Manchester United are now in an intense battle to sign a Bundesliga forward ahead of the summer transfer window, facing competition from rival Premier League clubs.

A lot of the talk surrounding Manchester United over the last few weeks has been around potential midfield signings, but they are also in the market to reinforce other positions.

The World Cup is always an interesting time to try to do deals, with players occupied by the international tournament and clubs reluctant to sell in case the player’s value can increase.

Thankfully for United, it looks as though they managed to secure the signing of Brazilian midfielder Ederson before he jetted off to the tournament.

A deal for Ederson has yet to be officially confirmed, but reports suggest that a move has been completed.

Man Utd in Intense Battle

According to a report from German outlet Bild, via Sport Witness, Manchester United are one of three clubs in an intense battle to sign Hoffenheim winger Bazoumana Toure ahead of the summer transfer window.

It’s claimed that the tricky winger could cost at least £35m, with Brentford and Newcastle the other clubs showing an interest in securing his signature.

Toure has a contract with the Bundesliga club until 2029, and there is no release clause, meaning Hoffenheim are under no pressure to sell.

The report describes the 20-year-old as a player with ‘blistering pace’ and a ‘carefree attitude’, with Premier League clubs now pushing to sign him this summer.

Added Pace Could Suit Michael Carrick

Adding someone of Toure’s directness and pace could be hugely beneficial to United due to the style that Michael Carrick has implemented.

The Red Devils like to transition from defence to attack as quickly as possible, and someone like Toure would take them to the next level in terms of that.

The 20-year-old, tipped as a “future Ballon d’Or contender”, is unlikely to come in and be a guaranteed starter, but when United are looking to protect the lead and hit teams on the counter-attack, Toure could be a real weapon off the bench.

United won’t want to pay an awful lot for a player who is unlikely to start, but if they can pick him up for a reasonable fee, it could be a smart signing.

Newcastle have been active in the summer transfer window so far, and they’ve now opened talks to secure another signing.

The Magpies were one of the first sides to complete a new signing in the summer transfer window, with Ewen Jaouen joining the club from Reims.

The 20-year-old has arrived at St. James’s Park to provide competition in the goalkeeping department, with Aaron Ramsdale returning to Southampton following his loan spell.

After such a disappointing 2025/26 season, Eddie Howe needs to bring in reinforcements during the summer transfer window.

Perhaps signing an inexperienced goalkeeper wasn’t a major priority, but more of a market opportunity.

Now Newcastle are being linked with a move to sign another goalkeeper in the summer transfer window.

Newcastle Open Goalkeeper Talks

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Newcastle United have rekindled their interest in signing Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Magpies have reopened talks ahead of a possible move, but Trafford doesn’t want to decide his future until after the World Cup.

That makes a move complicated for Newcastle, as they want to solve their goalkeeping situation earlier, despite already securing the signing of Jaouen earlier in the window.

Nick Pope Must be Leaving Newcastle

With Newcastle already securing the signature of a new goalkeeper and also pursuing Trafford, it feels like it could be the end for Nick Pope.

Having two new goalkeepers plus Pope wouldn’t make a lot of sense, so the Magpies could be considering cashing in.

Pope has struggled at times over the last few years with consistency, often making mistakes.

Trafford, hailed ‘world-class’ by Scott Parker, would likely want to come in as the number one goalkeeper after his difficulties at Manchester City, with Jaouen likely to be the number two.

After solving the goalkeeper situation, there’s no doubt Newcastle need reinforcements in other areas of the pitch.

Up to this point at the 2026 World Cup, most of the controversies have come off the pitch. Indeed, plenty of headlines have been made about Gianni Infantino and the way he runs FIFA.

Under his watch, the United States have made it extremely difficult for fans, staff members, journalists, officials and even players to come into the co-hosting nation. Most infamously, Somali referee Omar Artan was sent home from Miami, despite having a visa to do his job this summer.

Thankfully, the action in the group stages of the World Cup so far has largely gone smoothly (albeit with some notably empty seats in certain matches, likely due to costly ticket prices). However, there was one controversial incident during the 1-1 draw between Qatar and Switzerland in Group B.

Gary Neville Fumes Over ‘Ridiculous’ FIFA Incident

Switzerland took the lead via a penalty in the 17th minute, converted by Breel Embolo, but could not hang onto the points, with Qatar levelling thanks to an own goal from Miro Muheim in the 94th minute. While the Swiss would have felt robbed to concede so late, having dominated the game, there were plenty of question marks regarding their goal.

The penalty was awarded after Remo Freuler was bundled over by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada. The contact was obvious, and the referee quickly pointed ot the spot. However, replays appeared to show the Swiss player standing in an offside position before he pounced onto the ball to win the foul.

Despite this, VAR checked and cleared the penalty, allowing Embolo to put Switzerland in front from 12 yards. The incident sparked a strong reaction, with English pundit Gary Neville leading the dissenting voices.

The Manchester United legend questioned FIFA on ITV as there were also no alternative angles of the incident shown on the live broadcast. As quoted by the Daily Mail, Neville even called the organisation a ‘dictatorship’, saying:

“We all think it here and everybody will think it at home [that it was offside]. FIFA are the host broadcaster. They’ve got the evidence of the automatic decision which they can show us.

“Why are they not showing us? They did this in the last tournament. Fans are already distrusting of FIFA and technology to start with. There is a massive question mark over that because that is offside in my eyes until they prove differently.

Fellow pundits Ian Wright and Duncan Ferguson, who were sat alongside Neville in the ITV studio, also agreed that Freuler looked offside to the naked eye. Adding to that, former England defender Lee Dixon, who was commentating on the game, insisted it would be ruled out:

“There’s no doubt about the penalty but he’s offside. This won’t count.”

FIFA Respond To World Cup Offside Controversy

FIFA President Gianni Infantino via REUTERS/Henry Romero

In response to the controversy, FIFA have now shared a statement online, with images, as they defended the offside decision. It’s interesting to note that they claimed the usual supporting animation graphic was not shown due to a ‘technical outage’, although they add that this did not have an impact on the call:

Some fans have questioned just how helpful the supporting images actually are, as they feel as if they simply prove that Freuler was offside, despite FIFA’s claims.