Euro Paper Talk: First Man Utd signing of summer ‘agreed’ for €55m – but Ten Hag pulls plug on striker move; Liverpool track Ligue 1 hotshot

Manchester United are on the brink of agreeing their first summer signing, but a second deal for a striker has been ruled out, Liverpool are casting admiring glances towards a Ligue 1 striker who scored four times in one game recently, while Wednesday’s Euro Paper Talk claims Newcastle are getting serious in a bid to sign a €60m-rated Bundesliga star.
KIM MIN-JAE MOVE CLOSE FOR MAN UTD
Manchester United are on the brink of agreeing the signing of Kim Min-jae, according to reports in Italy.
Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag is ready to put the next phase of his rebuilding programme in motion as he looks to further close the gap on the Premier League and European elite.
And he plans to do so by making three major new signings this summer with a striker, a defender and a right-back on his list of targets.
Now reports claim the first of those signings is on the brink of being agreed in the form of Kim.
The 26-year-old has proved a revelation since signing for Napoli last summer as Kalidou Koulibaly’s replacement.
However, a clause in his deal – which is active from July 1-15 – allows clubs to prise him away for a fee of around €52m.
And now according to a variety of sources, United appear to be close to the deal. Indeed, journalist Ciro Verato claims he is a ‘concrete option’ for the Red Devils.
Tuttomercatoweb takes it one step further, saying a deal will soon be ‘agreed’ and they’re ready to sign the South Korean ‘immediately’.
And they believe a deal could be struck as early as June with United ready to pay a small premium of €3m to get the deal done quickly.
That will take his total fee to €55m, with Napoli now reluctantly accepting their star defender will leave.
They had planned to try and tie him down to a new deal, thus removing the clause. But the wages on offer at Manchester United seemingly talk. And the report concludes that ten Hag’s side are ‘ready to force’ things to take the player ‘immediately’.
Man Utd to sign Kim but will abandon Osimhen chase
With Kim seemingly destined for Old Trafford, he looks likely to be the only Napoli star joining United this summer.
That’s after reports claimed Ten Hag is already calling time on their pursuit of his teammate Victor Osimhen.
The Nigerian has enjoyed a sensational season, blasting in 28 goals in 35 games to fire them to the Scudetto.
That sort of form has led to speculation that a £120m-plus move to United could be on the cards.
And while Ten Hag is a huge admirers of his, Napoli’s reluctance to sell means any deal looks increasingly difficult.
As such, Football Insider reports that United are ready to pull the plug on any potential move for the striker.
Instead, the Red Devils will pursue alternative striker options, with Harry Kane also among their options.
However, reports on Wednesday claim United are to go down a different route and are instead pursuing a 25-goal alternative.
READ MORE: Man Utd to ‘eclipse’ transfer record as deadly striker signing gathers pace
LIVERPOOL HOT ON TRAIL OF MONTPELLIER STAR ELYE WAHI
Liverpool are chasing a deal for Montpellier forward Elye Wahi after sending scouts to watch him in action. The 20-year-old responded by scoring all four goals in his side’s recent 5-4 defeat to Lyon. (Bleu Hérault)
Raphinha’s agent, Deco, is ready to steer his client to Chelsea this summer following growing claims Barcelona want him sold for €75m. (Sport)
Aston Villa are emerging as strong favourites to sign Renato Sanches this summer with a cut-price €10m (£8.7m) from PSG on the cards. (MilanLive.it)
Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea are battling Juventus for Cristiano Giuntoli, following claims the Napoli sporting director will leave the Serie A champions this summer. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
Wolves are chasing a deal for left-sided Sporting Lisbon midfielder Nuno Santos, who has two years left on his deal. (O Jogo)
Everton are stepping up plans to sign Udinese striker Beto this summer in a deal worth around €30m (£26.1m). (Mondo Udinese)
Liverpool are stepping up their interests in signing Nicolo Barella with their bid to prise the Inter Milan star very real. (Gianluca Di Marzio)
LEEDS OWNER RADRIZZANI WITHDRAWS FROM INTER MILAN RACE
Leeds Utd owner Andrea Radrizzani appears to have backed away from the race to buy Inter Milan. That comes following claims Leeds’ relegation could damage his plan to sell his shares in the Whites and following claims Milanese businessman Gianfelice Mario Rocca is set to front a consortium to buy Inter. (Il Giornale)
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s agent, Mateja Kezman, insists the midfielder’s love for Lazio cannot be questioned. However, he admits the midfielder will discuss his future this summer amid links to Newcastle and Arsenal. (Corriere dello Sport)
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are leading the chase to sign RB Leipzig winger Dani Olmo following claims he will be on the move this summer. (Fabrizio Romano)
Barcelona’s three top targets this summer can be revealed as Lionel Messi, Inigo Martinez and Ilkay Gundogan. However, a possible loan move for Man City striker Julian Alvarez is being described as ‘difficult’. (Joan Fontes)
Villarreal are expecting to generate around €150m in transfer sales this summer with Samuel Chukwueze, Pau Torres and Nicolas Jackson likely to leave for the Premier League. Another star, Juan Foyth, looks likely to stay due to a €60m clause in his deal. (Relevo)
Sergio Busquets is announcing his departure from Barcelona after 15 years at the club. A lucrative move to Saudi Arabia or MLS now awaits the 34-year-old. (Marca)
Bayern Munich strongly explored signing Erling Haaland last summer; ultimately deciding his financial demands were beyond them. (SportsBild)
NEWCASTLE WANT BUNDESLIGA GEM TO REPLACE ANTHONY GORDON
Newcastle are ‘getting serious’ about a move for €60m-rated Moussa Diaby with reports claiming his signing could force out ‘flop’ Anthony Gordon. (SportsBild)
Eintracht Frankfurt are confirming that manager Oliver Glasner will leave the club this summer amid links to Tottenham. (various)
Dani Ceballos is debating whether to sign a new deal at Real Madrid amid claims Jude Bellingham is due to sign. The former Arsenal loanee is reportedly on Aston Villa’s list of targets. (Onda Betica)
Rafael Leao is on the brink of agreeing a new deal at AC Milan, ending talk he could arrive in the Premier League this summer. (Gianluca Di Marzio)
Roma are on the brink of announcing the signing of Evan Ndicka on a free transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt. Liverpool and Barcelona were among those also tracking the French defender. (Sport)
Newcastle are tracking Monza’s 24-year-old Brazilian full-back Carlos Augusto ahead of the summer window. (Calciomercato)