Euro Paper Talk: Man Utd nip in as rivals stall on €60m defender fee
Manchester United are ready to meet the €60m exit fee for a Portuguese star, while the agent of a Man City star is close to agreeing a deal to take his client to Atletico Madrid, according to Sunday’s European papers.
MAN UTD CLOSE ON RUBEN DIAS AS ATLETICO GET COLD FEET
Manchester United have emerged as favourites to sign Benfica defender Ruben Dias, according to reports in Spain.
The 21-year-old defender was expected to sign for Atletico Madrid as a replacement for Diego Godin, but the Portuguese giants’ refusal to budge on their €60m exit fee has seen the deal stall.
And with Atletico in advanced talks over a deal to sign Man City’s Nicolas Otamendi instead, AS reckons United will have no issue meeting his release clause and are prepared to swoop in.
United want to sign young, hungry stars this summer, as opposed household names, and 21-year-old Dias is one player they have scouted extensively.
It’s claimed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has Dias pegged as his No 1 defensive target after abandoning efforts to sign Kalidou Koulibaly due to the costs involved.
Meanwhile, Calciomercato claims United could yet sign centre-half Kostas Manolas from Roma instead after Juventus put negotiations with the Greek defender on hold.
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AND THE REST
Jorge Mendes, who represents Nicolas Otamendi, has already spoken to Atletico Madrid director Andrea Berta about a €35m deal to bring the Argentinian defender to the Wanda Metropolitano as Diego Godin’s replacement (Marca)
Newcastle’s Rafael Benitez is the leading candidate to take over at Roma, while and Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini has also been targeted (Il Messaggero)
Arsenal, Manchester United, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid lead the chase for Marcos Llorente after it was confirmed he would be leaving Real Madrid this summer (AS)
Antonio Conte has agreed a three-year contract to take over at Inter Milan, worth €9m per season (La Repubblica)
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has declined to comment on claims made by Gareth Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett that the Welsh star has no wish to quit the Bernabeu this summer (AS)
Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has reacted angrily to media reports that he has agreed a deal to move to Inter Milan this summer (Instagram)
Gianluigi Buffon is prepared to play on elsewhere, as long as his suitors are in the Champions League, and should PSG not extend his contract (Gazzetta dello Sport)
Bayern Munich still want to sign Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi in a €40m deal this summer, inspite of his Achilles injury (Bild)
Man Utd, Tottenham and Leicester target Youri Tielemans says he expects to return to Monaco this summer following his loan spell with the Foxes (VTMNieuws)
Barcelona are plotting a sensational raid on Liverpool this summer for full-back Andy Robertson – but any deal could cost a staggering €150m (Mundo Deportivo)
Mesut Ozil’s agent insists the German playmaker ‘bleeds Arsenal’ and will remain with the Gunners until his contract expires (Turkish Football)
Xabi Alonso will leave his role as Real Madrid academy coach at the end of the season, to return to his first club Real Sociedad (Marca)
Manchester United have been given the green light to pursue a deal for veteran Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic this summer (Gazzetta dello Sport)
Benfica are considering a summer move for Barcelona goal keeper Jasper Cillessen this summer
Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are both ready to step up their chase for Everton striker Richarlison, who is rated at around €80m (Don Balon)
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