Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Murtough in contact with agent as Man Utd target reveals eye-watering wage demands

Erling Haaland celebrating a Borussia Dortmund goal with team-mate Jude Bellingham 2021

Man Utd director John Murtough has been informed of a transfer target’s enormous wage demands, according to a report.

The Red Devils are thought to be plotting a number of stellar transfers ahead of next summer. One position they certainly need to improve is central midfield. The pairing of Scott McTominay and Fred has regularly come in for criticism over the past few seasons.

AC Milan star Franck Kessie is viewed as one solution. The 24-year-old is a dynamic, powerful player who managed 13 Serie A goals last season. He could be on the move as his contract with the Rossoneri expires in June.

An alternative is Leicester City ace Youri Tielemans. The Belgium international is invaluable at the King Power, having scored the winner in last season’s FA Cup final.

Like Kessie, he is in the midst of a contract wrangle with his current side. Tielemans rejected the offer of a new deal earlier this week.

Murtough is also looking for Cristiano Ronaldo’s long-term successor up front. The Portuguese demonstrated his importance to Man Utd once again on Wednesday as he headed the winner against Atalanta. But he is now 36 years old and could retire in the next few years.

An ideal replacement would be Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland. The starlet has proven himself to be one of the best goalscorers in the world, despite being just 21.

Zinedine Zidane interested in Man United job

Zinedine Zidane interested in Man United job

Sources have said that Zinedine Zidane would be interested in the Manchester United manager job if they came to him.

He is expected to leave Dortmund next summer when his £64million release clause activates. ESPN now provide a report on what his future looks like.

They claim that the Norwegian will demand wages of more than £30m-a-year at his next club. That amounts to more than £500,000 per week.

Haaland’s representative, Mino Raiola, has reportedly sent this information to the list of interested clubs. That means he has spoken with Murtough at Old Trafford, as well as Man City and Chelsea officials.

However, it is not just English clubs involved in the transfer hunt. Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are all monitoring the situation.

Haaland’s future already looks set to be the main transfer story of the summer window.


From Porto sorrow to Zorro: Paulo Fonseca’s most iconic moments


Everton want Man Utd player in January

Meanwhile, Football Insider write that Everton are hoping to land Jesse Lingard this winter.

The England international returned from his loan spell at West Ham with the promise of more game time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

That hasn’t really happened and Lingard is now weighing up his options. It’s claimed that Everton want to sign the attacking midfielder on loan.

The Toffees aim to include an option to buy next summer, should he impress at Goodison Park.

United’s intentions are not revealed in the report, although they could be up for a sale. Solskjaer can already rely on Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes at CAM.

READ MORE: Solskjaer mocks Van de Beek question on Dutch TV; explains repeated snub