Man United eye up Marquinhos, Belotti

A new defender is high on Jose Mourinho's list of priorities when it comes to upgrading Manchester United's squad this summer, so reports that he is interested in signing Marquinhos from Paris Saint-Germain may not be a surprise.

United have been linked with Victor Lindelof, Jose Gimenez, Raphael Varane, Leonardo Bonucci and Michael Keane in recent weeks, so Marquinhos has some competition to overcome if he has his heart set on a move to Old Trafford.

The Manchester Evening News claims that Mourinho first made a play for the 22-year-old Brazil international last summer, but after being quoted £30 million, he opted to sign Eric Bailly from Villarreal instead. However, 12 months on, he is ready to go back and seal the deal, and tentative enquiries have been made about making it happen.

Meanwhile, the Mirror reports that Mourinho's pursuit of Torino striker Andrea Belotti has accelerated following Zlatan Ibrahimovic's long-term injury.

Belotti, who has 25 goals in 29 Serie A appearances so far this season, is one of Europe's most in-demand and in-form players, but it is said United would have to meet his £84M release clause if they are serious about signing him.

Can Forsberg, Mbappe convince Alexis to stay?

There has been no official announcement on Arsene Wenger's future at Arsenal beyond this season, but that hasn't stopped the club from making plans for next season.

According to the Mirror, Arsenal are going to bid £20M for RB Leipzig's Emil Forsberg and are also keen on landing Sead Kolasinac and, perhaps optimistically, Kylian Mbappe.

Forsberg, a 25-year-old Sweden international, has been a key figure in Leipzig's unexpected rise, scoring eight goals and assisting on 15 in the Bundesliga this season.

A reported motive behind Arsenal's working hard to sign players early is the need to convince Alexis Sanchez of the club's ambition ahead of crunch talks about a contract extension.

Spurs brace for Eriksen, Dier bids

Tottenham fans still reeling from their FA Cup semifinal defeat at the hands of Chelsea will not welcome news that Barcelona are targeting Christian Eriksen as part of a summer rebuild, and Manchester United are confident about signing Eric Dier for £40M.

The Mirror reckons that Barca want Eriksen to be the creative talent behind Luis Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi and will test Tottenham's resolve with a bid after watching the Denmark international on several occasions.

Eriksen signed a contract until 2020 last September, meaning Tottenham are under no obligation to sell the 25-year-old, but Barca have lined up former player Michael Laudrup, a fellow Dane, to work as an intermediary in order to broker the deal.

Dier, meanwhile, is being lined up to play alongside Paul Pogba in United's midfield. Although Dier has been a regular in Tottenham's team, the Telegraph reports that Mauricio Pochettino could be convinced into selling if he signs Michael Keane from Burnley as a replacement.

Tap-ins

- A slightly less upsetting departure from Tottenham would be Kevin Wimmer. The 24-year-old defender is wanted by West Brom, according to the Daily Mail, and is keen to remain in the Premier League if he leaves Spurs despite interest from teams in Italy and Germany. Wimmer has started only nine games in all competitions this season.

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by MICHAEL WADE

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