Manchester United have gone cold on a deal for a long-term target amid growing confidence over an exciting £75m signing, while Arsenal’s top choice to replace Unai Emery comes with quite a cost, according to Saturday’s newspapers.
UNITED CONFIDENT OF HAALAND SWOOP
Manchester United have officially closed the door on a move for long-term target Mario Mandzukic amid a growing believe a deal for Erling Haaland can be done in January.
United are ready to strengthen their attacking options when the transfer window opens and are thought to have agreed a €10m deal with Juventus to sign veteran striker Mandzukic, who has been frozen out under Maurizio Sarri.
But the Daily Mirror, via Tuttosport, claims United have informed Juventus they no longer want to sign Mandzukic, with the Croatian’s agent now actively seeking alternative arrangements. Borussia Dortmund now appear favourites to sign him, as well as a Juventus teammate.
News of United going cold turkey (we know, it’s a little early for the Christmas references!) on Mandzukic comes about amid renewed optimism that a £75m deal for RB Salzburg star Erling Haaland is set to go through.
As per the report, Solskjaer only wants to splash out on players who can enjoy long, successful careers at Old Trafford, with the 19-year-old’s record in the Champions League convincing the United board to make their move.
With eight goals in the competition so far he is the second top scorer behind Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski – while he also has 15 goals in 12 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga.
And it’s that form that has reportedly convinced United to meet Salzburg’s huge asking price and there now appears to be a growing optimism Haaland will make the move to Old Trafford in January.
AND THE REST
Arsenal will try to tempt Brendan Rodgers away from Leicester City after drawing up their shortlist of replacements for Unai Emery (Daily Express)
Leicester City will demand £14m compensation from any Premier League club interested in acquiring manager Brendan Rodgers (Daily Telegraph)
Jesse Lingard has set his sights on an England recall and believes Manchester United can win trophies this season (Daily Mirror)
Luis Suarez has identified Tammy Abraham as a potential Barcelona replacement (Daily Mirror)
Liverpool will fast forward plans to sign Sander Berge from Genk after the injury sustained by key midfielder Fabinho (Daily Mirror)
Roberto Martinez is urging patience at Everton with Marco Silva on the brink of the sack (Daily Mirror)
Chelsea are prioritising wide players if their transfer ban is overturned ahead of the January window, with Wilfried Zaha and Jadon Sancho among their top targets (The Sun)
Arsenal view Mauricio Pochettino as a “credible option” to take over from Unai Emery despite his long history with bitter rivals Tottenham (The Sun)
Eintracht Frankfurt striker Daichi Kamada was briefly called “the liberator of Arsenal” on his Wikipedia page after scoring the goals which eventually led to Unai Emery’s dismissal (The Sun)
West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady has backed under-fire boss Manuel Pellegrini (The Sun)
Freddie Ljungberg is considering a role for former Arsenal team-mate Gilberto Silva on his coaching staff if his interim term in charge is extended (The Guardian)
Steve Bruce says his Newcastle players will not have time for a Christmas party this year (The Guardian)
Arsenal are looking to replace Unai Emery with a “charming” manager in the mould of Arsene Wenger (Daily Mail)
Quique Sanchez Flores could be axed as Watford manager if they lose to Southampton on Saturday (Daily Mail)
Manchester City are lining up a move for Nicolas de la Cruz as the River Plate star continues to excel for the Argentinian side (Daily Mail)
Wolves’ owners are prepared to fight tooth and nail to keep boss Nuno Espirito Santo as Arsenal continue to have him as a leading candidate to become their next manager (Daily Mail)
Jamie Bowden has become the latest Spurs youngster to commit his future to the club after signing a deal which runs until 2023 (Daily Mail)
Andy Carroll is back on Newcastle’s injury list after hurting his ribs in training (Daily Mail)
All 20 Serie A clubs have come together to pen an open letter to Italian football fans, calling for an end to racism (Daily Mail)
Raul Jimenez believes Wolves must hang on to boss Nuno Espirito Santo if they are to break into the Premier League elite (Daily Mail)
The post Paper Talk: Man Utd turn back on long-term target as exciting £75m deal nears; No 1 Arsenal manager pick named appeared first on teamtalk.com.