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Manchester United contact PSG to discuss several players
Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain have had contacts to discuss several players, but from what I’m hearing they have not presented an official bid to PSG for Manuel Ugarte. United and PSG have a good relationship, and although Ugarte was one of the topics, he was not the only one.
Still, United know that several players like Casemiro and Christian Eriksen could be on the move this summer, while they still have to decide what they want to do with Sofyan Amrabat, and so midfield is an area they’re looking at, and Ugarte is a player they appreciate.
For now, United’s priorities are still centre-back, left-back and striker, but in midfield there could be some movement as well. Ugarte could be an option, he could be one to watch, but let’s wait and see if it turns into anything more concrete. On the centre-back issue, I can reveal that United called Lille again in the last 24-48 about Leny Yoro, to make all parties aware of their interest.
Yoro himself is pushing for Real Madrid, while there is also interest from Liverpool and PSG, but United have made it clear that they would like to enter the story in case any deal with Real Madrid collapses. So now it’s on Real Madrid – if they want to do what it takes to close the deal, then Yoro will go there as they’re his preferred destination.
Staying with United, the agreement with Erik ten Hag on a new contract is really close. We’re just waiting for the final details, but it’s almost done, the agreement is there. Ten Hag will sign a new deal at Manchester United and will also change some members of his coaching staff. It is a concrete possibility to see Ruud van Nistelrooy joining United as an assistant coach – he’s really tempted by the possibility.
Michael Olise closing in on Bayern transfer, but what could it mean for Kingsley Coman?
Michael Olise will this week become a new Bayern Munich player. Everything is okay between Bayern and Olise, and they will pay his release clause at Crystal Palace – £45m plus £5m in add-ons. Palace, meanwhile, are now negotiating for Antonio Nusa to replace Olise, and despite rumours I don’t have an imminent update on Eberechi Eze, Palace are still hoping to keep him, but his release clause is there. Jobe Bellingham also remains a target for Palace, they are still pushing for him, especially after the Olise story.
Bayern are now also working on other deals, including Jonathan Tah. The Bayer Leverkusen centre-back wants to go to Bayern, so let’s see if they can reach an agreement. For Xavi Simons, we’ll have to wait until after the Euros. With Joao Palhinha, negotiations between Bayern and Fulham are still ongoing, with the player pushing for the move.
With the Olise signing, I’ve had some fans asking me questions about what it could mean for the futures of Bayern’s other attacking players. My understanding is that Bayern are happy with Leroy Sane, while Serge Gnabry has publicly said that he’d be happy to stay, so we’ll see what happens in case of proposals. Kingsley Coman is probably the player I’d say has the highest chances of leaving Bayern – he’s open to possible proposals and so are Bayern, but despite links with PSG the race is still absolutely open, it’s not something concrete or imminent, despite what’s been reported elsewhere.
Marc Guiu to Chelsea, plus Aaron Anselmino pursuit
Marc Guiu to Chelsea is a ‘here we go’. Chelsea believe this was a fantastic opportunity for two reasons: huge potential as top talent, good price as his €6m release clause at Barcelona is considered a bargain. They are very happy to proceed with the Guiu deal, and they’re just working on formal steps now to trigger the clause this week.
I’m not sure this will be the only signing Chelsea make up front, I think they will take their time and consider other options, though my understanding as of now is that there’s still nothing new on Samu Omorodion or Jhon Duran, we’ll see what Chelsea decide to do.
In defence, Chelsea remain on a mission to sign Aaron Anselmino. Chelsea keep working on that, they are in active talks with Boca Juniors. Despite Manchester United also being linked, for now we will have to wait and see if other clubs will enter the race. For now, talks are with Chelsea now and they are trying to find a solution under the value of the release clause. Many people talk very highly of his potential, but of course he’s still very young, so it would be another signing for the future for Chelsea.
Rumoured Eddie Nketiah price tag and Johan Bakayoko Arsenal links
I’ve been seeing reports about Eddie Nketiah and a possible price tag of as much as £50m for him at Arsenal. However, I’m not aware of a final price tag being decided or communicated for Nketiah – Arsenal are expected to consider proposals for him but for sure it won’t be cheap. There’s interest from clubs in England but again, it’s not something advanced or concrete now as the strikers domino in the market is expected to start after the Euros.
Arsenal are also being linked with Johan Bakayoko by some outlets, while names like Chelsea and Liverpool have also come up, but I’m told nothing is concrete yet for Bakayoko. Many clubs are following the exciting young Belgian winger, but no club has reached out to PSV Eindhoven yet, so we need to be patient on this one.
Tottenham’s plans at right-back
Emerson Royal could leave Tottenham as he’s publicly acknowledged interest from AC Milan, even if nothing is done yet. As previously reported, Monaco right-back Vanderson is someone they are showing an interest in in case Emerson leaves the club.
I’m also aware there have been some rumours about Yan Couto, but I’m not aware of anything concrete on that story, let’s wait and see what happens. However, as Tottenham have Pedro Porro as their first choice, they want to sign a backup option for that position, and I see Couto as someone who would be more of a starter than a rotation player.