Euro Paper Talk: Man Utd to sign supreme Bayern, Portugal stars as Ratcliffe ditches £120m pair; Man City overtake Tottenham in £51m battle

Man Utd are keen to raid Bayern for Dayot Upamecano
Manchester United are hoping to sign top stars from Bayern Munich and the Portuguese top flight this summer, Manchester City have leapfrogged Tottenham Hotspur in the race for a classy Spaniard, while Friday’s Euro Paper Talk includes a new European giant pursuing an Everton ace.
MAN UTD GO BIG IN DEFENDER HUNT
Man Utd have drawn up a four-man shortlist of potential defensive signings ahead of the transfer window reopening, with Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano emerging as a new target.
New Man Utd chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has decided he will prioritise a centre-back capture, with Erik ten Hag’s backline in dire need of reinforcements.
The Red Devils have been heavily linked with Juventus’ Gleison Bremer in recent weeks. Indeed, it has even been claimed that they could include Mason Greenwood in a player-plus-cash deal for the Brazilian.
But according to Rudy Galetti of Sport Italia, Ratcliffe and his INEOS recruitment team have different targets in mind.
Instead, they are now hoping to sign Upamecano from Bayern, in what would be a statement transfer.
The 25-year-old has been on Bayern’s books since July 2021, having joined the Bavarians from German rivals RB Leipzig in a £37m deal.
Since then, Upamecano has played 107 games for Bayern, helping them win two Bundesliga titles and two German super cups.
However, he could soon test himself out in the Premier League by becoming one of the new faces of the Ratcliffe era at Man Utd.
Ratcliffe eyeing Upamecano and Benfica starlet
There is no mention of how much Man Utd will have to pay to sign the Frenchman, though Bayern would likely want to make a significant profit on him. transfermarkt, meanwhile, value Upamecano at £43m.
Upamecano is not the only centre-half Man Utd are interested in, as they are also spying a deal for Benfica’s Antonio Silva.
He is only 20 years old but is already shining for both Benfica and the Portugal national team.
Although, Portuguese starlets rarely come cheap and Silva will be no different. Benfica want Silva’s £87m release clause to be paid in full before they sign off on his exit this summer.
Should Man Utd miss out on either of those players, then Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and Goncalo Inacio of Sporting CP make up the rest of their four-man shortlist.
Man Utd signing two new centre-backs will signal the end for current defenders Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane.
Man Utd spent £80m on Maguire and just over £40m on Varane, but they are viewed as the products of a bygone era.
Maguire could finally achieve a long-touted switch to West Ham United, with David Moyes a big fan of him, while Varane is a target for several Saudi clubs.
MAN CITY TAKE CENTRE STAGE FOR LEIPZIG RAID
Man City are now the best-placed English club to sign RB Leipzig and Spain playmaker Dani Olmo, despite interest from Tottenham. (Bild)
Paris Saint-Germain have burst past Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd to put themselves in pole position for Victor Osimhen’s signing. (Corriere dello Sport)
Fulham are plotting a surprise raid on Juventus for Italian left-back Andrea Cambiaso. (Calciomercato)
Borussia Dortmund are desperate to re-sign loanee Jadon Sancho from Man Utd for next season. As they will struggle to meet his price tag, a second loan move could happen. (Bild)
EVERTON STAR TO RECEIVE BUNDESLIGA OPPORTUNITY
Bayern will provide Barcelona with competition for Everton midfielder Amadou Onana this summer. (Bild)
‘Everything has gone wrong’ for Leeds United’s Marc Roca in the last two months, with the Real Betis loanee suffering several different injuries and fitness issues. (El Desmarque)
Xavi Simons will be given the chance to return to PSG ahead of next season and become a key part of their post-Mbappe era. (Sacha Tavolieri)
Brighton have set their sights on Real Betis left-back Juan Miranda, whose contract will expire on June 30. (Tuttomercatoweb)
HUGE £171M CLAIM OVER LIVERPOOL-LINKED ATTACKER
Barcelona claim they have rejected a massive €200m (£171m) bid for exciting winger Lamine Yamal, amid speculation Liverpool want to snare him. (various)
Ian Maatsen is eager to make his Dortmund loan spell permanent in the summer, as he is picking up far more game time than he previously did at parent club Chelsea. (Sky Germany)
Barca have entered preliminary discussions with Napoli over a sensational move for winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. (AS)