Manchester United Transfer News Roundup: Red Devils turn attention to a €42m defender, United want a 24-goal striker and more - 31st August 2020

Manchester United seem close to completing their first signing of the summer with the arrival of Donny van de Beek from Ajax. The midfielder is set to join the club on a five-year deal after a £40 million deal was agreed between the two clubs.

Here is the latest from Old Trafford on 31st August 2020.

Manchester United want striker Patson Daka

Manchester United have shown interest in Red Bull Salzburg striker Patson Daka, according to the Manchester Evening News. Daka, who scored a brace against Liverpool in a pre-season friendly, has taken over the mantle of scoring goals from Erling Braut Haaland since the latter's move to the Bundesliga earlier this year.

Full-time in the pre-season friendly in Austria: @RhianBrewster9 came off the bench to score twice as #LFC come from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against RB Salzburg. Patson Daka scored twice for their opponents while @VirgilvDijk left the field after receiving a cut to his head pic.twitter.com/bxfFWV9o4G

— BBC Merseyside Sport (@bbcmerseysport) August 25, 2020

The 21-year-old scored 24 goals and contributed ten assists in 31 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga last season. The report suggests that Manchester United will need a bid in the region of £20 million to sign the youngster.

Manchester United have been the market for a forward this season, with Jadon Sancho considered to be their first priority. However, Borussia Dortmund's steep asking price for the player has meant that a deal for the England international remains in the works.

Odion Ighalo is a backup striker at Manchester United behind Anthony Martial. However, the Nigerian's loan spell in England ends in January, so a striker will be high on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's wishlist this summer.

Manchester United target RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano

Dayot Upamecano of RB Leipzig

Manchester United have turned their attention on RB Leipzig's central defender Dayot Upamecano after wrapping up a deal for Donny van de Beek from Ajax. A report in ESPN suggests that Upamecano is a top target for the centre-back position in the Red Devils' roster.

Solskjaer is in the market for a central defender to complement the duo of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire who played the majority of last season. Manchester United have already had a bid rejected for teenage centre-back Benoit Badiashile who broke through at Monaco last season.

The 21-year-old Upamecano is considered to be one of the best centre-back prospects in the world. The Frenchman displayed his quality during Leipzig's run to the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.

According to the same report, Upamecano has a €42 million release clause in his contract that gets activated at the end of the 2020-21 season. However, the chiefs at Old Trafford are confident of completing a deal for the defender this window.

Manchester United could hijack Thiago Alcantara deal

Manchester United have shown interest in a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara, according to Norwegian journalist Fredik Filtvedt. The report suggests that Liverpool need to sell players to be able to buy the Bayern Munich midfielder, which allows Mnchester United to join the fray.

Får høre at United - i tillegg til Van de Beek - er interesserte i Thiago.

— Fredrik A. N. Filtvedt (@FAFiltvedt) August 30, 2020