Transfer Gossip: Second Man Utd forward to be replaced as Ten Hag chases Bundesliga livewire; Ronaldo handed another Prem rejection

Manchester United are looking to sell another attacker after Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit and want a Bundesliga star to replace him, Ronaldo has been rejected by a second Premier League club in a matter of days, while Thursday’s Transfer Gossip reveals an Arsenal-linked winger will stay at his current club.

MAN UTD TO PART WAYS WITH ANTHONY MARTIAL

Manchester United are aiming to cut ties with 2015 signing Anthony Martial and hope to bring in a Bundesliga man as his successor, according to reports.

Man Utd broke the transfer record for a teenager in summer 2015 by spending £36million to land Martial from French club Monaco.

Despite his obvious talent, the forward has never been a consistently great player for the Red Devils. He fell down the pecking order when Ralf Rangnick was in interim charge last season, and this saw Man Utd loan him out.

Martial went to Sevilla to try and reignite his career. However, he only found the net once in 12 appearances and this did little to help his reputation.

The Frenchman is now back at Old Trafford and could be set for more opportunities now the club have let Cristiano Ronaldo go. The striker’s contract has been terminated by mutual consent.

But according to The Hard Tackle and BBC Sport, who cite reports coming out of Spain, Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag is keen to cut ties with Martial.

He is happy for the player to leave either in January or the summer transfer window. Presumably, Martial hasn’t done enough in training or in matches to show Ten Hag he should be a part of the project going forward.

The 26-year-old’s contract expires in June 2024, so Man Utd will probably take a financial hit when selling him. No club is going to want to pay £36m for a player who has struggled in recent years and is heading towards free agency.

Ten Hag gunning for new winger signing

Once Martial goes, Man Utd will move quickly to land his successor. And it could be an impressive signing, too.

According to those same reports, the Manchester outfit want to bring in Moussa Diaby of Bayer Leverkusen as Martial’s replacement.

He is a compatriot of Martial and, just like his Man Utd counterpart, didn’t quite make France’s World Cup squad. Diaby will feel aggrieved at this though, given how he has performed in Germany over the past season and a half.

Last term, Diaby registered 17 goals and 14 assists in all competitions. The winger, who can operate on either flank, was only outscored by Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick.

Diaby is a livewire who continues to be a nightmare for opposition defenders this season. His record for 2022-23 stands at eight goals and four assists in 22 matches. Currently, he is Leverkusen’s top scorer in both the Bundesliga and Champions League.

Ten Hag believes letting Martial go and capturing Diaby will freshen up his attack. Due to his versatility, he will be able to challenge the likes of Marcus Rashford, Antony and Jadon Sancho in either wide position.

There is no mention of how much Diaby would cost Man Utd. But given his impressive form, and €50m (£43.1m) valuation by transfermarkt, he will not come cheap. Presumably, though, he will cost less than £86m arrival Antony.

CRISTIANO RONALDO SNUBBED BY SECOND POTENTIAL SUITOR

Chelsea are ‘unlikely’ to move for Cristiano Ronaldo following his Man Utd exit, as per a report.

Chelsea registered their interest in the 37-year-old during the summer, when he initially wanted out of Man Utd. Majority Blues owner Todd Boehly is said to be a big fan of Ronaldo and likes the idea of adding his huge brand to the Chelsea name.

But Chelsea ultimately rejected the chance to take Ronaldo to Stamford Bridge. This was largely down to Thomas Tuchel, who thought his arrival would cause problems in the dressing room.

Chelsea have once again been linked with the Portuguese now he is a free agent, while Newcastle have been named as other potential suitors.

Newcastle distanced themselves from Ronaldo on Wednesday and now it seems Chelsea have done the same.

According to The Sun, Boehly and Chelsea will once again walk away from the chance to land the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

A source has told The Sun Chelsea have ‘gone cold on him’. But, if Boehly completes a dramatic turnaround, the American businessman ‘would take some stopping’.

The west London side are now managed by Graham Potter. Even if Boehly changes his mind and pursues Ronaldo, Potter will probably veto the move, just like Tuchel did.

Potter is tasked with creating a successful long-term project at Chelsea. So signing a veteran and expensive striker in the form of Ronaldo will not be part of his plans.

Instead, Potter would prefer to bring in a younger attacker such as Rafael Leao or Jonathan David.

Having been rejected by several clubs in the summer, Ronaldo is now facing that same situation again.

Sporting Lisbon could save him some embarrassment and take him back to Portugal. Ronaldo played for Sporting’s first team between 2002 and 2003, before joining Man Utd.

However, Sporting chiefs admit they would struggle to meet his huge wage demands. So Ronaldo will have to take a big pay cut if he is to go back to the Primeira Liga.

RUMOURED ARSENAL TARGET TO AGREE NEW CONTRACT

Real Madrid player Marco Asensio, who is thought to be a target for Arsenal and Newcastle, looks set to pen a new contract with the Spanish giants.

His current deal expires at the end of the season. And with Real yet to finalise an extension, this has led to rumours a Premier League switch could take place.

Arsenal and Newcastle are both apparently keeping tabs on the situation. Arsenal are looking for a new winger to provide competition and backup for the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka. Newcastle, meanwhile, want Champions League-quality players to help them achieve their goal of finishing in the top six.

But it seems Asensio will be remaining in La Liga. During an interview with Radio Marca, the 26-year-old has signalled his desire to stay at Real and sort out fresh terms.

“Hopefully the renewal can be done ane I will be very happy at Real Madrid,” Asensio said (via Fabrizio Romano).

“Hopefully it’s to stay for 10 more years here at Real. It’s not just me deciding — it’s also up to the club.”

Clearly, Asensio wants to stay at the Bernabeu for the long run. And it sounds like he could even retire there, should he get his wish.

The wide man is currently on international duty with Spain at the World Cup. And he scored in their 7-0 thrashing of Costa Rica on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Man Utd have been told to beat Chelsea in the race for a Ligue 1 striker, as they look to solve Ten Hag’s attacking problems.