Transfer Gossip: Man Utd to get new top earner as Ten Hag nears dream striker pairing; Leeds, Aston Villa battle for lethal Dutchman

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag during a training session at the Aon Training Complex, Greater Manchester

Erik ten Hag taking Manchester United training

Phase one of an ‘extremely exciting’ Man Utd attacking pairing is progressing, while Leeds Utd and Aston Villa are circling over a wantaway Dutchman and a Newcastle transfer U-turn is coming – all in Friday’s Transfer Gossip.

MAN UTD PROGRESSING IN STRIKER DEAL

Talks between Man Utd and Marcus Rashford who’s poised to become the club’s highest earner are progressing, while the Red Devils are continuing to explore a £100m deal for his perfect partner, per a report.

Signing a brand new centre-forward is priority number one at Old Trafford this summer. However, equally as important is pinning Marcus Rashford down to fresh terms.

United activated a 12-month option in Rashford’s contract back in December. That bought the club time, though the plan was always to offer a new and improved deal before the campaign concludes.

The Manchester Evening News recently claimed United are confident deals for Rashford, Diogo Dalot and David de Gea will be signed.

Now, a fresh update from the Telegraph has shed new light on the situation, claiming Rashford and De Gea may well change places in the salary stakes.

Man Utd are said to be ‘making good progress’ in negotiations with Rashford. The talks are ‘heading in the right direction’ with the forward whose 29 goals this season are by far and away his highest single-season tally to date.

De Gea is currently United’s top earner on £375,000-a-week. However, the Spaniard is expected to incur a hefty pay cut if penning fresh terms, while Rashford’s deal will go the other way.

The Telegraph add his new deal will likely catapult Rashford into the range of what De Gea earns right now. PSG are among those who’ve shown interest in Rashford, though all bar Man Utd are poised to be thwarted.

Man Utd gunning for Rashford-Kane tandem

Elsewhere, Man Utd are ‘continuing to explore’ doing a deal with Tottenham for £100m-rated Harry Kane.

Kane is out of contract in the summer of 2024 and is yet to sign a new deal. Spurs are dead set against selling to a domestic rival in the event they are forced to cash in, though a club like Man Utd can stump up higher sums than his overseas suitors, such as Bayern Munich.

The prospect of partnering Kane with Rashford is labelled an ‘extremely exciting’ one not only for United fans, but also Ten Hag.

In the event forging a deal with notoriously tough negotiator Daniel Levy proves impossible, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen is once again named as a more than viable option two.

ASTON VILLA, LEEDS CHASE GOAL CONTRIBUTION KING

Leeds Utd and Aston Villa have been named by Fabrizio Romano as circling over a Dutch midfielder who racks up goal contributions for fun.

Toulouse’s Branco van den Boomen is the player in question, with Romano reporting the Dutchman “has decided not to sign [a] new deal” with the Ligue 1 side.

Van den Boomen, 27, operates primarily in a central midfield position. However, he’s racked up gaudy numbers from the deeper role over the last two seasons.

Indeed, Van den Boomen scored 12 and assisted an incredible 21 when helping Toulouse win promotion from Ligue 2 last season.

Proving he can handle it at elite level, Van den Boomen has bagged five and assisted eight in Ligue 1 this time around. What’s more, he’s notched a goal and a further five assists in five Coupe de France games.

Many of Van den Boomen’s goals have come from the penalty spot, though they all count and having a reliable penalty taker is something that cannot be overlooked.

Van den Boomen’s current deal with Toulouse expires at season’s end. With Romano confirming a new deal won’t be signed, the chase is on.

Romano named Aston Villa and Leeds as the sides from England who are courting his signature. From further afield, Marseille, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord, Galatasaray, Sevilla and Wolfsburg all like what they’ve seen from Van den Boomen too.

NEWCASTLE U-TURN OVER SAINT-MAXIMIN?

And finally, Newcastle have determined Allan Saint-Maximin is “not for sale” despite overwhelming speculation to the contrary.

TEAMtalk previously learned Newcastle will not offer the maverick Frenchman, 26, a new contract for the time being.

Saint-Maximin and his camp are angling for a new and improved deal, though the Magpies are holding firm.

That led to rampant speculation Saint-Maximin could be sold this summer, with talkSPORT later reporting the winger feels threatened by the big-money arrival of Anthony Gordon.

Adding fuel to the fire is the fact Saint-Maximin is no longer a regular starter for Eddie Howe. Injury issues have also begun to plague his career at St. James’ Park.

However, according to the Telegraph who have spoken to senior sources within Newcastle, Saint-Maximin remains in the “not for sale category”.

A source close to the player is quoted as saying: “Allan knows he needs to do everything he can to remain a part of what is happening at Newcastle, he has to prove he is part of the future, not a hero of the past. It is a different club to the one he joined and he knows that.”

The Telegraph conclude Newcastle’s stance may soften if an offer upwards of £40m is lodged. Financial Fair Play pressure will force Newcastle to sell before they can spend big moving forward and Saint-Maximin is a contender to make way in that regard.

However, unless huge offers of that size are lodged, the club’s position is clear – Saint-Maximin will not leave Newcastle.