Newcastle accelerate Man Utd raid for player who’s in his prime, as Ten Hag learns cost of signing monstrous upgrade

Man Utd stars Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay

Man Utd stars Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay

Newcastle are surging clear of rival suitors in the race to sign a Man Utd star who’s ‘set to leave’, and Erik ten Hag has been told how much it’ll cost to sign a colossal upgrade, per reports.

Who leaves Old Trafford this summer is shaping up to be just as intriguing as who arrives. A ruthless report from the Manchester Evening News recently named four high profile stars who must be axed to help ‘restore standards’.

David de Gea, Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial were the quartet in question. A trusted source has subsequently revealed Man Utd’s decision on a Sancho sale amid claims Ten Hag is losing patience.

Elsewhere, Aaron Wan-Bissaka may have earned himself a stay of execution after impressing since the World Cup break. Nonetheless, an attacking upgrade at right-back – such as Jeremie Frimpong or Denzel Dumfries – is wanted.

A permanent move for Marcel Sabitzer could be explored after the Austrian has impressed while on loan from Bayern Munich. In the event Sabitzer is signed, Football Insider report it could be game over for Scott McTominay.

At 26, McTominay is smack bang in the middle of his prime years as a footballer. However, he’s currently spending what should be the best part of his career warming the bench.

Christian Eriksen and Casemiro are Ten Hag’s preferred midfield pairing. Fred can always be relied upon to do the dirty work, while Sabitzer has offered a new dimension going forward with his runs from deep.

Newcastle have long been linked with moving for McTominay, with the Athletic previously claiming Eddie Howe is a huge admirer of the Scot’s ‘athleticism and ball-carrying ability.’ Now, a fresh update from FI has added fuel to the fire.

McTominay can complete midfield holy trinity at Newcastle

They claim Newcastle are ‘pushing ahead’ with a McTominay move and as such, are leaving several as yet unnamed Premier League rivals in their dust. In the outlet’s words, McTominay is ‘set to leave’ Old Trafford this summer.

The Magpies are deemed ‘keen’ to strike a deal, while the Sun previously claimed Man Utd have slapped a hefty £50m price tag on McTominay.

Newcastle will obviously hope to bring that figure down, though their interest in the player does seem concrete.

Indeed, it’s noted Howe is seeking to add the final piece to his midfield puzzle and views McTominay as a player who can mesh well with Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes.

McTominay would presumably anchor the midfield three, with Joelinton on the left and Guimaraes freed up to assume a box-to-box role on the right.

All three of those players are between the ages of 25-26 and would create a ‘long-term’ midfield trio at St. James’ Park.

Man Utd learn McTominay replacement price tag

In the event Man Utd do decide to cash in, one player who could fill the void is Fulham’s Joao Palhinha.

The Portuguese is on the radars of Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham on the back of a dominant maiden campaign in England.

Palhinha currently leads the league in the tackles metric, with his mark of 119 a whopping 28 more than second-placed Moises Caicedo (91) of Brighton.

Per the latest reports, Fulham have slapped a £50m-plus valuation on Palhinha. As such, Ten Hag may be able to flip McTominay for Palhinha without having to dig deep into his pockets.

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