£34m Joshua Zirkzee ‘advanced interest’, Lazio ‘in talks for Greenwood’, De Ligt interest

Man Utd eye De Ligt

Manchester United are planning a bid for Bayer Munich star Matthijs De Ligt, who they want to replace Raphael Varane.

United even received a price quote for De Ligt during the summer transfer window.

The centre-back is familiar with Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag as the pair worked together as teenagers at Ajax, even going so far as to be named captain.

According to Sky Germany, however, Bayern paid a £42m price tag for the 24-year-old.

The post adds that United have begun internal discussions about a potential deal.

Lazio target Greenwood

Lazio have stolen a march on Juventus in the race for controversial Manchester United player Mason Greenwood, The Sun can reveal.

The Serie A giants tried and failed to sign Greenwood on loan last season after United bosses decided he had to leave Old Trafford after he was charged with attempted rape, assault and controlling coercive behaviour.

When the forward was made available on loan last September, Lazio president Claudio Lotito tried and failed to sign him.

Lotito blamed the Red Devils for not completing the paperwork in time before the Italian transfer window closed, leaving Getafe able to enter.

The Manchester giants want £40m for the academy graduate, but both Lazio and Juventus believe they could agree a deal for around £34m with add-ons.

Joshua Zirkzee “advanced interest”

Manchester United have stolen a march on their Premier League rivals in their pursuit of Bologna star Joshua Zirkzee.

United are in talks with Zirkzee’s representatives after showing “advanced interest”.

Arsenal lead the striker’s list with other Premier League admirers.

But despite a move to England looking most likely, AC Milan are still understood to be keen on the Dutchman.

The 23-year-old has a €40m (£34m) buy-out clause and Bologna would be keen to keep hold of their star man, whose contract runs until June 2026.

Schedules Man Utd Prem

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Ratcliffe criticizes Man Utd’s transfer failures

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has criticized Manchester United’s transfer failures since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013.

Ratcliffe said: “There is room for improvement everywhere. And we will improve everything because we have to compete for the Premier League and the Champions League.

“We have to be where Real Madrid is today. We are not there at the moment and it will take time. We cannot press a switch.”

When asked which club he wants to set a template for, Ratcliffe said: “Real Madrid have done a fabulous job. There is an interesting statistic that compares both United and Madrid.

“If you look at the 10 or 11 seasons since Ferguson and former chief executive David Gill left, in that time United’s net spend on players is now £1.1bn.

“So United weren’t bad with the chequebook, they actually spent a lot of money.

“Real Madrid in the same time period is only £200m. Which is surprising when you hear that.

“Because today they have a squad where six players are valued at over €100m, while Man Utd don’t have a single player valued at that.

“And Madrid built probably the best football ground in the world using the same checkbook.”

Huge fee for Xavi Simons

Man Utd have been told to shell out an £85million king’s ransom for Euro 2024 star Xavi Simons.

The PSG star is currently lighting up the Euros for the Netherlands.

Simons, who has made just 11 appearances for the French side since joining from Barcelona in 2019, spent last season on loan at RB Leipzig.

He scored eight goals and 11 assists during his time in Germany.

And Bild claim that United, Arsenal and Bayern Munich have put Simons at the top of their shopping lists.

United are known to be on the lookout for a new midfielder, with Simons boasting all the qualities needed for an attacking No8.