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Manchester United’s preparations for the new season are well underway. New manager Erik ten Hag’s wards next face Aston Villa on Saturday hoping to continue their good form in pre-season.
Meanwhile, Raphael Varane has urged Cristiano Ronaldo to stay at Old Trafford. Elsewhere, the Red Devils reportedly turned down the opportunity to sign Paulo Dybala.
On that note, here's a look at the key Manchester United transfer stories as on July 22, 2022:
Raphael Varane urges Cristiano Ronaldo to stay
Raphael Varane has urged Cristiano Ronaldo to stay at Manchester United next season. The Portuguese is staring at an uncertain future after informing the Premier League giants that he wants to leave. The 37-year-old has been linked with a host of clubs, but none of them have offered him a contract yet.
Speaking recently, Varane heaped praise on Ronaldo:
“Cristiano is a great competitor; he’s a legend. Obviously, it’s very good to play with him, and he always helps the team. He’s a great player, and we all want the best players in the team. We will try to improve next season. We appreciate him as a player and as a person. We know his quality, and we know he’s very famous; so we know a lot of people will speak about the performance of the team and his performance,” said Varane.
Varane also shed light on Harry Maguire and revealed that the Englishman has the full backing of the squad.
“I think he’s a very important player for us. He’s the captain, and he has a lot of great qualities. Obviously, we support him, and he’s part of the team and very important for us,” said Varane.
The Frenchman also spoke about new signing Lisandro Martinez.
“I think the competition is very good for the team. We’ll all be better with this competition. It’s good for the team, so every great club is like this. So, this is normal. I think we have to be ready for this pressure. If everyone wants to fight for the team, that’s great news,” said Varane.
He continued:
“We try to play with the defence, and we try to defend very high on the pitch, so with more space on our back. I think it’s a football that is maybe more offensive. But this football we really enjoy, so that’s a good start.”
Red Devils turned down opportunity to sign Paulo Dybala
Manchester United turned down the opportunity to sign Paulo Dybala this summer, according to acclaimed transfer experrt Fabrizio Romano. The Argentinean left Juventus as a free agent this summer and moved to AS Roma.
In his column for Caught Offside, Romano said that the Red Devils opted not to sign Dybala, as they had differed priorities.
“Despite the speculation, no Premier League club made any concrete offers; Dybala had been offered to Man United by his agents, but the club had other priorities. His Roma deal includes a release clause, which will be valid for around €20 million, but Roma would have the possibility to relaunch and 'block' it under certain conditions,” wrote Romano.
Kalvin Phillips reveals why he turned down Manchester United this summer
Kalvin Phillips has revealed that he turned down Manchester United this summer. The English midfielder was linked with the Red Devils but moved to Manchester City instead earlier this month.
Speaking recently, Phillips pointed out that he opted not to move to Manchester United due to his Leeds United roots.
“Going to United? There was never any chance of me going there. You know my loyalty to Leeds. My family are all Leeds fans. I was honoured by Man Utd wanting me, one of the biggest teams in the world, but no, I had to stay loyal to Leeds and go to the other side of Manchester,” said Phillips.
He added:
“I want to be loyal to the people who’ve given me the biggest opportunity in the world. Leeds were the first team to sign me; I made sure that was one of the main things I’d do.”
Phillips arrived on the blue side of Manchester City on a £45 million transfer as a replacement of club legend Fernandinho, who left on a free transfer.
