Manchester United are ready to sign a big-name striker on a free transfer this summer if Joshua Zirkzee leaves Old Trafford before the September 1 deadline.

While Man United have focused on rebuilding their midfield, with a third addition still likely to arrive after the signings of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, club chiefs are still considering strengthening other areas on the pitch too.

The Red Devils have been linked with many left-sided attackers throughout the summer, including Morgan Rogers, Yan Diomande and Rafeal Leao, but any potential move there is unlikely to happen unless Marcus Rashford departs.

The current plan is for the England international to be given a chance to show his worth in pre-season by manager Michael Carrick, who is said to be keen to work with the attacker.

A big offer could change their stance as the club remain keen on reducing their wage bill, with Rashford one of the top earners in the team.

Left-back is another position where they potentially look short of depth, given their fixture list will be increasing this season because of their return to the Champions League.

As with Rashford, an exit for Zirkzee could see United move for a new centre-forward too, and they know the exact profile they want.

Dusan Vlahovic ‘Mentioned’ as Man United Target

According to the i Paper, three Italian clubs are considering making a move to bring Zirkzee back to Serie A after the Dutchman joined United from Bologna.

The report says that while the Red Devils are actively looking to sell the Netherlands international, they are open to offers for a player who has ultimately failed to make an impact at Old Trafford.

Juventus, AS Roma and Como are all said to have expressed an interest in the 25-year-old, lining up loan offers with either an option or an obligation to buy, although United would prefer a permanent sale now.

While no targets are being actively targeted while Zirkzee is still at the club, if he does leave then United could look to sign an experienced centre-forward to replace him on a short-term basis.

One player who has been mentioned is Dusan Vlahovic, who is one of the most intriguing free agents on the market after he left Juventus following the expiry of his contract.

The Serbia international, described as ‘one of the best strikers in Europe’ by former Italy coach Cesare Prandelli, was on big money at Juve, but also had an impressive record of 68 goals in 168 appearances for the Old Lady.

Man United Miss Out on ‘Perfect’ Striker Option

Via REUTERS/Scott Heppell

United look set to miss out on a ‘perfect’ striker option close to home, according to the same report, and one they are very familiar with.

If the Red Devils wanted an older striker with Premier League experience to help with Benjamin Sesko’s development, there aren’t many better than their former star, Danny Welbeck.

There had been little speculation about the Brighton and Hove Albion striker’s future this summer, but out of the blue Chelsea now look set to swoop in and bring him to Stamford Bridge.

United fans would have loved to have had Welbeck back at Old Trafford, but they will have to look at alternative options if Zirkzee completes his exit.

Tottenham Hotspur are planning another huge transfer even if they are successful in landing Savinho from Manchester City.

Tottenham‘s current focus is on trying to agree a deal with City for the Brazil international, having failed to do the same 12 months ago.

Even though Spurs have a new manager in Roberto De Zerbi now from their interest a year ago, the Brazilian has still emerged as their top winger target in the remaining weeks of the summer transfer window.

The north London outfit appear ready to spend big on the 22-year-old, but any deal could depend on City landing their preferred target as a replacement.

De Zerbi has made it clear that he wants at least a ‘couple’ of new additions to his frontline before the September 1 deadline, having already transformed his defence and midfield ahead of the new season.

The Italian made it clear that they need to be ‘important’ players, suggesting he wants two players who are guaranteed starters to arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs have clearly decided that Savinho is at that level as they pursue a move for the South American, who has just told City that he wants to go.

Tottenham are also looking at striker options too, with doubts over the future of Richarlison.

Tottenham to Make ‘Proper’ Move for Junior Kroupi

via Reuters

Tottenham will have to sign a new striker if Richarlison does go, and they could bring in one regardless, given the huge ambition they have already shown this summer, breaking their transfer record twice.

Now, a top Spurs source has confirmed on X that while they work on finalising a deal to sign Savinho from City, and find solutions for the exit-linked Lucas Bergvall, Cristian Romero and Guglielmo Vicario, their attentions will turn to Bournemouth attacker Eli Junior Kroupi afterwards.

Junior Kroupi, labelled a ‘world-class talent’ by teammate Marcus Tavernier, is on the radar of every top club across Europe following an outstanding breakthrough Premier League campaign with the Cherries, where he scored 13 goals in 33 top flight appearances as a teenager.

Romano: Barcelona Open Talks to Sign Tottenham Target

According to Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham could face stiff competition in their bid to try and land Junior Kroupi in this window.

Firstly, Bournemouth are likely to demand huge money for a player they want to keep to be part of their first-ever European campaign next term, having already lost the likes of Antoine Semenyo and Marcos Senesi in 2026.

Now, Romano has revealed that La Liga giants Barcelona have opened talks with the Cherries and the player’s camp about a potential switch to the Camp Nou, as they look for alternative signings to Julian Alvarez.

Barca have been trying all summer to bring the Atletico Madrid striker to the club, but the outfit from the Spanish capital are insisting that he stays where he is.

The Hungarian Grand Prix was eventful, to say the least, with the backmarkers having a big role to play.

Lando Norris took his first win as reigning world champion at the Hungaroring, converting his surprising pole position into victory. This was the first time the Brit had scored repeat Grand Prix wins at any track or in any Grand Prix event in his Formula 1 career. His victory extended McLaren’s record as the team with the most wins at the Hungarian Grand Prix with 14 and their third consecutive victory at the circuit.

However, those at the back of the grid were wreaking havoc on the frontrunners when they were attempting to lap them. This is due to a system malfunction with the blue flags, which are used to signal that a driver has a faster car behind them and must move to allow them through.

Technical Problems Plagued the Hungarian Grand Prix

Credit: REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

Blue flags are physically waved at the side of the track by the marshals. However, drivers now have multiple opportunities to see them, with visible light panels around the circuit and drivers seeing the blue flags concerning them appearing on their steering wheel display.

However, in Sunday’s race, the blue flags were shown randomly and without driver numbers to the point where Norris and Kimi Antonelli were mistakenly shown blue flags despite being among the fastest cars on track.

This had particularly disastrous consequences when Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, lost the lead of the race due to a bizarre collision with Carlos Sainz, who was fighting with Fernando Alonso in last place. The Australian was naturally furious, claiming the Spaniard was fighting Alonso ‘like it was the world championship’. His misery was further compounded when he suffered a gearbox issue and was forced to watch his McLaren colleague take victory.

But Sainz wasn’t the only driver causing problems. Gabriel Bortoleto was also frustrating those ahead, holding up Lewis Hamilton in the closing laps and hindering Mercedes, earning criticism from the Silver Arrows’ boss, Toto Wolff.

Wolff said via Sky Sport Germany: “I’m annoyed about the marshalling system with the blue flags, which didn’t work. I’m annoyed about the backmarkers who don’t get out of the way and can cost you a podium finish. That’s not on.

“Bortoleto was blocking us. Unbelievable! If they’re driving at the front, I’d like to hear what they have to say when someone’s weaving around like that.”

The Austrian team principal went as far as to call the backmarkers’ engineers ‘Teletubby engineers’ for not informing their drivers of faster cars approaching, labelling it ‘disgraceful’.

Bortoleto defended his actions, pointing out that the malfunction with the blue flags made it difficult to know whether he needed to yield.

The Audi driver said: “The system didn’t work. The blue flag wasn’t working anymore. I got stuck behind [Oliver] Bearman and [Carlos] Sainz myself. Something wasn’t working there.”

Bortoleto would finish in 11th, just outside the points places, while Sainz and Bearman were 18th and 19th respectively. Bearman would receive a five-second time penalty for ignoring blue flags.

Bortoleto continued: “I always had to wait until my engineer told me something. He only told me before Turn 11 that I should let them [Antonelli and Hamilton] past, and I did so straight away.

“I had no indication of blue flags on the screens, and I can’t look in the mirror in the middle of the corner.”

F1 Driver Slammed For Being ‘In Over His Head’ at Hungarian Grand Prix

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher didn’t accept the Brazilian’s justification, however. The six-time Grand Prix winner and brother of seven-time world champion, Michael Schumacher, claimed that he failed to understand why Bortoleto couldn’t ‘look in his mirrors’ to see the frontrunners and argued that he should ‘step aside’ from the sport if he’s incapable of doing that.

The German said: “I can’t understand that at all. Every driver knows what’s at stake. You’ve got your engineer, you ask him and you also check your rear-view mirror.

“If he tells me he can’t look in the rear-view mirror whilst driving, then he’s in over his head and needs to step aside. But that’s really unsportsmanlike.”

The 21-year-old won Formula 2 in his rookie season in 2024, becoming the first driver to win from last on the grid in either Formula 2 or Formula 1. He also obtained several points finishes in his rookie season in F1, so he certainly shows great potential, but he’ll be looking to avoid getting on the wrong side of the frontrunners too often if he wishes to succeed in the cutthroat sport.

With the summer break underway, it’s hoped that the blue flag error will be fixed by the next race in Zandvoort from the 21st to the 23rd of August, with much of the season left at stake. Can Norris overturn a 91-point deficit to Antonelli to be a back-to-back champion? It’s certainly not improbable, but only time will tell.