Manchester United have reportedly been told they can sign a highly-rated Premier League star at the right price this summer. It has been a rather quiet window for the Red Devils so far, with no new signings officially snapped up. There is an agreement to sign Ederson from Atalanta, but the deal has not yet gone through due to a late medical request from United.

Elsewhere, the search goes on for a replacement for the departed Casemiro, while there are also other areas Michael Carrick will want to bolster this summer. Work goes on behind the scenes at Old Trafford, and the World Cup is never a helpful factor, but fans will want to see business start to pick up sooner rather than later.

Man Utd ask about Andrey Santos transfer conditions

According to Fabrizio Romano, United have been in touch with the agents of Chelsea starlet Andrey Santos to see if there is a deal to be done this summer. “Man Utd already a few months ago were considering Andrey Santos,” Romano began on his YouTube show. “He’s always been on shortlist. What happened in the last two or three days is that Manchester United made contact again with the agent of the player.

“So, Manchester United made a call to the agents of Andrey Santos to understand his situation. At the moment, as of this week, Manchester United have not gone back to Chelsea with an official bid or official proposal. So, we have to talk about the contract on the player side. But what I can add to this story is that Chelsea don’t consider Andrey Santos untouchable, so if Manchester United arrive and put good money on the table, Man Utd can sign Andrey Santos, because Chelsea don’t consider him untouchable, and there is the possibility of an exit in the summer in case of the arrival of a good proposal.

“Obviously, not for normal money, not for cheap money, forget about loans or this kind of stuff, but in case of good proposal, there is a chance for him (Santos) to leave for a new chapter at Manchester United or anywhere else.

Chelsea stand to make a huge profit on Santos, who would likely cost somewhere north of £50million, given he signed as a youngster for around £10million. Since then, the 22-year-old has made 28 Premier League appearances, but he has had to be patient behind the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.

In a scouting report from ScoutingStats after Santos’ loan spell with Strasbourg in 2024, the outlet described: “One of Santos’s standout attributes is his remarkable goal-scoring ability for a midfielder. His 100th percentile rating in goal threat highlights his knack for getting into scoring positions and converting chances effectively.”

On his defensive ability, it was added: “Santos’s high percentile ratings in both ball recovery and retention indicate his knack for reclaiming possession and maintaining it under pressure. His 94th percentile in ball recovery reflects his ability to disrupt opposition play, ensuring that his defensive contributions are as consistent as his offensive ones. These strengths, combined with his effectiveness in retaining possession, make him a balanced, box-to-box midfielder who can dominate both sides of the pitch.”

Jurgen Klopp has reacted with disbelief after FIFA revoked USA striker Folarin Balogun’s one-game suspension to allow him to play against Belgium in the Round of 16.

Balgoun was given his marching orders in the United States’ 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last round for a ‘serious foul’ on Tarik Muharemovic, which meant he was supposed to be missing for the next game.

However, FIFA announced on Sunday that the Monaco star will be able to play after they invoked Article 27 to suspend his ban for up to one year on a probation, sparking fury across the sport, with the Belgium FA confirming they were seeking legal advice on the matter.

Klopp Blasts Infantino and Trump for Involvement

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

GIVEMESPORT sources reported that Donald Trump and The White House made a call to FIFA to get them to review the red card, with US lawyers putting together a case that included disputing the use of slow motion replays.

Belgium’s FA released a statement stating that they were ‘astonished’ by the decision, with FIFA’s own ruleset stating that there is no appeal process for red cards during the tournament and that all referee decisions on the pitch are final.

Now Klopp, who looks set to take over as the next Germany manager following Julian Nagelsmann’s resignation after they were eliminated in the Round of 32 on penalties against Paraguay, has gone viral for his thoughts on the situation.

“If Trump and Infantino really sorted this out between themselves, that’s crazy, it calls everything into question,” he said, as relayed by Yahoo Sports.

“Let’s just say: this is our game, not theirs. These two people, who both have no idea about football, should have nothing to do with that. That was a red card. There’s no two ways about it. We’re sorry for Balogun because he didn’t mean to do it. But that’s what the rules say.

“There really aren’t two opinions about it. If that’s really what happened, there is still the possibility that the USA won’t play him anyway because they say, ‘We don’t want it like this.’

“We all suffer from wrong decisions. Even so, we all learn over the course of life to live with them. And this is simply a decision on a matter of fact.”

Klopp Joins Fury Over FIFA Decision

REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

Klopp’s words show that there is clear anger about the decision to allow Balogun to play in the next round, despite his red card, and he isn’t the only one to vent publicly.

Ian Wright described the decision as ‘shameful’, while Wayne Rooney described it as a ‘disgrace’ and said that it brought the sportsmanship of the game into question.

The USA are obviously delighted that their top attacker in this tournament will be able to help them chase a quarter-final spot in the tournament, but there will now be a major stain on that achievement if they are successful as a result of this farce.

Folarin Balogun’s availability for the United States of America for the World Cup clash against Belgium has sparked controversy in world football.

The former Arsenal striker was dismissed in the Round of 32 win against Bosnia & Herzegovina after finding the net earlier in the same match. However, the red card caused outrage among US supporters, as Balogun appeared to accidentally land on his opponent’s ankle.

While it was widely seen as the wrong decision by the referee and VAR on the day, the way the ban has now been suspended for a year hasn’t gone down well.

FIFA denied the US government played any part in the decision, but it has become public knowledge that a call was made from the White House.

Trump Admin Brought in ‘Expert Lawyers’ For Balogun Case

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

It has now been claimed that White House officials were a bit more involved than anyone is admitting. In fact, OutKick’s Clay Travis has reported that Trump’s administration took legal steps to ensure the striker would be available for the next game.

That involved gathering ‘expert lawyers’ to present evidence to FIFA. Their biggest argument was that slow-motion replays violated rules set by football’s governing body.

Travis posted on X: “President Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and White House task force head Andrew Giuliani put together a team of elite lawyers — from outside the government — to challenge the Flo Balogun red card.”

He then added that Trump even alerted Gianni Infantino that the appeal was filed and let him know his feelings on the matter. Although it is still maintained that FIFA’s independent committee made the final call:

US President Thanked FIFA For Balogun Ban Decision

Mandel Ngan via Reuters

Immediately after Sunday’s news broke that Mauricio Pochettino would have his star striker available for the last-16 tie against Belgium, the country’s president was quick to post a social media message.

Trump thanked FIFA ‘for doing what was right’. Doing so only fuelled the outcry that something suspicious may have happened behind the scenes between known friends Trump and Infantino.

The 80-year-old posted: “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”