Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Euro Paper Talk: Man Utd make move for 80-goal striker as transfer groundwork begins for new goalkeeper; Chelsea eye final January signing for record £105.7m

Porto's goalkeeper from Portugal Diogo Costa (99) celebrating after winning the final of the Portuguese Cup Porto vs Tondela

Manchester United are strengthening their push to sign a new striker and a new goalkeeper, Chelsea are ready to shatter the British transfer record for a midfielder, while Monday’s Euro Paper Talk claims Man City will ruin Tottenham plans for their No 1 January target.

MAN UTD MOVE FOR VICTOR OSIMHEN SUFFERS BLOW

Manchester United plans to lure Victor Osimhen away from Napoli have suffered a blow, according to a report.

Erik ten Hag is looking to bring in a big-name striker this summer to fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo. And while Wout Weghorst has been signed on a temporary basis, efforts are already underway for a massive new name to arrive in the summer.

And while Harry Kane is a target, all the talk on Monday is that a new deal at Tottenham looks the most likely.

Instead, United are expected to come in for Osimhen and reports claim contact has already been made over a summer deal.

The Nigerian boasts an impressive 80 career goals from just 171 games. And at current club Napoli, who hold a 12-point advantage at the summit, he has 42 in 81 matches.

As a result, any deal to prise him from Naples will not come cheap. To that end, Napoli will reportedly ask for as much as £123m (€140m) for their star man.

However, an update from Italy claims Napoli are looking to strengthen their hold on Osimhen and keep United at arms length. Per Area Napoli, they now plan to offer the 24-year-old a new deal worth £120,000 a week.

Of course, Osimhen could earn more by moving to United. However, Napoli’s efforts to tie him to an extension may make life extremely difficult for United. It will also give Napoli all the ace cards should Ten Hag’s side make a serious summer move to land him.

Man Utd make check on Diogo Costa once again

As well as a new striker, United are also exploring the possibility of signing a new goalkeeper this summer.

David De Gea’s deal is currently due to expire in the summer. And while United and De Gea have made noises about an extension, nothing has been made official.

Further down the line – and potentially even this summer – United are considering a number of possible successors. The latest man to be linked is Brentford’s David Raya.

However, the man consistently linked with a move to Old Trafford is FC Porto stopper Diogo Costa.

Now, according to O Jogo, United once again had scouts in attendance to watch Costa in action this weekend. And with Sport Witness claiming in their headline that the ‘transfer groundwork is being done’, United are once again being strongly linked with a push to sign the 23-year-old.

Costa has caught the eye in the Champions League this season and is likely to cost a fee in excess of £50m. The keeper’s current deal also ties him to the Portuguese giants until summer 2027.

CHELSEA BACK IN THE RUNNING TO SIGN ENZO FERNANDEZ

Chelsea are back in the running to sign Enzo Fernandez and are now ready to match’s Benfica £105.7m (€120m) demand for the Argentine. (Record)

Former Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness claims the Bundesliga giants could not afford Harry Kane. And he reckons Man Utd would be strong favourites to sign him were the England skipper to leave Tottenham. (various)

West Ham have been snubbed once again by Youssef En-Nesyri with the striker preferring Nice and their warm weather to the ‘cold of London’. (Estadio Deportivo)

Aston Villa are pushing hard to finalise the signing of Matteo Guendouzi from Marseille before the window closes. (La Provence)

Real Betis are close to sign Ayoze Perez on a cut-price deal with his contract at Leicester expiring in just six months. (Marca)

Manchester City are in talks over extending Ilkay Gundogan’s contract amid claims Barcelona are keen to sign him on a free. (The Athletic)

Tottenham need to act fast if they are to sign Stefan De Vrij with his agent confirming talks over a new deal at Inter are advancing. (RAI Sport)

TOTTENHAM MIDFIELDER LIKELY TO LEAVE FOR LA LIGA

Espanyol are favourites to sign Pape Matar Sarr on loan from Tottenham with the club ready to let him leave for more game-time. (La Grada)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to be offered an ambassadorial role at AC Milan amid claims his knee injury will finally force the 41-year-old to retire. (AS)

Barcelona are in contact with Marco Asensio over a surprise free-transfer move from Real Madrid this summer. (Sport)

Nottingham Forest are pushing to sign Keylor Navas from PSG with Dean Henderson facing a spell on the sidelines. (Mundo Deportivo)

Inter Milan are looking to sign Chris Smalling as a free agent in a move that could see Milan Skriniar depart the San Siro. (Gazzetta dello Sport)

Olivier Giroud wants to extend his stay at AC Milan but can see a future in MLS when he needs to move on. (Canal Plus)

Arsenal are closing on the signing of Ivan Fresneda after agreeing terms over a £13.1m move from Real Vallodolid. (David Ornstein)

MAN CITY TO WRECK TOTTENHAM PLANS FOR PEDRO PORRO

Man City could wreck Tottenham’s plans to sign Pedro Porro amid claims they plan to activate his buy-back clause – set at just £20.3m (€23m). (Record)

Man City loanee Pedro Porro

Barcelona director of football Mateu Alemany is dismissing claims his side will sign Atletico Madrid star Yannick Carrasco before the window closes. (AS)

Ajax are warning Man Utd that a deal to sign Mohammed Kudus will prove far from easy. (Fabrizio Romano)

Angel Di Maria insists he is not thinking about leaving Juventus despite the club’s 15-point deduction. (DAZN)

Manchester United are rivalling PSG in the chase for Brazilian Vitor Roque, who has a €52m exit fee in his deal at Athletico Paranaense. (Gazzetto dello Sport)

Roma are in contact with Chelsea as they look to push through the signing of Hakim Ziyech before the window closes. (Sky Italia)

Lorient striker Terem Moffi is closing on a £21m move to West Ham after saying his goodbyes to the Ligue 1 side. (Mercato Plein)