Manchester United have enjoyed a fine start to their summer transfer window following the capture of Jadon Sancho and reports suggest their spending spree is set to continue.
The 21-year-old finally sealed his £73million move from Borussia Dortmund after a protracted transfer saga, with Man United tracking the attacker for the best part of 18 months.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has finally got his man up front and the 45-year-old is making moves to add to his backline too.
Raphael Varane is understood to be next target in line to make the leap to the Premier League after a decade at Real Madrid, with personal terms reportedly agreed with the Frenchman.
It is thought United will pay around £38.5m for Varane, 28, with the centre-back set to sign a long-term contract.
But it seems there is still plenty of business to be done with less than three weeks to go before the start of the new Premier League campaign.
Here are the latest transfer rumours and gossip swirling around Old Trafford...
Kounde could follow Varane to Old Trafford
Manchester United are set to continue spending even if they sign Raphael Varane from Real Madrid this summer by adding another defender, Sevilla's Jules Kounde.
That is what the latest report from The Daily Mail suggests, with 22-year-old Kounde a long-term target for Solskjaer.
Kounde has emerged as one of Europe’s most coveted defenders after moving to LaLiga from Bordeaux in 2019 and the France international has a £61m release clause written into his contract, which expires in 2024.
The signings of Kounde and Varane would not put Harry Maguire’s place in the side is under threat, with the England international firmly established as their captain and key defensive figure.
But it could cast doubt over the future of defensive pair Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof, who have largely failed to reach expectations since their respective moves to Old Trafford in 2016 and 2017.
Solskjaer’s pursuit of Kounde could suggest the Norwegian may be looking to alter his tactical thinking, having seen Thomas Tuchel experience success using the 3-4-3, with United unlikely to spend such a large fee on a player to warm the bench.
PSG step up Pogba interest
Paris Saint-Germain are preparing to step up the chase for Paul Pogba by “formalising” their interest this week, reports say.
Sky Sports’ transfer reporter Dharmesh Sheth claims that there has been no formal offer yet from PSG yet despite reports of a £50m bid being submitted to the Red Devils.
It is also mentioned the clubs have not opened a dialogue regarding Pogba’s situation, but reports in France suggest the player’s representatives have opened talks with PSG over personal terms.
After United lost 4-2 to QPR in a pre-season friendly on Saturday, Solskjaer responded to reports that Pogba had turned down a contract offer which would guarantee him as the club's highest earner on £350,000-a-week.
But the United manager suggested that the club are continuing their own conversations with Pogba to extend his contract with the club.
“The talks are between the club and Paul’s representatives," he said. "I’m not in the detail of every single one of them so I’ve got nothing to say really about that.”
But it seems increasingly likely the 28-year-old will seek a new challenge by heading to Ligue 1 this summer to join Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
Solskjaer to allow eight to leave
Manchester United’s summer spree has to be funded from somewhere and reports suggest Solskjaer is willing to let up to eight players depart on a permanent basis this summer.
With Sancho’s deal already confirmed and Varane nearing a move to Manchester, those two deals could take United’s spending beyond £120m.
That means the Red Devils will need to clear some space for their new arrivals if they are to avoid leaving players out of their Premier League and Champions League squad.
According to ESPN, there are eight Manchester United players who have been made available should the right offer arrive this summer.
Jesse Lingard, Brandon Williams, Diogo Dalot, Alex Telles, Phil Jones, Andreas Pereira, Daniel James and potentially Anthony Martial could all depart if their asking prices are met.
United also have four goalkeepers available ahead of the new season following the arrival of Tom Heaton, meaning one of Dean Henderson or David de Gea could be offloaded on loan or permanently.
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