Manchester United transfer news: Douglas Costa ‘offered’in midfielder swap as defender nears £55m move
We round up the latest Manchester United transfer news and rumnours at Thursday lunchtime
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The Aaron Wan-Bissaka saga rolls on at Old Trafford as Manchester United continue to circle around the youngster who has emerged as their top priority signing this summer.
The Record claims that a fee of £55m has finally been agreed with Crystal Palace for the England Under-21 international, but the Daily Mail suggests that terms are yet to be finalised and that negotiations between the clubs are continuing.
The England youth international has been perpetually linked with United throughout the summer, and will be made the most expensive full-back of all time should the deal go through at the reported price. A number of smaller bids had been rejected, with Palace thought to have been holding out for a fee as high as £70m, but a breakthrough has reportedly been reached.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted on a high-quality right-back as a top priority during this window, and Wan-Bissaka falls into this category, having established himself as a mainstay in the Crystal Palace side since his debut in February of last year.
The funds for this deal could be generated by the departure of Paul Pogba, who The Mirror believe is closing in on a sensational return to former club Juventus. Real Madrid were believed to be in pole position for a time but have focused on other targets, paying large sums to acquire Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic and Ferland Mendy. This has allowed the Italian champions to move ahead as favourites for his signature, who are reportedly confident of bringing the Frenchman back to Turin despite United’s eye-watering £150m valuation.
Calciomercato believe that Juventus will seek to lower this asking price by offering Douglas Costa in part-exchange. The 28-year-old Brazilian winger mustered just one goal and two assists in 17 Serie A appearances last term, but he showed his talent with 13 assists the previous season. The player would prefer to stay with Juventus, however, so any move to Old Trafford may be difficult to engineer.
The Italian media also believe that a player-plus-cash deal may be in the works to ease Inter’s signing of Romelu Lukaku. Corriere dello Sport report that proposals from the Milan club involving Ivan Perisic or Mauro Icardi were rebutted by United, but that Solskjaer would be interested in a deal involving centre-back Milan Skriniar. Inter are believed to be highly resistant to such a trade, however, and are looking to complete a deal for the Belgian forward without parting with their promising defender.
One man who will not be leaving United is Juan Mata, whose two-year contract renewal was confirmed by the club yesterday. The Spaniard described it as “a real honour” to renew with the Red Devils.
He may be getting a new midfield partner for the coming season, with Adrien Rabiot narrowing down his options to either Manchester United or Juventus. The out-of-contract PSG man is seeking €8m a year, which United are prepared to offer along with a €10m signing-on bonus. Juventus are believed to have placed a similar package on the table, but with a slightly reduced annual wage.
Despite the moderately less attractive financial incentives on offer it appears that Juventus are in pole position, with Rabiot also speaking to new sporting director Leonardo about a shock PSG stay, but the 19-time English champions remain in the frame.
Solskjaer will be hopeful of attracting the free agent to the club if ESPN are to be believed: they report that the budget for incoming signings is capped at £100m unless further sales are made.
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