Hello and welcome to the Manchester United transfer roundup for the day. It is just another usual day for the Red Devils as they have been swamped with transfer stories today in the press.
The likes of David De Gea, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale Fred, Federico Chiesa, Diego Dalot and Toby Alderweireld feature in the rumours section today, so without further ado, we are just going to reveal what today is all about…
#5 Fred medical and Bale bad news
Fred to Manchester United is a rumour that has been around for quite a while. And now, things might finally be official as Goal report that the Brazilian, who was with the Brazil national team in Liverpool, has flown to Manchester to complete his medical with the Old Trafford.
The deal is worth around £52.5 million could be completed within the next 24 hours. Brazil coach Tite, meanwhile, gave an update regarding the midfielder’s potential move and stated that he would also have liked to sign him was he a coach of a club.
“Edu [Gaspar, general coordinator for Brazil’s national team] has a very loyal relationship with the players,” said Tite.
“When there is a club-related matter, which is inevitable, they will put it to us and the goal is to resolve it as soon as possible to get the mind geared towards the national team.
“If I were a coach, I would ask him to sign him, too.”
Moving on, Liverpool legend Steve Nicol is sceptical of Gareth Bale joining Manchester United whilst Mourinho is at the helm at the Old Trafford. Nicol thinks that Mourinho’s defensive ways might make the Welshman think twice before going to the Theatre of Dreams.
“We’ve always spoken about Gareth Bale going to Manchester United and the question has always been the same one,” he said.
“Considering the way Mourinho plays and would want him to defend, would Bale want to go to Man Utd?
“If [Napoli manager] Maurizio Sarri was the manager of Man Utd, this whole thing would be a lot easier.”
He finally added that the deal could cost much more than the protracted sum of €100 million.
“If Bale does go, it’s going to be a lot more than €100m (£88m),” he added.
#4 Umtiti out of bounds now
Samuel Umtiti was a player that was regularly linked to Manchester United due to the fact that he had a €60 million release clause in his contract – which, in this market, is peanuts.
The keyword above is ‘was’ as Umtiti has signed an extension with the Blaugranas and his new release clause is now worth a mammoth €500 million – good luck paying that.
After signing the new contract, he spoke the usual stuff like how Barcelona is the only club he ever dreamed playing for and that he never envisaged himself in another jersey.
"I'm very happy and proud to be able to renew with Barcelona. My dream was to be with the best. Since the first day, I've felt at home at the club and I want to stay here," Umtiti told a press conference after extending his deal until 2023.
"My priority was always to renew with Barca. I never saw myself in another team."
"This club has been in my heart since I was a kid, and it is a dream to play here with players like (Lionel) Messi."
Yup, alright.
#3 Deals with Italian clubs
Manchester United are going to have a busy summer up ahead, there is little doubt over that. They are not only going to buy players, they are also going to sell some – and Matteo Darmian is one of them.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Federico Chiesa is going to be a subject of a bidding war in the summer with clubs like Liverpool, Juventus, Inter, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Meanwhile, in an exclusive from Calcio Mercato¸ it has been revealed Matteo Darmian to Juventus is not a done deal as of yet. The total figure of the deal might have been finalized but how and when Juventus should pay it is yet to come to conclusion.
#2 Dalot and Alderweireld
Defence is an area which needs a lot of improvement for Manchester United – and Jose Mourinho recognizes that. It is for this reason that the Red Devils have been linked with so many defenders over the last few months.
And one of them is Diego Dalot. The full-back is seen as a long-term replacement of Antonio Valencia. He has a release clause of only £17.5 million and Manchester Evening News report that the youngster was in London to complete his move to the Theatre of Dreams, with only some minor details remaining.
Meanwhile, Toby Alderweireld has been linked with the Old Trafford outfit ever since the beginning of time, but football.london now believe that negotiations between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester have come to a halt.
#1 Sergio Ramos’ danger and Cristiano Ronaldo update
And now we come to the headline-grabbing stories of the day – and both of them have Real Madrid players in it. So, Don Balon state that Sergio Ramos doesn’t want Alisson at the club because of two reasons.
One, he thinks that Alisson’s arrival will make the Brazilian contingent of the club very strong, which, in turn, could make Real Madrid Neymar’s team. Second – and the one that spells danger for United – the Spain defender prefers his compatriot and Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea over the Roma shotstopper.
Moving on to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Diario Gol believe that while Manchester City could afford Ronaldo, Pep Guardiola doesn’t want him. They also add that the “romantic” relationship that the Portuguese has with the Red Devils makes it possible for him to go back for somewhere between €150 million to €200 million – or a United player + €70 million.