Euro Paper Talk: Ratcliffe reignites Man Utd bid to gift Ten Hag rock-solid duo; Newcastle plotting €30m defender swoop

Manchester United have reportedly reignited their interest in signing two top targets they were initially interested in earlier in the summer, while Newcastle are looking to beat the likes of Tottenham and Aston Villa to a Serie A full-back.

MAN UTD CHASING CLASSY DOUBLE DEAL

Manchester United have reportedly stepped up their efforts to complete a double that will firmly bolster the spine of Erik ten Hag’s starting XI.

The Red Devils have already added Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro to their ranks but are not done there and more names are expected through the door, once some fringe stars have been offloaded first.

As TT have reported, United remain interested in Bayern star Matthijs de Ligt and PSG’s Manuel Ugarte but two separate reports on Thursday state that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has stepped up the club’s efforts to land a different centre-back, central midfielder combination.

Various reports suggest the Red Devils are still chasing Sporting CP midfielder Morten Hjulmand and have reignited their efforts to strike a deal for the 25-year-old.

The midfielder scored a memorable long-range goal against England in the group stage, having also excelled at Sporting last season where he scored four goals and registered four assists in 49 appearances in all competitions.

Hjulmand has a contract with his Portuguese club until June 2028, but the deal includes a release clause of around €80m (£67.4m), which could be demanded in full.

As a result, Hjulmand is unlikely to be a cheaper option than Ugarte and it remains to be seen whether United are willing to spend that much on the Dane.

United back in for Benfica ace

Meanwhile, Thursday’s edition of Portuguese outlet O Jogo suggests that United are once again eyeing a deal for Benfica central defender Antonio Silva given that moves for De Ligt and Jarrad Branthwaite are proving tricky.

O Jogo states that United are currently unwilling pay Bayern’s €50m asking price for De Ligt, while the Red Devils have so far failed with two attempts to lure Everton into selling Branthwaite.

Earlier this summer, Correio da Manha reported United’s interest in Silva and claimed that he will only be sold if the release clause of £84m is activated.

However, the Old Trafford outfit are now ‘convinced’ they can negotiate and agree a much more ‘affordable’ deal to finally secure the signing Silva’s signing.

The 20-year-old was a key member of the Benfica squad that won the Liga Nos title in the 2022/23 campaign and made two appearances for Portugal at the recently concluded European Championships.

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BAYERN, PSG BATTLING OVER SPURS WINGER TARGET

A battle is ongoing between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain for Rennes winger Desire Doue, who is also of interest to Tottenham. (L’Equipe)

Despite reports on a huge proposal from Al Ittihad, Toni Rudiger is not even considering leaving Real Madrid this summer. (Fabrizio Romano)

Leeds United are keen on signing 1. FC Köln’s Dejan Ljubičić this summer but they will need to bid more than the €4m they have already offered for the 26-year-old midfielder. (Bild)

Negotiations between Napoli and Chelsea over a transfer fee for striker Romelu Lukaku are set to continue over the coming days. (Gianluca Di Marzio)

Talks are continuing between Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid over a deal for forward João Felix. (Fabrizio Romano)

Milan are struggling to pull off a deal for Youssouf Fofana and have identified USMNT talent Johnny Cardoso and Sofyan Amrabat as viable alternatives. (Gazzetta dello Sport)

TODIBO SNUBS WEST HAM FOR JUVE SWITCH

OGC Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo has made it clear that he isn’t interested in signing for West Ham this summer as he pushes for a move to the interested Juventus. (Gianluca Di Marzio)

Barcelona are pushing Clement Lenglet out the door again, with a loan switch to Turkish side Besiktas on the cards. The Frenchman has had previous stints at Premier League sides Tottenham and Aston Villa without either leading to a permanent sale. (Diario AS)

Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri has arrived in Istanbul to complete a permanent transfer to Fenerbahce. (ESPN)

Newcastle are still keen to land AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw but will need to up their bid from €30m to €40m to sign the German. (Various)

Brighton defender Igor Julio is  ‘no longer immovable’ from The Amex and Milan are ready to make their move if Newcastle target Malick Thiaw moves on this summer. (La Gazzetta dello Sport)

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NEWCASTLE CHASING FIORENTINA RIGHT-BACK

Newcastle can land Fiorentina defender Michael Kayode for less than €30m despite interest from Premier League rivals Tottenham and Aston Villa. (Corriere dello Sport)

Napoli are reportedly in pole position to land Frosinone defensive midfielder Marco Brescianini this summer after an encouraging meeting between sporting director Giovanni Manna and the player’s agent Beppe Riso on Wednesday. (TMW)

FC Barcelona and Girona FC have reached an agreement for Pau Victor to remain at Barca until June 30 2029 (Barcelona FC)

Roma have agreed a deal with Juventus for talented forward Matias Soule and are now working on the final details to complete a transfer for the Leicester City target. (Fabrizio Romano)

Roma have made contact with Artem Dovbyk’s agents after Villarreal rejected an offer for Alexander Sorloth. (Gazzetta)