Manchester United will complete the signing of a world-class player they want this summer ‘unless something crazy happens’, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The season may have only ended one week ago, but Man United are already making moves in the transfer market ahead of the summer window officially opening on June 15.

The Red Devils face the extra hindrance of the 2026 World Cup in their bid to bring in new talent this summer, but it appears as though some of their priority targets are players not making the trip to North America in the next weeks.

One of the club’s primary focuses during the close season is to give new manager Michael Carrick a strong central midfield for their return to Champions League football next term.

With Casemiro’s exit already confirmed and Manuel Ugarte up for sale, Kobbie Mainoo could be left as the only senior, specialist option in the position come the start of next season.

As a result, United are said to be targeting up to three new players in the position should the Uruguayan go, with the club considering signing two more options alongside an elite replacement for Casemiro.

Romano: Man United Will Almost Definitely Sign Ederson

Romano reported on Thursday that Man United were ‘very close’ to an agreement to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson, as the club look to begin their midfield rebuild.

The ‘world-class’ Brazilian has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent weeks, with the big positive about signing the 26-year-old the fact that he can link up with them at the start of pre-season after missing out on a spot in Carlo Ancelott’s World Cup squad.

Providing the latest on the move on Sunday afternoon, via his YouTube channel, Romano said:

“Ederson to Man United on player side is done, just waiting on these final touches between the two clubs. The sporting director, Cristiano Giuntoli, is obviously going to be very important in order to prepare this deal with Manchester United to close the numbers of this deal as well.

“It’s not going to be as was reported at the beginning, from Italy, [a fee of] more than €50m, it was never going to be the case. Man United hope to close this deal at around €40-45m. They are working again on these final touches, but I expect for sure Ederson to be a Man United player, unless something crazy happens.”

Which Other Midfielders are Man United Targeting?

Reports from Italy this month have suggested that Carrick also wants to bring in Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali as a potential Casemiro replacement, with one outlet suggesting that an agreement was close with the Magpies over a deal.

That remains to be seen given they reportedly value him at around the €100m mark, with the Red Devils surely wanting to negotiate a lower deal for the Italy international.

Romano has previously claimed that Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni is the club’s ‘dream’ Casemiro replacement, and he could be available for £70m if Los Blancos green-light an exit after their presidential process.

As well as Tonali and Tchouameni, Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson is their top midfield target, but his price tag and preference to join Manchester City mean a transfer is unlikely, as things stand.

United are also interested in West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes, following the Irons’ relegation to the Championship, with the player keen to join and Bruno Fernandes a big fan of his 21-year-old Portuguese compatriot.”

Crystal Palace have set their sights on Lens manager Pierre Sage after missing out on Andoni Iraola, GIVEMESPORT understands.

Palace had been keen to make former Bournemouth boss Iraola their next manager, following the departure of Oliver Glasner, but the Spaniard looks set to make the move to Liverpool.

Liverpool announced the shock sacking of Arne Slot on Saturday after just two years at the club. The Dutchman had won the Premier League title in his first season in England, but could only guide the Reds to fifth in the defence of their title this season.

Pierre Sage has done an incredible job at Lens

Sage was one of the potential names on the Liverpool shortlist, but Iraola is the clear favourite to take over at Anfield, with Palace now exploring a move to bring Sage in.

Sage left his role as Lyon boss at the end of last season, making the move to Lens, where he has enjoyed a terrific first season in charge. Lens were in the mix to win the Ligue Un title until losing to champions Paris Saint-Germain in the penultimate game of the season.

They would go on to finish as runners-up for the sixth time in their history – they’ve won the title once – and lifted the Coupe de France trophy after a 3-1 win over Nice in the final.

Robin Risser won the Ligue Un Goalkeeper of the Year award under Sage’s tutelage this season. He speaks highly of the Frenchman. He said: “He has a unique ability to unite individuals. He makes every player feel completely involved, whether they are starting or on the bench. The trust he instills in us is what allows us to play with so much freedom on the pitch.”

In a tactical analysis of Lens’ challenge for the Ligue Un title, Goal.com said: “What the 47-year-old has achieved is truly extraordinary. When the season began, nobody was quite sure what to expect from a team that had lost three key players… but Sage’s primary objective was completely shattered by his brilliance.”

Sage is highly regarded and has another two years on his contract in northern France, so Palace would have to negotiate a compensation deal with the French outfit were they to take their initial interest further.

Glasner will go down in Crystal Palace history

Whoever comes in at Selhurst Park has big shoes to fill, following in the footsteps of Glasner.

The Austrian will go down as the Eagles’ most successful ever manager after guiding Palace to three trophies in the last two seasons – their first elite-level pieces of silverware in the club’s history.

Palace won the FA Cup in the 2024/25 season, beating Manchester City in the final, before then lifting the Community Shield at the start of the 2025/26 season, beating Premier League champions Liverpool.

Glasner’s final game in charge was the UEFA Conference League final last week, beating Rayo Vallecano 1-0 to qualify for next season’s Europa League.

The UFC is preparing for arguably the biggest card in their history next month, when the organisation takes over the White House to celebrate America’s birthday.

The USA will turn 250 years old this summer, and as a result, President Donald Trump is planning a major party across the country, with a number of events planned to align with the celebrations. One of those will be a huge eight-fight UFC card, headlined by Ilia Topuria defending his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje, while Alex Pereira will move up to heavyweight to compete with Ciryl Gane for the interim belt, and a chance to become a three-weight champion.

The event will take place on the 14th June, from the south lawn of the White House, and former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping is anticipating some huge clashes. Speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT, via prediction market experts Casino.org, the Brit has now shared his thoughts on the landmark card.

Exclusive: Bisping Predicts Pereira vs Gane

The co-main event will see Pereira take on Gane for the interime heavyweight championship, with the winner expected to face off against current undisputed champion Tom Aspinall later this year.

Pereira has previously held undisputed gold at middleweight and light heavyweight, and he will be looking to become the first ever three-weight world champion in the organisation’s history. But Bisping has now revealed that after seeing sparring footage, he is leaning towards Gane being the victor.

“There’s been a lot of footage recently of Alex Pereira sparring heavyweights like Tallison Teixeira,” he said.

“You can’t read too much into sparring footage, but if you look at that, Teixeira was clipping him quite a lot. Granted, he is 6 ‘9, he is gigantic for the division, but Ciryl Gane is very light on his feet. He’s used to fighting at heavyweight. He’s used to moving and operating at weighing 260 pounds.

“I said I would never doubt him (Alex Pereira) again after what he did to Magomed Ankalaev, knocking him out in like 60 seconds or something, and now here I am potentially doubting him again because he’s put weight on. He was at 185, he fought at 205, now he’s going up to 265 lbs. Can he do it? Of course, he can.

“He has knockout power, but Ciryl Gane is used to taking shots off heavyweights. He’s very light on his feet. He’s very elusive. He’s very good at kickboxing. He’s used to taking heavyweight shots, and he’s used to knocking out heavyweights. So, I’m leaning towards Ciryl Gane.”

Exclusive: Bisping Predicts Topuria vs Gaethje

Following the conclusion of that bout, the lightweight championship will also be contested in the main event, when the undefeated Topuria defends his belt for the first time against American Gaethje.

The Spaniard comes into the fight as a heavy favourite, having knocked out Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira in his last three fights, and Bisping told GIVEMESPORT that he is on the same train, expecting Topuria to come out victorious once again.

“I don’t think I’m gonna surprise anyone by saying I think Ilia Topuria does this,” he said. “He’s surgical, he’s precise, he’s got absolutely insane power.

“Justin’s got power, he knocked out Dustin Poirier, but the difference is that we routinely see this from Ilia Topuria. He knocks people out back to back. Max Holloway, Volkanovski, Charles Oliveira. And before he beat Oliveira, Charles tried to take him down, and within seconds, Ilia had him in a crucifix. And then he gets back to his feet, and he knocks him out cold.

“Justin’s great, Justin’s awesome, we’re all fans of Justin, but Justin’s got a lot of miles on the clock. And Justin went toe-to-toe with Paddy for 5 rounds and took a lot of damage. Ilia’s talking [about] his one shot. I think he will land that one shot. I mean, he’s saying that he’s gonna break his jaw in the first 15 seconds. You never know, we might see that.

“Justin Gaethje is a tough guy, though. You never know, maybe we have an upset on our hands. That’s mixed martial arts, it happens all the time. But the smart money’s on Ilia Topuria.”