Euro Paper Talk: Man Utd midfielder reunion blocked as second signing is snuffed out by Romano; Tottenham deal for £21.3m LaLiga star confirmed

Manchester United have seen two midfielder moves blocked with the Red Devils blocking several offers to sign a free agent, Tottenham’s exclusivity deal for a classy USA midfielder has been confirmed, while Barcelona have agreed an out-of-window free transfer signing of a teenage winger.

TEN HAG DENIED CHANCE TO REUNITE WITH AMRABAT AT MAN UTD

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag was blocked from re-signing Sofyan Amrabat this summer amid suggestions not all at Old Trafford were convinced by the Moroccan.

The midfielder initially moved to Old Trafford last summer on a season’s loan from Fiorentina and with Manchester United paying €10m (£8.5m / US$11m) for the privilege. That arrangement contained an option to make the move permanent worth €20m (£17m / US$22m) if all Amrabat was to prove a success.

However, the 28-year-old struggled with the pace of the Premier League and found himself in and out of the United side over the course of the campaign.

And while he enjoyed some solid displays in the back end of the season, helping the club to win the FA Cup, it was decided by officials at United that they would not be triggering the option to make the deal permanent.

Having headed back to the Serie A side and then learning he had no future there, La Viola then contacted United to reduce their demands, offering first a chance to sign the player on a reduced sum and then, more latterly, on another season-long loan.

And while Ten Hag was keen to take up the proposal, not everyone at Old Trafford shared the manager’s vision.

Having spent over £180m (€214m / US$236m) on five new players, United chiefs felt the addition of Amrabat was not necesssary and seemingly put the brakes on Ten Hag’s request.

Speaking on the Talk of the Devils podcast, journalist Andy Mitten said: “Erik ten Hag wanted Amrabat for this season.

“And because of the chat internally, that didn’t happen and that’s fine. This is how Manchester United are working now.”

Amrabat did eventually secure a loan move, hooking up with Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, who will ironically also now face United in the Europa League group stage.

Fabrizio Romano juices Man Utd links to Rabiot

United, meanwhile, have also rejected the chance to sign Adrien Rabiot this summer, and with the player now set for a surprise move instead.

A free agent having left Juventus at the end of the season, Rabiot’s mother and agent, Veronique, is understood to have held discussions with a number of Premier League sides over a prospective free transfer move.

Indeed, the likes of Newcastle, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and also United were among those to have been linked.

Ultimately, though, the 29-year-old midfielder remains a free agent, though reports in the last 24 hours have strongly suggested an after the deadline move to Old Trafford remains on the cards, with the Red Devils potentially seeking a replacement for Christian Eriksen, who has been slotted to leave. Belgian side Anderlecht are thought to be leading the chase for the experienced Dane.

However, trusted transfer journalist Romano is adamant that, despite numerous opportunities to sign the 48-times capped France international, a move to Old Trafford is not on the cards.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano stated: “Guys, I can guarantee to you that Adrien Rabiot was offered to Manchester United several times over the summer, in July, in August.

“But, the position of Manchester United is still very clear on that one. So they never thought of Eriksen out and Rabiot in.”

With no side in mainland Europe able to match Rabiot’s wage demands, the player is now understood to have agreed a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, where he will link up with former Juventus teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, at Al-Nassr.

IN DEPTH ➡️ Every world star that joined the Saudi Pro League in summer 2024: Diaby, Toney, Smalling…

LIVERPOOL, ARSENAL KEEN ON BRAZILIAN DEFENDER

Liverpool and Arsenal are keeping tabs on Palmeiras’ 18-year-old centre-back, Vitor Reis, amid an impressive start to the teenager’s career. (Caught Offside)

Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei has made clear his wish to leave Stamford Bridge in January after failing to secure a move in the summer window and with the Italian now left as an unwanted member of the Blues’ notorious ‘bomb squad’. (Calciomercato)

Newcastle full-back Kieran Trippier is being chased by Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Eyupspor, after Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad failed to seal the signing of the former England international. (Sky Sports)

Southampton winger Kamaldeen Sulemana is on the cusp of leaving St Mary’s and joining Ajax after reaching a verbal agreement to sign for the Dutch side on loan. (Fabrizio Romano)

Man City winger Joel Ndala is closing on a switch to PSV Eindhoven with a loan move with a conditional obligation to buy currently close to being finalised. (Voetbal International)

AC Milan have dropped their pursuit of Adrien Rabiot after the Italian giants managed to stave off Saudi Arabia interest in Ismael Bennacer. The former Juventus man was their preferred option to come in had the Algerian sealed a lucrative move to the Middle East. (Gazzetta dello Sport)

Manchester United have been quoted a price of at least £25m (€30m / $33m) if they want to pursue the signing of Juventus left-back Juan Cabal. (various)

BARCELONA AGREE OUT OF WINDOW DEAL FOR GHANANIAN WINGER

Barcelona have an agreement to sign Ghananian side Dreams FC’s 18-year-old winger Abdul Azziz Issah with the free transfer signing set to go through this week. Issah will join left-back David Oduro, who also moved to Barca earlier this summer following a successful trial. (various)

Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall is determined to make his mark at Spurs and believes playing under Ange Postecoglou and in the Premier League can only make the teenage midfielder become a better player. (Fotbollskanalen)

Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen continues to be tracked by Anderlecht ahead of the Belgian transfer window closing on September 6, though the player’s agent, Martin Schoots, has played down links to Ajax. (Voetbal International)

Barcelona failed in talks to sign Kingsley Coman on transfer deadline day after the Bayern Munich winger’s salary demands were considered too high. (various)

Chris Smalling has said a fond farewell to Roma after five largely successful years after accepting a move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Fayha. (various)

Victor Osimhen has a break clause in his Galatasaray loan after purposely picking out 10 sides who can sign him in the January window. (A Spor)

Chelsea have learned they can still sign Osimhen in January and now for a reduced fee of £63.2m (€75m/US$83m). In the meantime, the Napoli striker is close to signing for Galatasaray on loan after being excluded from Antonio Conte’s squad. (David Ornstein)

TOTTENHAM AGREEMENT FOR USA MIDFIELDER CONFIRMED

Tottenham’s exclusive purchase option for Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso has been confirmed by the LaLiga side’s sporting director Manu Fajardo, which will be active for two weeks in June 2025 and set at a fixed price of €25m (£21.3m / US$27.6m). The arrangement was agreed as part of the transfer to bring Giovani Lo Celso back to the LaLiga side on transfer deadline day. (ABC De Sevilla)

Tottenham have already agreed a 2025 signing

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk was the subject of a visit from Ronald Koeman last week with the Netherlands manager convincing the experienced star to continue playing international football and with the focus on qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. (De Telegraaf)

Nico Williams rejected offers from three sides over the summer, all willing to pay the Spain winger’s €58m (£48.8m / US$64m) exit clause in full. Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG were all linked, though it’s claimed the price was beyond Barcelona and the LaLiga giants were not one of the three. (Marca)

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is on the brink of agreeing a lucrative new contract at Napoli, tying him down to Antonio Conte’s side until summer 2029. (Il Mattino)

Sevilla have confirmed that French defender Loic Bade has signed a new five-year deal at the club, with his release clause rising to €50m (£42m / US$55.2m). (ABC De Sevilla)

Liverpool interest in signing Club Universidad Nacional winger Cesar ‘Chino’ Huerta is genuine, with a summer move breaking down over Sunderland’s failure to then take the player on loan. However, a future move to Anfield cannot be ruled out for the Mexican. (TUDN)

Liverpool remain interested in signing Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi in 2025, though it remains uncertain if a fresh bid will be launched in the winter window for the Euro 2024 winner. (Fabrizio Romano)