MANCHESTER UNITED have suffered yet another blow in their pursuit of a summer transfer target.
Manager Erik ten Hag has been chasing central defender Jurrien Timber – who he coached during his time at Ajax.
But that move now seems to be completely off the table after the 21-year-old Dutchman signed a contract extension with the Eredivisie champions.
Timber’s original deal with Ajax ran until the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
Now he has penned a one-year extension which will keep him at the club until 2025.
Timber has already made 76 appearances for the Dutch outfit, winning the Eredivisie title in each of the last two seasons.
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Meanwhile, Ten Hag is keen to find alternative options in the transfer market after failing to acquire Timber.
He has been linked with a move for Monaco centre-back Benoit Badiashile, but it is further up the pitch where United appear to be enquiring about a host of players.
Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro is closing in on a move to Old Trafford, while Juventus’ Weston McKennie is also being discussed.
Then in the forward areas, Mauro Icardi, Jamie Vardy, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Joao Felix and Christian Pulisic have all been muted as possible targets.
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It comes amid uncertainty surrounding the future of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese superstar, 37, has made it clear his desire to leave this summer in search of Champions League football.
But he is yet to find a club who will take him – with a return to Sporting Lisbon thought to be one of the only options on the table.
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It has been a catastrophic start for Ten Hag at United as defeats to Brighton and Brentford have left his side bottom of the Premier League table.
However, some positive news for Red Devils supporters did come out on Wednesday when billionaire Jim Ratcliffe declared an interest in buying the club.
United fans are keen to oust the Glazer family following a decline in the team’s performances since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
