Manchester United transfer news: Serie A star striker wants Man United move, Woodward approves £52m defender linked with Barcelona, and more - 31st December, 2018

We have arrived at the final day of 2018, and it's a year that Manchester United fans, players and the board will want to forget. The Red Devils may have finished second in the Premier League last season, but have struggled in the 2018-19 season, which led to the sacking of manager Jose Mourinho.

Under new interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United have done well, winning all three of their games, and in style!

The upcoming transfer window - which opens tomorrow - will be key to Manchester United's ascent to the top 4 of the league.

In our final Manchester United transfer roundup, we take a look at some of the important transfer stories relating to Manchester United:

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#1 Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi wants Manchester United transfer

Icardi would bring leadership and goals to United

Inter Milan captain Mauro Icardi has been one of the key players for the club, sparkling despite his club not performing up to standards.

Don Balon are reporting that Icardi could be interested in a move to Old Trafford, and could push for a switch to the Premier League in the summer transfer window. The Argentinian reportedly wants to play for a club that could challenge in all competitions, which is unlikely at Inter, at the moment. Inter are currently third in Serie A, but are far behind league leaders Juventus, as the gap between the two sides is currently 14 points.

But United will have competition from Real Madrid, who are also rumoured to be interested in the player, with Corriere dello Sport reporting that Madrid could tempt Inter to sell Icardi to them by offering Toni Kroos.

The Argentine striker, who joined the club in 2013, has scored over 100 goals for the club in all competitions, and is currently on 13 goals in all competitions in this season.

#2 David de Gea to stay at Manchester United

Will de Gea sign a new contract soon?

It is no secret that David de Gea could be interested in a move away from United, having been linked with a switch to Real Madrid for a few seasons. With Real Madrid signing Thibaut Courtois last season, it seems like they are no longer interested in signing the Red Devils' Spanish keeper.

Now, Express are reporting that de Gea could stay at Manchester United, and will sign a contract extension to his contract which expires in 2020. Mourinho's departure as Manchester United manager could urge the Spaniard to stay at the club.

This past week, interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer urged de Gea as well as Anthony Martial, whose contract also expires in 2020, to sign new contract extensions with the club.

"It's down to the players but when you're at Man United there isn't a lot of greener grass on the other side. You are at the best place. It's the biggest club in the world. "For me, I would hope I can help or guide these players to maybe tip them over to thinking they want to stay at this club. "If you are a regular at Manchester United, I think you should grasp the opportunity to stay here and become part of the history," said Solskjaer.

#3 Ed Woodward to greenlight £52m defender's signature

de Ligt has attracted interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe

It is quite obvious that Manchester United have issues at the back, which they will need to sort out sooner rather than later. The January transfer window could be the right time for the Red Devils to invest in a quality central defender, and the United hierarchy seems to be working overtime to get in defender, by the reports going around.

United have been linked with a move for Tottenham's Toby Alderweireld, who could be bought for £25m in the summer transfer window, while Roma's Kostas Manolas - a £32m defender - has also been linked with a transfer to the Premier League and Manchester United this past week.

The latest defender to be linked with a move to Manchester United is Ajax's 19-year-old starlet Matthijs de Ligt, as per The Times. The report claims that Ed Woodward will pay big money for young talented footballers like de Ligt.

The Dutchman, who has been linked with most of the big clubs in Europe like Barcelona, Juventus, and Bayern Munich, will be available for around £52m. The report claims that Woodward wants to invest in young players, which may be a reason why Alderweireld, who turns 30 in 3 months time, could not be in United's radar anymore.