Welcome to our Manchester Evening News Manchester United media watch piece. Maybe not the first, we've definitely done transfer round-ups before, and European round-ups, so I guess in some ways it's not that new at all. Anyway, we thought we would enter the world of football in a broad and roundabout manner for you and have some fun with some of the stories and captions doing the daily rounds.
Haaland remains priority
ESPN report that Erling Halaand remains a top-priority signing for Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, despite the club's recent acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Haaland has a release clause in his contract that means he's available for as little as €75m next summer and so United are expected to enter the race to sign the youngster.
Naturally, there'll be plenty of competition for Haaland with Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich just a few of the clubs already touted as potential suitors.
Mason Greenwood's development in recent seasons means that United may already have a long-term successor to Edinson Cavani should the Uruguayan move on next summer, though it seems Solskjaer is still desperate to strengthen his frontline arsenal.
Rice demands release clause
90min claim Declan Rice is willing to agree to a new contract at West Ham United, though he's insisting that the Hammers include a release clause in the deal.
Chelsea, United, Manchester City and Liverpool have all been linked with a move for Rice of late and it seems he's keen to keep his options open despite being keen to pen a new deal.
Rice has three years remaining on his current contract with the option of a further year, so West Ham are in no rush to tie him down to a new deal - especially if said deal caps the amount they can demand should another club look to sign their star midfielder.
They currently value Rice at around £100 million and are unlikely to accept any less given his solid start to the season. The midfielder impressed for England on Thursday night in their 4-0 win against Hungary, with his second international goal rounding off the scoring.
MEN Sport understand Rice has previously asked a number of United players about the club while on international duty, and The Independent have claimed the West Ham man was definitely on Solskjaer's list of targets this summer alongside Brighton and Hove Albion's Yves Bissouma.
Wenger blasts Ronaldo transfer
In an interview with BILD Live , former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hit out at United's decision to re-sign Ronaldo, though he admits he understands why they sanctioned the move.
“This is a love story that you want to see. [He was re-signed] for more than just sporting reasons, it’s also emotional," Wenger said when asked if he understood the motive behind the move. "I think the decision is not 100% rational. Finding a balance in the team is a big challenge, but the players with a lot of experience still score a lot."
Wenger, who was lauded for his man-management and astute work in the market during his time with Arsenal, is seemingly referring to the reported wages of Ronaldo and how breaking the wage structure has caused United problems before.
The 2018 signing of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal caused a lot of problems for United, with his lacklustre performances failing to justify his reported £500,000-per-week deal - a fact that wasn't lost on the rest of his teammates.
With Ronaldo earning similar wages, it's not irrational to fear United could find themselves in a similar situation, with the club looking to renew the contracts of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes in the near future.
Former United captain Roy Keane doesn’t seem to have any such worries about the player, telling ITV :“How many times can I say it? The guy’s a genius.
“I was surprised when it all happened last Friday. I know people question it but the guy is still world-class. We saw that [against Ireland]. His football intelligence is great, I can’t wait to see him back at United.”
After receiving a yellow card against the Republic of Ireland, Ronaldo is now unable to feature in his side's next outing against Azerbaijan and has been told he's free to join up with his club teammates.
MEN understand that once he's completed a period of isolation, he'll join up with the United squad and hopefully be ready to feature against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on September 11.
How well do you think Ronaldo will do this season? Follow our new United Fan Brands Writer Casey Evans on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comment section below.
