Manchester United’s search for a new left-back continues, as Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo claims a fresh name is on the club’s radar this summer.

The left-back position has been one that the Red Devils have struggled to find a long-term option for, with Luke Shaw‘s fitness issues not helped by the lack of a successor who can take the role as their own.

While Shaw was able to put previous injury concerns behind him last season, the return to Champions League football for next season will only increase his workload, and the risk of injury as a result.

Combine that with Tyrell Malacia’s exit and Partick Dorgu’s switch to left-wing, and Man United have a potential problem at left-back for the coming campaign.

Lewis Hall has been linked as a potential transfer target, while Alejandro Balde is another on the shortlist, but there appears to be a different Premier League star on the radar.

Man United Want Marc Cucurella

According to the report from Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea star Marc Cucurella has emerged as an option for Manchester United in the summer transfer window.

It’s claimed that the Spanish international has informed the Blues of his desire to leave, as the club faces a few potential high-profile exits to fund moves elsewhere in the market.

Chelsea paid £63 million to land Cucurella from Brighton back in 2022, where he has progressed to become a key player for the West London outfit.

However, the report claims that an offer in the range of €40-50 million (£34.5-£43.2 million) would be enough to facilitate an exit in the coming weeks.

While Michael Carrick and Man United are labelled as interested parties, they aren’t the only team in the mix to try and land the 27-year-old this summer.

Barcelona have been outlined as a priority for Cucurella, who previously came through the club’s youth ranks before moving on, while Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Manchester City have also been monitoring a move.

It means United may have to do some convincing to bring the Spanish left-back to the club over their potential rivals in the market this summer.

Cucurella Deal Makes Sense

If Man United do make a concrete offer to sign Cucurella, it’s a deal that makes sense on several different levels.

The first element is Premier League experience. It’s a tactic the Red Devils deployed well last year, bringing in the stars who have proven they are quality and bring a basic floor to the team by improving the quality, with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha doing just that.

Cucurella has 150 Premier League games to his name so far, and while his time at Chelsea in the beginning was tough, his season at Brighton followed by the campaigns after at Stamford Bridge has shown he is a quality operator.

There is a determined defending quality that the left-back brings with him, locking down flanks, before offering a bit of an attacking outlet in the final third.

It’s no surprise that Enzo Maresca called him “phenomenal” during his time at the club, with performances that stood out.

In Cucurella, Man United would have a quality, proven star entering his peak years, something that may get the team slightly closer to lifting trophies again.

George Russell may only continue with Mercedes in 2027 if he meets a specific performance clause in his contract this season.

Russell has struggled since the season resumed after the break due to race cancellations, whether due to bad luck or lacklustre performances. In Miami, he came fourth, a full 43 seconds behind his lesser-experienced teammate Kimi Antonelli, and in Canada, he was very unlucky. Having taken pole position and won the Sprint, he had to retire from the race while leading.

At this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, meanwhile, he finished outside the points in 12th, which certainly doesn’t bode well for his title chances, especially given Antonelli once again won the race, making it five in a row for the young Italian.

That all means that the British driver has fallen well behind his teammate, Antonelli, by a gap of 68 points. Russell has only collected 25 points over the last three race weekends, whereas Antonelli has picked up 59 in this time. This means the Brit has dropped to third, even behind former teammate and now Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton, in the Drivers’ Championship. Despite this, he remains positive about how this season could end up.

Russell said after Monaco: “When I look at things objectively, if things were to balance out a little bit more, I still think it would be very, very close [with Antonelli].”

George Russell’s Mercedes Contract Clause

Russell needs to keep pressure on his teammate for the remainder of the season, although it seems unlikely that he can really catch him at this point, as the 68-point gap may just prove too much. That could put him in some contractual trouble with Mercedes.

Upon signing his extension last year, a clause was reported by De Limburger to be inserted into his contract, claiming that if he was outdone in the standings by Antonelli, his contract could be void. This seemed unlikely at the time that this was first heard of, as Russell was outperforming his teammate considerably last season. This clause, however, has become a very real prospect come the end of this season, if it proves to be accurate.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen‘s Red Bull season is also unravelling more and more each week. It is becoming more likely that the four-time world champion could move on from the team that he is synonymous with.

It has long been rumoured that Toto Wolff has an interest in bringing Verstappen to Mercedes, and this season may be a perfect storm for that to occur.

Regardless, performances need to improve for Russell before the season is out. Barcelona-Catalunya is up next for the drivers, and he will be hoping to kickstart his season once more, especially with his seat under threat and a former world champion waiting in the wings.

Tottenham Hotspur could be set to complete another summer transfer agreement as soon as today, according to Football London journalist Alasdair Gold.

Tottenham and ENIC are already showing they mean business in the transfer market this summer, as they prepare to seriously back Roberto De Zerbi following successive 17th-placed finishes in the Premier League.

Spurs chiefs have been working to get four separate deals over the line, with Andy Robertson already confirmed as coming through the door on a free transfer after his contract at Liverpool expired.

The north London outfit are also ‘progressing’ with a deal to sign Manchester City winger Savinho, according to Fabrizio Romano, with a different Italian journalist claiming that the Brazilian has agreed personal terms to move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a five-year deal.

Those two additions would immediately boost De Zerbi’s left-hand side, but there will be more additions to follow with a particular focus on bolstering a defence that has conceded 183 Premier League goals in the last three seasons.

Spurs fans may not have to wait too much longer for the next positive update after the addition of Robertson, with Gold predicting the latest announcement could arrive on Monday.

Tottenham Deal for Marcos Senesi ‘Should Get Done’

The deal may have been given the ‘here we go’ treatment by Romano, but Marcos Senesi is yet to be officially announced as a new signing by Tottenham.

Barring any shock last-minute hitches, the Argentina international will be joining Robertson at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium imminently, and potentially on Monday, according to Gold.

Speaking on his latest YouTube video on Sunday night, the journalist said:

“Marcos Senesi that hopefully should get done. That should be the next announcement.

“I was hoping that that might be announced today before I did this video, but it has not as of this point. So, maybe that’ll be a Monday thing. That would be great.”

Tottenham Closing in on Another Defender Deal

The additions of Robertson and Senesi are unlikely to be the last for Tottenham’s backline, with the club currently working on a deal to sign Jan Paul van Hecke from Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Seagulls are notoriously difficult to negotiate with as they extract the most out of their valuation of their players, and it looks set to repeat with the Netherlands international.

Spurs have reached one major milestone for a potential deal however, with the 26-year-old already agreeing personal terms to join and deciding he only wants Tottenham, despite interest from other Premier League clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea.

Now the challenge will be to agree a fee with Brighton, who are said to value the player at £70m, with Tottenham already having two lower bids for the centre-back rejected.

The arrival of Senesi and Van Hecke at Tottenham would suggest that there will be one big exit in the centre-back position, with that looking most likely to be captain Cristian Romero, who has long been linked with an exit.

Spurs will hope to keep hold of Van Hecke’s national compatriot Micky van de Ven, with GIVEMESPORT sources revealing last month that the Dutchman could actually be open to extending his contract.