Man Utd stun Liverpool and PSG with mega money move as Arsenal lead Juventus in race for former Newcastle star

The appointment of sporting director Dan Ashworth seems to have heralded the start of Manchester United’s summer transfer spending.

The Red Devils are rapidly closing in on a deal for Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee and there are reports suggesting the Netherlands international will undergo a medical before officially completing a £33.7m move to Old Trafford. There are also suggestions the 13-time Premier League champions are looking to add at least one centre-back to their squad before the summer transfer window comes to a close next month.

The Red Devils are believed to be holding talks over deals for Lille wonderkid Leny Yoro and Bayern Munich’s Dutch international Matthijs de Ligt after making initial bids for both players over the last week. There is also a keen interest in Everton and England centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite - although there appears to be a lot of work to do on that deal with the Toffees reportedly asking for a fee of around £75m for the Carlisle United academy product.

However, the latest reports from Portugal also suggest the Old Trafford club have entered the race to sign Benfica’s highly-rated midfielder Joao Neves. Still only 19-years-old, the talented youngster has already earned nine senior caps for Portugal and made two appearances as Roberto Martinez’s side reached the quarter-finals at Euro 2024. Speculation over his future with the Primeira Liga giants has continued throughout the last two years after Neves helped Benfica to the league title during the 2022/23 season and to last season’s Portuguese Super Cup.

Liverpool and Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain have both shown an interest in the young midfielder in recent months and the latter are said to be favourites to secure a deal before the end of the window. However, the report also states the Red Devils have now submitted a ‘concrete bid’ of around £50.3million to land Neves and although that will not be enough to conclude a deal, there is a suggestion Benfica could be willing to negotiate a lower fee than the £83.9million they are currently said to be demanding for their prize asset.

Arsenal lead Juventus in race for former Newcastle United star

The future of former Newcastle United midfielder Mikel Merino was already making headlines before he scored the goal that helped Spain see off Germany in their recent Euro 2024 quarter-final clash.

The Real Sociedad star has moved on from what was an underwhelming spell on Tyneside and has established himself as one of La Liga’s most consistent midfielders. During his six years with the Basque club, Merino has won the Copa del Rey and appeared in the Europa League and Champions League. He has just headed into the final year of his current contract and reports have suggested several clubs are keen to try and lure him away from Sociedad.

Italian news outlet TuttoMercatoWeb have reported Juventus have monitored Merino’s progress over the last year - but have revealed Arsenal are ‘emerging as the main pretender’ for the midfielder after they were told it would take an offer of around £33million to secure his services.