"I thought it was a spoof, it's ridiculous" - Chris Sutton says Manchester United signing controversial attacker would be a 'PR disaster'

Former Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton has claimed that signing Bologna striker Marko Arnautovic is set to put Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag under pressure this summer.

Arnautovic, who has two years left on his current deal at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, has recently emerged as a surprise transfer target for the Red Devils. The Austrian 33-year-old registered 15 goals and one assist in 34 matches for the Serie A outfit last season.

Speaking to BBC, Sutton gave his opinion on the developing transfer saga involving the controversial Austria international. He said:

"That’s madness, thinking about signing [Arnautovic]. I thought it was a spoof, it's ridiculous. It's a real wrong move in terms of the eyes of the supporters. There’s a million other players out there United should have been linked with. I do not get that. It's an absolute PR disaster. If Arnautovic comes in, that's going to put Ten Hag under so much pressure."

He added:

"If Ten Hag said, 'I need patience, we're going to bring young players in, we're going to develop them, you're going to have to bear with me for two seasons,' I think the fans would buy that rather than what we've seen in the last 24 hours. The last 24 hours have been really damaging for Manchester United. That's when it looks like they're making it up as they go along."

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards also shared his thoughts on the rumor and said:

"He is a good player, it just shouldn't be announced now. He should be sliding in through the back door and you think, 'oh, he adds strength in depth'. It's just desperation, there doesn't seem to be a plan. But players don't want to go to Manchester United now."

Arnautovic has experience in the Premier League, scoring 43 goals and providing 37 assists in 184 appearances for Stoke City and West Ham United. He was recently subject to a £7.6 million bid from the Red Devils, which his current club promptly rejected.

So far, Manchester United have roped in centre-back Lisandro Martinez from Ajax, left-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord and attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen on a free transfer this summer.

Manchester United close in on Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United have reached an agreement with Juventus for the services of Adrien Rabiot. He added that personal terms are yet to be agreed upon as talks are ongoing between the player and the club.

Rabiot, who is in the final year of his contract at the Juventus Stadium, registered two assists in 45 appearances last season. He has helped the Old Lady lift three trophies, including the 2019-20 Serie A title.