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Hello and welcome back to the Manchester United Transfer News round-up for 26th May 2019. We are back with the top transfer stories of the day involving Manchester United and here are our top five picks for today.
Also Read: Manchester United Transfer News: May 25, 2019
#5 United ready £26m bid for La Liga fullback
The Metro reports that Manchester United are preparing to sign Real Betis left back Junior Firpo in a £26m deal. However, they say that Spanish Giants Real Madrid are also monitoring the Dominican Republic footballer.
Firpo has 29 appearances for Real Betis this season, most of which has been in the left midfield. He was sidelined for more than 3 month due to a hamstring injury and a muscle injury, which saw him miss 18 games in total. However, the Real Betis man still managed to score 3 goals and picked up 5 assists as well.
Solskjaer is looking at a huge summer overhaul at Manchester United, which could see a lot of players lose their places in the team. Firpo's arrival is seen as an immediate competition for Luke Shaw, who was voted the Sir Matt Busby Player of the year for the 2018/19 season.
The main problem for United at the moment is the interest from Real Madrid, who are apparently looking at the player as the long term successor to Marcelo. Firpo signed a new contract in 2018 summer with Real Betis, where in a £44m release clause was inserted. However, since the Liga side are tempted to sell their big talents this season, due to a drop in revenue and as such, United could sign the Dominican Republic footballer for less than his release clause.
The footballer himself was asked about his future earlier this month, to which he replied
I’m focussed on Betis at the moment and in the summer, we’ll see what happens.
With Luke Shaw clearly one of the best players in the team last season, this transfer business can be a bit questionable. However, if a deal does take place, United will be adding a versatile player to their ranks
#4 Solskjaer interested in £88m Argentine Playmaker
This is another news concerning Real Betis and Manchester United. According to the Metro, Solskjaer is interested in bringing highly rated Argentine playmaker Giovani Lo Celso to Old Trafford in the summer and is about to rival Spurs in their quest for Pochettino's countryman.
It was earlier reported that Tottenham had placed a £52m offer for Lo Celso. Pochettino had reportedly chosen his countryman as the prime candidate to replace Eriksen, who could leave Tottenham for Real Madrid this summer. However, it now seems that United are also in the mix for the Real Betis playmaker's signature.
Solskjaer is looking at midfield options for his team after the departure of Ander Herrera and while Lo Celso is a different kind of player, he will be a good replacement for the departing Juan Mata.
The Argentinean enjoyed a fantastic season at Real Betis, registering 44 appearances, scoring 16 goals and picking up 5 assists from the midfield. He would be a fantastic addition to the United midfield, but Real Betis have inserted a £88m release clause in his contract. The La Liga side are hoping that a bidding war between two Premier League sides can get them an offer closer to the release clause.
#3 Manchester United set their sights on £60m Benfica defender
The Mirror reports that United have set their sights on Benfica defender Ruben Dias, after being deterred by the asking price of Kalidou Koulibaly. The Senegalese was Solskjaer's number 1 target to fix a rather broken United backline, however, Napoli's evaluation of Koulibaly is said to be far higher than what United are willing to pay. The Serie A side have reportedly put a £150m asking price on their prized asset and have already rejected a £85m enquiry from United, as well as a £90m bid from Real Madrid.
This has prompted United to look for other options and reports now emerge that Solskjaer has set his eyes on Benfica's young Portuguese defender, who is one of the most talented young defenders in Europe right now. Dias also has the added advantage of being just 22 years old, which suits United just fine.
Benfica have already rejected a £30m bid from Lyon last summer, but can be coaxed with a bid of around £60m.
#2 Juventus offer 2 Superstars in extraordinary Pogba swap deal
Talk about the fluctuating nature of the transfer rumours! Only yesterday, we reported that Paulo Dybala had ruled out a move to United, saying that he wanted to play for Juventus next season. However, he did add at the end of his comments that the club would be the one making the final decision. And now, it seems, Juventus have come to a decision on their Argentinean playmaker!
The Express reports that the Old Lady have rekindled their interest in ex-player Paul Pogba, who joined United three seasons ago in a world record deal for a midfielder. The Frenchman is valued at £120m by United and Real Madrid are willing to pay that amount, because Zidane is desperate to bring Pogba to the Santiago Bernabeu. However, in order to do so, the Real Madrid manager needs to offload a few players first, including Gareth Bale, which has proven to be a tough ask.
This is where Juventus has entered the race and made things pretty interesting for United. The Serie A Champions are unable to match the asking price, but are willing to throw in Dybala and left-back Alex Sandro, as a part of a swap deal.
Both players have been in United's radar for quite some time now, so it is a deal that could interest United and tilt the tide in Juventus' favour. However, Solskjaer has always spoken of building a team around Pogba, so it remains to be seen if the Norwegian is willing to part with his prized asset.
#1 Manchester United no longer interested in Matthijs de Ligt
The Metro reported yesterday that teenage sensation Matthijs de Ligt was very close to joining Manchester United, after the Red Devils presented him with an offer that was supposedly too good to be turned down.
At the start of the summer, de Ligt was expected to follow his team mate and good friend de Jong to Camp Nou. It was also reported that the Catalans had an agreement in place with Ajax and only an agreement with the player was pending. It was here, reports said, that United had caused a change of heart for de Ligt, by offering him a huge salary. His recent social media activities put futher fuel to the speculations that de Ligt was moving to Old Trafford.
However, in an extraordinary twist in the saga, sources at Sky Sports confirmed that United have now withdrawn from the race to sign the Dutchman. The common belief within the United management is that de Ligt is already on his way to Barcelona, so there was no point in pursuing a lost cause. United, as such, have withdrawn their interest in de Ligt and will look at other alternatives for their defense now.
