- MAN UNITED FRENKIE DE JONG PURSUIT BOOSTED
- UNITED FACE BRIGHTON THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON
- LEROY SANE MIGHT BE AVAILABLE FOR UNITED
- SESKO UNAVAILABLE TILL NEXT SEASON
The start of the Premier League season is finally here for Man United, who take on Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon. Erik ten Hag will take charge of his first competitive fixture as United boss, but he will do it without all the players he wants. The Red Devils have been chasing Ten Hag’s number one target Frenkie de Jong for the past 12 weeks without success.
Elsewhere, United are also chasing a forward to bolster Ten Hag’s options further up the pitch. The club were hoping to sign at least five players this summer and currently have three in the shape of Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia, so there is likely to be lots of activity before the transfer deadline.
LEAGUE OPENER FOR UNITED AGAINST BRIGHTON 7TH SUNDAY
The latest reports indicate that De Jong is involved in a ‘conflict’ with his agent, Ali Dursun. The 25-year-old midfielder reportedly wants to stay at Barca, rather than entertain the offers he has from United and Chelsea – but that would mean reducing his salary.Dursun apparently believes that his client should not consider Barca’s proposal and should instead move to United, where he would immediately be put into Ten Hag’s side as the star player. Barca are currently unable to register their five new signings with La Liga due to their huge wage bill hence they have to release players.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is not prioritising a midfielder in the remaining weeks of the transfer window. The Blues had launched an attempt to hijack Manchester United’s move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, but Tuchel has suggested he has bigger concerns. Tuchel says that they may add a player but not necessarily a midfielder as a first option but that Chelsea were open for everything.
That could keep United in the race, but they still have some convincing to do. Erik ten Hag worked with Frenkie de Jong previously at Ajax and is keen to reunite with the midfielder, but the feeling doesn’t appear mutual at present which could force United to pursue other options.
LEROY SANE COULD MAKE A PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN
Man united have made a surprise enquiry about former Manchester City winger Leroy Sane. Erik ten Hag initially wanted to sign Antony, but Ajax’s £80million asking price has prompted the club to look elsewhere. Sane only started 22 Bundesliga games for Bayern Munich last season and Sadio Mane’s £34million transfer from Liverpool is likely to impact his opportunities even further in 2022/23. The 26-year-old winger has Premier League experience from his time at Manchester City, which means he wouldn’t need to acclimatise.
United’s tranfer window has hardly gone to plan so far and they are unlikely to get any joy out of pursuing the former Man City favourite . The ex-Etihad star spent four years under the guidance of Pep Gurdiola before joining Bavarian giants in 2020, but that hardly means he doesn’t still harbour plenty of loyalty to his old side. United are now keen on adding another attacker to his side before the transfer window’s close later this month.
The Red Devils are understood to havesSane on their wishlist and may have actually had their chances slightly boosted by the exit of Liverpool ace, Sadio Mane. The Senegal International’s arrival at the Allianz Arena has led to question marks over how much game time Sane will enjoy for Bayern this season.
Man united’s chances of signing Benjamin Sesko have been dealt a blow amid reports he wants to stay at Red Bull Salzburg for another season. Sesko has caught the eye of scouts all across Europe by contributing 10 goals and seven assists across all competitions for Salzburg last season. The 19-year-old Slovenia international has generated lots of speculation in recent weeks, with United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain among those monitoring his progress.
United are looking for reinforcements in attacking positions this summer, after losing Edinson Cavani on a free transfer and with Mason Greenwood unavailable. A hamstring injury to Anthony Martial, which will keep him out of Sunday’s opener againstBrighton, andRonaldo’s ’s desire to leave means Erik ten Hag needs more options.
