Euro Paper Talk: Man Utd to secure monumental triple coup after Ashworth strategy pays off; £25.7m Arsenal transfer greenlit

Manchester United are lining up a triple swoop and Dan Ashworth is primed to secure a discount on one of the deals, while Arsenal are ready to complete a €30m transfer and Liverpool have rejected multiple bids for a player Jurgen Klopp barely used – all in Friday’s Euro Paper Talk.

MAN UTD PATIENCE PAYS OFF

Man Utd expect to complete the signing of Matthijs De Ligt for a discounted sum, with the Dutchman primed to form one part of a triple coup, according to reports.

The Red Devils wasted little time getting deals for Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro over the line. However, despite agreeing personal terms with all three of Noussair Mazraoui, De Ligt and Manuel Ugarte, the influx of arrivals has stalled.

Mazraoui’s move is teetering on the brink after Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s sale to West Ham fell through. Mazraoui’s switch to Old Trafford hinged on finding a buyer for Wan-Bissaka.

Man Utd have been reluctant to meet Bayern’s €50m plus add-ons demands for De Ligt. Elsewhere, sporting director Dan Ashworth and co. cooled interest in Ugarte after baulking at PSG’s €60m asking price.

But according to the latest reports, a triple swoop involving De Ligt, an Ugarte alternative and a Fiorentina winger is taking shape.

Bayern to compromise on De Ligt fee

Firstly, BILD report Bayern are determined to avoid a repeat of the late drama that engulfed their transfer window last summer.

Bayern were actively working on a significant number of deals in the final hours of the window including the sales of Benjamin Pavard (Inter Milan) and Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool).

Bayern had also agreed to sign Fulham’s Joao Palhinha who would take Gravenberch’s spot in the midfield ranks. However, while Gravenberch did sign with Liverpool, Fulham blocked Palhinha’s sale after failing to secure a replacement.

BILD state there’ll be no repeat of those types of sagas and as such, the Bavarians are now willing to lower their demands for De Ligt.

That will be music to the ears of Ashworth and Man Utd who have so far refused to overpay for players in the early goings of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era

Another reason Bayern are ready to reduce their asking price is because they still intend to sign Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen.

While the De Ligt and Tah deals aren’t completely connected, it stands to reason De Ligt’s sale in a timely fashion will greatly aid Bayern’s pursuit of a direct replacement in Tah.

Sander Berge says YES to Man Utd

Elsewhere, TEAMtalk revealed on Thursday that Burnley midfielder, Sander Berge, has said YES to joining Man Utd.

Agreeing personal terms will not be a problem and Berge can be signed for roughly half the fee it would have taken to land Ugarte.

We understand Man Utd are ready to table a bid and reports elsewhere have stated Burnley hope to collect £30m.

However, we have been told Man Utd are readying an offer worth a total of £25m. That £25m figure would be inclusive of the add-ons part of the deal.

The signing of Berge would split opinion among the Old Trafford faithful, not least because the Norwegian previously suffered two relegations from the Premier League with Sheffield United and Burnley.

Nonetheless, Berge can hardly be blamed for the team’s overall displays and the 26-year-old was among each clubs’ few bright sparks in those seasons.

Antony out, Nico Gonzalez in?

Finally, Spanish outlet Marca state Man Utd are eyeing a shock move for Fiorentina and Argentina winger, Nico Gonzalez.

The 26-year-old left-footer plays primarily on the right wing and his future could be linked to Antony’s.

Antony has recently declared Man Utd will see an improvement in his displays next season. However, speculation Man Utd are more than willing to sell the Brazilian before the August 30 deadline continues to swirl.

Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr are understood to have made an approach and Man Utd would cash in if £25m is bid.

Gonzalez bagged 16 goals and five assists across all competitions for Fiorentina last season.

ARSENAL TO COMPLETE MARSEILLE TRANSFER

Arsenal are ready to accept Eddie Nketiah’s transfer to Marseille on a season-long loan that contains an obligation to buy worth €30m/£25.7m. Personal terms are already in place and all eyes are now on whether Marseille choose to proceed. (David Ornstein)

Marseille are NOT prepared to accept the deal at the aforementioned conditions, though talks regarding the transfer are continuing. (Fabrice Hawkins)

Bournemouth have agreed to sell Dominic Solanke to Tottenham and the striker has agreed personal terms with Spurs. Talks between the clubs to finalise the move are ongoing. (The Athletic)

Chelsea are prepared to let goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic leave on loan despite the Serbian keeping Robert Sanchez out of the starting eleven for large parts of last season. A spell with sister club Strasbourg in France could await. (L’Equipe)

Real Madrid will only sign Aymeric Laporte from Al-Nassr if the Spanish centre-back agrees to terminate his contract with the Saudi side. Real Madrid want Laporte after missing out on Leny Yoro, though don’t wish to pay a transfer fee in the move. (AS)

Turkish giants Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are both pushing to sign Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina. Amrabat would prefer to re-sign for Man Utd, though they have higher profile midfielders in their sights. (Gianluca Di Marzio)

LIVERPOOL REJECT MULTIPLE BIDS

Liverpool have rejected multiple offers for centre-back Sepp van den Berg from German clubs. The Reds would be open to a sale if offers in the £20m-£25m range are lodged. (Sky Germany)

Benfica hope beat Aston Villa and Barcelona to the signature of Joao Felix. The Portuguese forward has the green light to leave Atletico Madrid. (Record)

Villa won’t go down without a fight and manager Unai Emery is a huge fan of Felix. As such, Villa have launched a €32m bid for the livewire attacker. (Spanish press)

West Ham have successfully hijacked Juventus’ move for Nice centre-back, Jean-Clair Todibo. A season-long loan containing an obligation to buy worth €40m has been agreed. (Various)

Borussia Dortmund have agreed personal terms with Hoffenheim striker, Max Beier. The €30m-rated frontman will be Dortmund’s replacement for Niclas Fullkrug who’s joined West Ham. (Fabrizio Romano)

David de Gea is closing in on a return to football by signing a one-year deal to play for Fiorentina. De Gea has been without a club for over a year upon leaving Man Utd last summer. (Fabrizio Romano)

Jose Mourinho is dreaming of reuniting with Nemanja Matic at Fenerbahce. Matic currently plays for French side Lyon. (Foot Mercato)

JUVENTUS NEARMING MAMMOTH SERIE A COUP

Juventus have tabled a giant €55m plus add-ons offer for Atalanta midfielder, Teun Koopmeiners. (Fabrizio Romano)

Koopmeiners has ‘downed tools’ in an attempt to force the move through after presenting Atalanta with a medical certificate to get out of training. (Calciomercato)

AC Milan will sign Tottenham right-back Emerson Royal for an initial €15m. Spurs do aim to sign a replacement and Man City’s Issa Kabore is being considered. (Fabrizio Romano)

Newcastle remain locked in talks with Crystal Palace for Marc Guehi and aim to lower Palace’s £65m demands. The Magpies hope to seal a deal for £50m plus add-ons. (TEAMtalk exclusive – Rudy Galetti)

Real Madrid winger Rodrygo has no interest in leaving Los Blancos to be Man City’s replacement for Julian Alvarez. (AS)

Aston Villa have rejected an opening bid from Fulham for centre-back Diego Carlos. Fulham aren’t giving up hope and talks are continuing. (The Athletic)