Manchester United have entered a key period of their summer plans, with the ramping up of transfer talks coinciding with the start of pre-season proper.
United are preparing to head off to Oslo in Norway on Tuesday before their first pre-season friendly against Leeds on Wednesday. All eyes will be on Mason Mount, who could pull on the United shirt for the first time since his £60million move from Chelsea was made official.
But fans are also eager to see the addition of Mount followed by other new faces. United’s football director John Murtough is working hard on that front, with a goalkeeper and a striker the top two priorities now Mount is sorted.
Erik ten Hag wants serious investment, but the club is working to a budget. Here Mirror Football takes a look at the latest rumours.
Onana meeting
David de Gea is gone and United have identified his replacement. Now they just have to sign Onana from Inter Milan.
The 27-year-old, who worked with Ten Hag at Ajax, could cost €50m (£42.7m) – a year after he joined Inter for free. According to Italian outlet Sport Mediaset, via Sport Witness, United officials met with their Inter counterparts on Monday morning to try and thrash out a deal.
After deciding on a five-year contract for Onana, they are set to make a formal offer to Inter. Everything seems to be going in the right direction.
Bayern’s Kane belief
Bayern Munich are assessing whether to continue in the hunt for Tottenham star Harry Kane – but they believe that United are not even in the running.
The Daily Mail says Bayern’s offer of £70m for Kane is nowhere near Spurs’ valuation of the England captain and the German giants will now have to think carefully about their next move.
However, their decision won’t be influenced by United, who were in the running earlier this summer, but have admitted defeat. Daniel Levy will not sell his prized asset to a Premier League rival, leaving Bayern as his only option.
Fred and Bailly leaving
United need to sell players in order to bolster their transfer budget this summer and two of the unwanted stars could be nearing the exit.
Fred is among the four first-team regulars Ten Hag wants to sell and it seems he could get his way. The Brazilian midfielder, who was signed by Jose Mourinho in 2018 for £52m – has hired new agents, with Fulham and clubs in Saudi Arabia considering a £20m move.
Meanwhile, Eric Bailly – the first signing of the Mourinho era in 2016 – could be set to move to Real Betis after spending last season on loan with Marseille.
