Manchester United are planning ahead for a major midfield overhaul this summer, and they should look to partially fund it by getting rid of Mason Mount.
The Red Devils entered the first summer window under INEOS’ power with a £200m overhaul of the attack, as Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko all signed to replace the outgoing quartet of Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho.
After good performances this season, with United only outscored in the Premier League by Arsenal and Manchester City, the attention has now changed to the midfield department, with a number of targets said to be under consideration.
But the outcome of that relegation battle could have a huge say on Anderson’s future, and whether Man Utd are able to get a deal done. It has been suggested that any deal for the England international would cost around £100m should they stay up, with the Reds ready to smash their transfer record to get a deal done.
However, there is big competition for his signature, notably from Man City, but it’s unclear if they’d be willing to pay such a price, which could give United a clearer run to securing the deal.
£100m is a lot of money, and it would likely take a large chunk out of the club’s planned budget for the transfer window.
Casemiro’s wages being off the books will be a help to that, but there is a lot more needed to make the squad competitive again. The mega-money mooted for a Bruno Fernandes sale isn’t money that is necessarily welcome at Old Trafford, since it will mean the captain is gone, and there aren’t many other top assets to sell.
But with Manuel Ugarte likely to depart too, and more attacking reinforcements needed for the new season, the club should look to cash in on someone who has decent value, and probably no long-term future at the club.
Mount Has Missed His Man Utd Chance
After joining in a deal worth £60m three years ago, there was a lot of expectation on the shoulders of Mount following some impressive seasons with Chelsea.
But since his arrival he has struggled massively at Old Trafford, with a number of injury problems and just seven goals in 66 appearances. Mount will be entering the final two years of his contract with United this summer, with the club holding the option of extending by a further 12 months, but it feels like the perfect time to sell and move on.
He hasn’t ripped up any trees, he isn’t good enough to be a regular starter in any system, and he earns far too much, at a reported £250,000-a-week, to be sitting on the bench as a back-up player.
United should look to recoup as much of the big fee they paid by selling him, and getting his wages off the books too, to help free up space for more signings like Carlos Baleba, Adam Wharton, and Yan Diomande, who will be part of the long-term future and also improve the team immediately.
Liverpool have opened talks to sign one of the standout young talents at the World Cup.
Liverpool Sign Celtic Defender
According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have sealed a deal to sign Celtic defender Dara Jikiemi on a five-year contract.
Jikiemi is the Scotland U16 captain, and it’s a huge statement that Liverpool have offered him a five-year contract at his age.
The 16-year-old is unlikely to come into the senior setup, and it will likely be a while before Liverpool fans can see him in action for the first team.
Jikiemi has yet to make his Celtic debut, and he now looks set to make the move to Liverpool.
Tottenham are showing an interest in signing a Paris Saint-Germain star in the summer transfer window, and he now wants to leave the club.
It’s been an incredibly busy summer transfer window for Spurs, who have already confirmed six new additions.
Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Martin Dubravka, Jan-Paul Van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson have all arrived through the door at Hotspur Way.
The North London club have spent significant sums of money strengthening their squad, and they don’t appear to be finished yet, with it being so early in the transfer window.
It’s an important summer as Tottenham prepare to head back in the right direction after an incredibly disappointing couple of years.
Tottenham are ready to go again after completing a deal for Tonali.
Tottenham eyeing PSG star
According to a report from journalist Santi Aouna, Tottenham are one of the sides showing an interest in signing Paris Saint-Germain winger Ibrahim Mbaye in the summer transfer window.
The Senegalese international wants to leave the club this summer, even though his entourage wants him to continue his journey with the French side.
Mbaye, described as fearless, was recently at the World Cup with Senegal before they were knocked out by Belgium.
With PSG looking to strengthen in the final third and already having bundles of talent, and by now wants to leave in search of regular first-team football
Donald Trump has displayed his level of knowledge when it comes to the rules of football with a bizarre rant in the wake of the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun’s suspended red card for the USA.
The President confirmed on Monday afternoon that he did make a call to FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to ask for a review of the incident, which saw the USMNT striker dismissed against Bosnia & Herzegovina in the previous round.
An independent committee eventually ruled that Balogun’s ban would be suspended until next year, a decision that sparked outrage among football fans for the precedent it set. Trump’s involvement and close relationship with Infantino also came under the spotlight as a result.
REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Trump explained his reasoning for getting on the phone with Infantino at the White House when addressing the press. The 80-year-old claimed he didn’t believe it was a foul and asked for a review for that reason.
He said: “All I did was I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul. Again, I’m good at this stuff. I didn’t think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled. That was not a guy punching somebody in the face or anything that would be different.”
He then went on to explain he couldn’t tell FIFA what to do, despite seemingly giving them a nudge in a certain direction. But he still made a case for the best players always being allowed to play, regardless of what took place in their previous outing.
Citing Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane in his lengthy rant, Trump continued:
“If they wouldn’t allow a top player, maybe among the best players on the team, to play, I think it would have had a big stain and I related just that feeling. I didn’t tell them what to do. I can’t tell them what to do. I don’t believe he [Infantino] made the decision.
“I think it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision because, number one, it wasn’t a foul, and you want to see a game with your best players. How would you feel if you took [Lionel] Messi, or [Cristiano] Ronaldo or Harry Kane out? You can’t do that.”
“We gotta have our best players. We gotta have our best and they gotta have their best. And if we win or we lose, it’s fair,” he added.
The main reason behind this stance is that the President had no clue what a red card meant in football, or the ramifications. He admitted: “I didn’t know what the hell a red card was. When I found out, I said, ‘You gotta be kidding!'” Watch his full rant below.
