While Manchester United continue to focus on who they can bring in this summer, there is still the ominous issue of Cristiano Ronaldo and keeping a player against his will. The Portuguese has confirmed his desire to leave, but United’s stance is he is not for sale, while the lack of interest since Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes looked across Europe for interest could also see the marriage extended for a further season. Erik ten Hag will have to contend with this issue as the season starts in two weeks, while Frenkie De Jong is still being pushed towards Old Trafford by Barcelona, who are desperate for the Dutch midfielder to leave and ease their financial woes. United’s Plan B it seems is Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic Savic. Although the Serbian is a different player to De Jong, the Red Devils would still upgrade in midfield with the 27-year-old’s signing.
Chelsea have encountered more difficulty getting a target over the line after a late intervention from Barcelona in the race to sign Sevilla star Jules Kounde. The Blues may need to look elsewhere for their second significant defensive upgrade after bringing in Kalidou Koulibaly to reload after the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. The Sevilla star will cost in excess of £50m with Barcelona poised to trump the Blues again after landing former Leeds star Raphinha.
Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo‘s future remains in doubt, the Portuguese wants to leave Manchester United, but his wages remain prohibitive and Erik ten Hag maintains the No 7 is not for sale with one more year remaining on his contract at Old Trafford. Real Madrid are not interested according to the latest reports, while a shock move to Atletico Madrid has also been rumoured. The Mail reports Leicester have rejected a £15m bid from Monaco for Boubakary Soumare. And Leicester are willing to consider big-money offers for James Maddison and Kelechi Iheanacho in order to raise funds to strengthen the squad, the Telegraph claims. Follow all the latest transfer news with our live blog below:
