It will continue to be a very exciting summer transfer window at Manchester United, with plenty of comings and goings. Who will be the next to join Fred and Diogo Dalot as new arrivals this summer? Who will be heading out the Old Trafford door?
Let’s take a spin through the latest transfer rumors and gossip making the rounds on the internet today.
-Liverpool came oh so close to signing Nabil Fekir this summer, as the final touches on the deal were about to be applied. Then Lyon pulled out at the last minute.
There’s been stories claiming that talks could re-open. There has also been talk that United could swoop in and land Fekir, in a move that would be reminiscent of how Old Trafford landed Romelu Lukaku (who Chelsea was after) or Alexis Sanchez (who Manchester City were targeting).
The Daily Express cites Lyon president Jean-Michael Aulas publicly confirming Mourinho’s interest:
“I was with Jose Mourinho the other day. We had long discussions. Personally, I am no longer in discussions with Liverpool.
“At the moment, we are waiting for France and Nabil to have a fantastic World Cup.”
-Elsewhere, 90 Min report that United are going all in for ?AC Milan defender ?Leonardo Bonucci: “amid concerns that the Serie A giants could be in line for serious punishment from UEFA regarding their failure to comply with Financial Fair Play rules.”
If Bonucci doesn’t work out, then the fall back option could be…..
-Next we move on to a discussion of two transfer rumors that involve the same team. Tottenham Hotspurs want Manchester United forward Anthony Martial, who is also being strongly linked to Juventus right now. Martial has also been linked to Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, among other teams.
On the other side, United want Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld, so it could be time to play “Let’s Make a Deal.”
SB Nation’s Tottenham community, the poetically titled Cartilage Free Captain, have a post analyzing a Manchester Evening News report that claims Old Trafford rejected an overture from Spurs for Martial, a player who wants out of his current club, according to his agent himself.
Rejecting their offer is an apparent retaliation for Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy playing hardball (as he’s well known to do) in negotiations for Alderweireld potentially going the other way.
Levy reportedly told United that Alderweireld, who looks likely to leave given that his contract expires next summer (though the club has a one-year extension option), will command a very large transfer fee.
We still have six weeks left of the silly season, so it will be really fun to see how this all plays out.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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