)
Inter Milan midfielder Stefano Sensi is on the verge of joining Championship side Leicester City. (Sky Italy)
