The manager of a leading European side is adamant he'll sign a Manchester United attacker 'whatever the cost', and TEAMtalk has learned the fee that can seal a deal this summer.
Whether Ruben Amorim can perform major or minor surgery on his Man Utd squad this summer will hinge on two things – winning the Europa League and securing lucrative player sales.
Winning the Europa League will grant United safe passage into next year's Champions League. That will be worth a minimum of £85m in extra income and potentially up to £100m.
Player sales, meanwhile, will not only rid the books of sizeable salaries but will also bolster the kitty. And if United elect to sell homegrown stars and thus log the proceeds as 'pure profit' on the books, their spending power will greatly increase.
Marcus Rashford is one player who fits that category and can join Aston Villa outright. His loan agreement with Villa contains an option to buy worth £40m.
Another forward who could be on the move is Alejandro Garnacho and according to the latest from Calciomercato, he's the No 1 transfer target of Antonio Conte.
The Italian is the manager of Napoli who bid €50m/£42m for Garnacho in January. Napoli had just sold Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to PSG and sought an immediate replacement.
Interest in the Argentina international was also lodged from Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, but Napoli were the only ones to table a bid.
United ultimately refused to play ball after Napoli's £42m offer fell well short of the club's £70m valuation.
But per Calciomercato, Napoli will refuse to take no for an answer at the second time of asking this summer.
he Serie A challengers went on to sign Noah Okafor on loan from AC Milan instead. Okafor has proven a 'flop', per the report, and Conte will lay down the law with Napoli's decision-makers regarding Garnacho this summer.
The report claimed: 'Now the time is ripe and the Azzurri leader (Conte) expects to have him (Garnacho) available for next season, whatever the cost.'
Garnacho price tag confirmed / More suitors named
Napoli are gearing up for a big summer ahead of their return to the Champions League. As mentioned, they're seeking a more adequate replacement for Kvaratskhelia, while Victor Osimhen is also expected to depart on a permanent basis.
The club will therefore have cash to splash and Garnacho is seemingly the player Conte is prioritising above all others.
However, Napoli are by no means the only club in the mix for the 20-year-old. Chelsea and Atletico Madrid retain an interest, while our insider, Fraser Fletcher, has verified Bayer Leverkusen's admiration of the winger too.
Sources have told us a Garnacho exit is possible, though reports talking up a reduced price tag of £50m are wide of the mark.
As was the case in the winter window, Man Utd's asking price is still £70m.
Juventus have reportedly joined Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in the race for Victor Osimhen, but the English sides have a massive advantage.Osimhen has a €75 million (£64m/$85m) release clauseHowever, Serie A sides will not be able to trigger itPremier League outfits get a major boostWHAT HAPPENED?Osimhen's future continues to dominate headlines as Juventus became the latest ...
Olmo wanted at Man City!Dani Olmo is reportedly wanted at Manchester City as Pep Guardiola "dreams" of signing the Barcelona star.Man Utd scout Ronaldo Jr in debut for Portugal U15sManchester United sent a scout to monitor Cristiano Ronaldo Jr's debut for Portugal Under-15s this week.Ancelotti to become highest-paid international managerCarlo Ancelotti will become the highest-paid international ma...
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner hailed his players for writing a new chapter in Crystal Palace’s history following their 1-0 FA Cup triumph over Manchester City.Eberechi Eze’s 16th-minute goal and Dean Henderson’s penalty save paved the way for Palace to land their first major trophy and a spot in the Europa League next season.“We said before the game that we wanted t...
Pep Guardiola was unhappy about Dean Henderson’s time wasting in Manchester City’s FA Cup final defeat – but the Spaniard refused to be drawn on whether the Crystal Palace goalkeeper should have been sent off.An angry Guardiola exchanged words with Henderson after the final whistle following City’s 1-0 loss at Wembley, which leaves them without a trophy this season and stil...
Airdrieonians secured their place in the Scottish Championship for another season as they beat Cove Rangers 2-1 on aggregate in their play-off final after a 0-0 second-leg draw at Excelsior Stadium.The early stages saw Lewis McGrattan bring a good save out of Cove goalkeeper Nicholas Suman, before counterpart Cade Melrose did well at the other end as he blocked Adam Emslie’s shot with his fo...
Eberechi Eze’s 16th-minute goal fired Crystal Palace to the first major trophy in their history as they secured a 1-0 FA Cup victory over Manchester City at Wembley.Eze put Palace ahead with their first attack of the match before an inspired Dean Henderson saved Omar Marmoush’s penalty.However, Henderson could count himself fortunate to still be on the pitch after he earlier appeared t...
East Kilbride won promotion to Scottish League Two for the first time and sent Bonnyrigg Rose down after a 0-0 draw at New Dundas Park saw the visitors triumph 3-1 on aggregate.Bonnyrigg goalkeeper Paddy Martin did well to keep out a Joao Balde strike in the 24th minute, before Aaron Arnott fired over at the other end.Kerr Young was unable to make the most of two chances for the hosts midway throu...
Carlo Ancelotti's future as the new Brazil manager is in serious danger as the five-time World Cup winners have been warned they could be expelled from the 2026 competition.Ancelotti had been announced as the new Brazil manager for the upcoming World Cup campaign, joining after the season with Real Madrid comes to an end.Since then, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) risks being barred fro...
Manchester United have already decided they will not sack Ruben Amorim if they lose the Europa League final.The Red Devils face Tottenham in Bilbao on Wednesday night with a chance for silverware and Champions League football next season on offer to salvage their dire campaign.Amorim took over in November and has overseen United's lowest finish in 50 years, but his future appears to be safe for th...
WHAT HAPPENED?Muller featured in Bayern's convincing 4-0 win over Hoffenheim at the PreZero Arena, marking the end of his domestic league journey with the Bavarian giants. Despite stepping away from the German top-flight, Muller has yet to announce where his career will head next. At 35, the attacking midfielder remains committed to continuing his playing days, but he emphasised that he's in no ru...
- 1 Richie Wellens hails Leyton Orient’s ‘outstanding’ victory over Stockport
- 2 Man Utd are losing the feeling of being a massive club – Ruben Amorim
- 3 We will see – no Unai Emery assurances over future of tearful Emiliano Martinez
- 4 Leyton Orient book Wembley date by beating Stockport on penalties
- 5 Liverpool cleared to complete signing
- 6 Brendan Rodgers hits out at ‘needless challenge’ on Reo Hatate
- 7 Mat Sadler hails Walsall’s ‘fighting performance’ after win in play-off first leg
- 8 David Gray thanks Hibernian board for showing faith in him after securing third
- 9 Airdrieonians earn first-leg lead over Cove in play-offs
- 10 Flick lauds Yamal, as Barca nears title