Euro Paper Talk: Ratcliffe green light to sign bargain Casemiro upgrade for Man Utd, Chelsea send ‘huge’ offer for Barcelona star
Man Utd could sign midfield target Youssouf Fofana for a bargain fee
Manchester United have the chance to sign a long-term midfield target as Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans to axe Casemiro, Chelsea have made a ‘huge contract offer’ to a Barcelona star, while Real Madrid are keen to sign one of Manchester City’s most important players – all in Thursday’s edition of Euro Paper Talk.
MAN UTD TO SIGN IDEAL CASEMIRO REPLACEMENT
Man Utd are in for a summer of major change with Erik ten Hag tipped to be sacked as manager and several players expected to follow him out the exit door.
One area Sir Jim Ratcliffe is determined to bolster is midfield, with the Ineos chief determined to get stars who are past their best and on big contracts off the books – with Casemiro and Christian Eriksen being two examples.
Sofyan Amrabat is also set to return to Fiorentina once his loan from Fiorentina so there will be a major void in the Red Devils’ squad that will need to be filled.
One midfield target Man Utd have had their eye on for some time is Monaco star Youssouf Fofana, who has also been linked with Arsenal in recent weeks.
The French international can play as a defensive, central or right midfielder with his versatility being one of the things Ratcliffe is reportedly fond of.
Man Utd tried to sign Fofana on a loan-to-buy deal last summer but their proposal was swiftly rejected.
Fofana has scored four goals and made four assists in 35 appearances for Monaco this season and the French club ideally want to keep him, but the 25-year-old is ready for a new challenge elsewhere.
Fabrizio Romano tips Man Utd to seal bargain deal
Despite Fofana’s importance to Monaco there seems to be an acceptance within the club that he will leave this summer amid interest from the Premier League.
As relayed by Fabrizio Romano, Monaco director Thiago Scuro has been quoted saying Fofana is a player who will ‘probably’ be sold if ‘the right offer’ is put on the table.
“He is probably one of the players that we are open to selling this summer,” Scuro said in a recent interview.
“We will see the opportunities that he has, same for Guillermo Maripán,” he added.
Romano has told Caught Offside, that Man Utd could sign Fofana for as little as €20m (approx. £17m) – which has to be considered a major bargain.
That is because the midfielder is only under contract until 2025 and he seemingly has no intension of signing an extension with Monaco.
It will be interesting to see if Ratcliffe sanctions a concrete offer for Fofana in the coming weeks, as reports suggest.
EURO CHAMPIONS ‘FEAR’ LOSING LIVERPOOL TARGET
Liverpool are ready to rival Real Madrid for the signature of highly rated Lille defender Leny Yoro, who is valued at around €60m (approx. £51.1m) (Le Parisien).
Atalanta fear losing Teun Koopmeiners to Liverpool or Juventus despite the midfielder helping them to Europa League glory on Wednesday. (Football Italia)
Thiago Motta is set to become the new Juventus manager after leaving Bologna. (Fabrizio Romano)
Former Man Utd man Memphis Depay looks set to leave Atletico Madrid as a free agent this summer as part of a major squad clear out by Diego Simeone. (Cadena SER)
Barcelona have reached an agreement in principle with Hansi Flick, who is their top target to replace Xavi Hernandez as manager. (El Chiringuito)
LIVERPOOL LATEST: Slot sanctions Liverpool move for Brazilian talent as quality Reds star responds to Real Madrid links
REAL MADRID PLOT STUNNING MAN CITY RAID
Real Madrid have identified Man City star Rodri as one of their top targets to improve their midfield as they eye a replacement for Toni Kroos. (AS)
MLS side San Diego have ‘held talks’ with the representatives of Kevin de Bruyne over a potential transfer in 2025. (The Athletic)
Man City are willing to sell Bernardo Silva for £50m this summer amid interest from Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. (Football Insider)
Man City, Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are all battling to sign Monaco star Maghnes Akliouche. (Nice-Matin)
Slovenia forward Benjamin Sesko, 20, who is on Chelsea and Arsenal’s radar, will decide before the Euros whether he wants to remain at RB Leipzig or move on. (Fabrizio Romano)
Crystal Palace have agreed personal terms with Morocco and Real Betis centre-back Chadi Riad, 20, in a deal worth up to £14m. (Standard)
VINCENT KOMPANY ‘AGREES’ BAYERN MUNICH MOVE
Burnley boss Vincent Kompany has verbally agreed to become the next Bayern Munich manager, replacing Thomas Tuchel. (Sky Germany)
Tottenham and Chelsea are both keen on signing talented Lyon attacker Rayan Cherki. (HITC)
Arsenal are ready to move for Feyenoord goalkeeper Justin Bijlow, 26, as they expect their 26-year-old England stopper Aaron Ramsdale to leave. (Mirror)
ARSENAL STRIKER HUNT: Gunners to make blockbuster signing ‘within five weeks’ as Mikel Arteta demand becomes clear
Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid continue to be linked with Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong. (Caught Offside)
Cristiano Ronaldo is pushing for his team Al-Nassr to sign Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes. (Daily Star)
West Ham, Wolves and Aston Villa are all interested in Girona’s Viktor Tsygankov. (AS)
Roma are interested in signing Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku permanently but won’t pay more than €40m (approx. £34m). (Enrico Camelio)
CHELSEA SEND ‘HUGE OFFER’ TO BARCELONA STAR
Chelsea have opened talks with Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo with a ‘major contract offer’ for the defender that would see his salary increase significantly. (MD)
Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca is a manager target for Chelsea and has just rejected a new proposal from Sevilla. (Fabrizio Romano)
Super agent Jorge Mendes has offered Porto manager Sergio Conceicao to Chelsea. (Mirror)
NEXT CHELSEA MANAGER: Boehly to interview No 1 candidate as startling new claims emerge over Pochettino exit
Strasbourg defender Lucas Perrin is set to leave the French club after publicly criticising BlueCo – the ownership group led by Chelsea. (L’Equipe)
Strasbourg midfielder Ismael Doukoure has asked to leave the club amid interest from Wolfsburg and various clubs in the Premier League. (L’Equipe)
SANCHO TO STAY AT MAN UTD?
Jadon Sancho has purchased a £3.8m mansion in Greater Manchester, with the forward preparing to be back with Man Utd after his loan with Borussia Dortmund. (The Sun)
Tottenham and Man Utd are back in the mix to sign Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo. (Nice-Matin)
Everton could offer €15m (approx. £12.8m) for Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis, who has been on their radar since January. (Mais Futebol)
DON’T MISS: Mbappe, Rabiot and the best players who are out of contract at the end of the 2023-24 season