Man Utd to miss out on TWO exciting midfielders and top winger target now facing ‘ban’

Manchester United are looking to follow up their signing of Ederson with the addition of another new midfielder, but they are set to miss out on two targets in a disappointing twist.

The Red Devils are also keen to add another winger, and AC Milan star Rafael Leao has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent weeks.

Michael Carrick’s side are set to be ambitious in the transfer window. Agreeing a deal with Atalanta for Ederson is a positive start, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

Man Utd miss out on Barcelona maestro

One midfield target Man Utd have considered is Barcelona star Marc Casado.

The 22-year-old is considered one of the most promising youngsters in Barca’s ranks, and despite only starting only 10 LaLiga games this season, has generated interest from a number of clubs after playing a key role in their LaLiga triumph.

TEAMtalk transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, reported earlier today that Man Utd have ‘explored the possibility’ of signing Casado, and have held conversations over his situation in recent weeks.

Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Brighton, Nottingham Forest, Everton and Crystal Palace have shown interest in Casado, too, while Chelsea are also long-term admirers.

Despite that widespread interest, none of those clubs have progressed to the stage of submitting a formal offer.

We understand Monaco have made the most decisive move to date and are now working to complete a deal worth in excess of £20million.

Sources have indicated that the French club are increasingly confident of securing Casado’s signature, with the player himself keen on a move that would offer regular first-team football.

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Inter beat Red Devils to Serbian sensation

Meanwhile, another midfielder Man Utd are big admirers of is Aleksandar Stankovic, but they are set to miss out on signing him, too.

We exclusively revealed in February that both Tottenham and Man Utd were tracking the 20-year-old closely, with scouts from both clubs regularly monitoring his progress with Club Brugge.

That interest has only intensified in recent months.

As we revealed in an update earlier today, both Premier League sides had been planning to explore moves for Stankovic this summer.

However, their hopes of signing the youngster have been extinguished by Stankovic’s former club Inter Milan.

There was always a growing belief within football that Stankovic’s future would ultimately be decided by Inter. Now that has been confirmed.

The Nerazzurri have exercised a buy-back option worth just over £20million, bringing the Serbia Under-21 international back to the club where he first emerged through the academy ranks.

His father, Dejan Stankovic, spent almost a decade at the San Siro and established himself as a club legend during one of the most successful periods in Inter’s modern history. Now his son is poised to follow in his footsteps.

Man Utd will now have to look elsewhere for a second new midfielder.

West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes remains of serious interest, while Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali also continues to be linked with a move to Old Trafford.

Rafael Leao facing ban amid Man Utd interest

Man Utd are also looking to bring in a new winger this summer, who can compete with the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Amad Diallo for a starting spot.

AC Milan star Rafael Leao is someone they are long-term admirers of, and he is expected to leave the Serie A giants.

Leao’s representatives have even spoken with Man Utd to ‘offer’ them the chance to bring him in this summer.

But the Portuguese international has been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons recently.

Leao has published a statement on social media after the red card he received during Portugal’s friendly win over Chile that could see him banned for multiple matches.

You can read his statement, defending his actions, in full here.

Chile star Felipe Faundez went in hard on the winger before then going into another challenge with Portugal full-back Joao Cancelo.

As Faundez cleared the ball, he clashed with Cancelo as he rolled off the pitch. The incident then saw Chile centre-back Ivan Roman move in to protect Faundez, with Leao then entering the fray himself.

But as Leao and Roman then traded pushes, the Milan attacker put his rival on the deck with what appeared to be a punch to leave Roman holding his face.

Leao could be banned from playing in Portugal’s next friendly against Nigeria before the World Cup begins, but FIFA chiefs could suspend him from games in the tournament, if they choose to.

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