MANCHESTER UNITED have been given a huge transfer boost in their quest to sign Premier League star Harry Kane as rivals Bayern Munich appear to RULE OUT a move for the England skipper.
Elsewhere, Victor Osimhen has revealed his happiness at Napoli, which comes as a major blow to United’s transfer pursuit of the Nigerian striker.
Meanwhile, The Red Devils reportedly want to sign Brighton pair Moises Caicedo AND Alexis Mac Allister this summer.
And we have the very latest takeover updates from Old Trafford.
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Rashford blow
Man Utd will learn the full extent of Marcus Rashford’s injury on Monday.
The club’s 28-goal top scorer limped out of the action towards the end of their 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday with what is understood to be a groin injury.
He is likely to be absent from Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final first leg at Old Trafford against Sevilla on Thursday.
But the fear is he could be out for a number of weeks.
In what was his 350th appearance for the club, Rashford pulled up as he stretched to reach a pass from Christian Eriksen.
He immediately signalled to the bench he needed to come off and was replaced in the 81st minute.
Bookings ahead of Sevilla
Man Utd have several players walking the tightrope of suspension against Sevilla in their Europa League quarter-final clash.
Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro will be suspended for the second leg, if they are booked during next week’s clash.
That means United’s midfield stars will have to watch their tackles or face missing out on the return tie.
Osimhen update
Man Utd target Victor Osimhen has dealt the Red Devils a blow by revealing his happiness at Napoli.
The Nigerian striker has been sensational in Serie – as the Naples giants close in on a historic league title.
And he has spoken to L’Equipe to speak about how much he loves playing for the club.
Kane doubt
Man Utd might get a pass to Harry Kane – with Bayern Munich’s chief financial officer admitting the Bavarians might not be able to afford him.
Dr Michael Diederich revealed: “I don’t rule anything out but can we afford such a transfer and do we want such a transfer? We have to keep an eye on our profitability.”
That will be music to Utd fans’ ears, who are desperate to add a No9 to their squad.
Feyenoord swoop
Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag sent scouts to watch two Feyenoord players in action earlier this week, according to reports.
According to The Mirror, he has his sights set on Feyenoord duo Orkun Kokcu and Santiago Gimenez.
Man Utd representatives were in Rotterdam on Wednesday for the KNVB Cup semi-final clash between Ten Hag’s former club Ajax and Feyenoord.
It is understood that they were there to watch Kokcu and Gimenez in action.
Keane destroys Carragher
Man Utd legend Roy Keane had one word to describe Jamie Carragher’s defending after Micah Richards showed a clip of the Liverpool legend in action.
The Anfield icon was bamboozled by Thierry Henry as the Arsenal hero netted a stunning solo goal in a 4-2 win over the Reds at Highbury in 2004.
Henry left Carragher tripping up over his own feet before coolly slotting into the back of the net.
Showing the clip on Sky Sports, Richards brutally joked: “Jamie’s always talking about body positions, and I just want to look at your body position here.
“Because I don’t know if you was dancing, or you was twisting. You twist one way, you twist the other, and you take [Igor] Biscan out of the game as well!”
Carragher then replied: “My only defence is it was against the greatest player to ever play in the Premier League.”
Manchester United legend Keane then chimed in, joking: “Did you just come back from injury Jamie?”
And when asked how he would describe the defending, Keane simply said: “Shocking.”
Dave Saves
David De Gea has hit 20 clean sheets for the season in all competitions.
The goalkeeper is in the race for the Golden Glove with Newcastle’s Nick Pope, who has kept 13 Premier League clean sheets, the same number as De Gea.
The Toon’s defence is better as they have conceded 16 goals less.
Bayern rule out Kane move
Bayern Munich have seemingly ruled out a move for Spurs striker Harry Kane.
The England record goalscorer has been linked with moves to both United and the German champions.
But chief financial officer Dr Michael Diederich has hinted they won’t be after Kane this summer.
He said: “I don’t rule anything out but can we afford such a transfer and do we want such a transfer? We have to keep an eye on our profitability.”
Keys slams Ten Hag
Broadcaster Richard Keys has slammed Erik ten Hag for his criticism of fixture congestion.
United are in the midst of a run of three games in eight days and Keys did not have sympathy with the Dutch boss.
The ex-Sky Sports man said: “Erik, as regards the scheduling and injuries, it’s the English Premier League. If you don’t like it, there is always of course Eredivisie, where you can go and ply your trade.”
Yorke on ownership
Ex-United striker has claimed he is not bothered who the owner of the club is – providing they are willing to spend big.
Yorke told LegalSportsbooks.com: “I don’t know the individuals enough to make such a statement of who I would prefer to own the club.
“Mr Ratcliffe is a local guy and Manchester United fan, but we’ve heard all of this through the media, we don’t know the ins and outs of who to favour. You hear this and that about Qatari human rights but that’s all from the media so we don’t know.
“For me, it’s about who buys the club with the interest of the club, makes the fans happy and gets them back to competing against the best in the world again.
“Why would I want to get involved in the politics of it? As a player, all you want is an investment into the team and training facilities, that’s all you should care about.
“You want to play with the best players and compete for the number one spot in England and Europe.”
Raya to leave Brentford
Man Utd target David Raya looks set to leave Brentford, according to reports.
The stopper is out of contract next summer and the Bees want to cash-in at the end of this season.
A £40m price tag is on his head, claims Fabrizio Romano.
De Gea on fixture congestion
David De Gea has opened up on fixture congestion with United in the midst of three games in eight days.
The goalkeeper said: “As the manager said, we will need everyone at some point because we have many, many games. It’s hard to recover from so many games, but everyone is ready, everyone is training well.
“Playing Wednesday night and playing Saturday is not easy. The energy displayed by the team, the intensity, the desire were incredible, we controlled the game from start to finish. The team put in a great performance and it was very enjoyable.
“It doesn’t matter who is playing. Everyone is ready to play, even those who are on the bench today still have a very big impact.
“We have a very good group. It’s great to see everyone push in the same direction.”
Eyes on Sevilla
Man Utd are back in action on Thursday in the Europa League quarter-finals against Sevilla.
The Spanish side head to Old Trafford in the midst of an awful season.
They are onto their third manager of the campaign in Jose Luis Mendilibar and the team sit 13th in LaLiga, just five points above the drop zone.
However, Sevilla come with European pedigree having won the competition more times than anyone else, winning it on six occassions.
United eye Feyenoord duo
Man Utd are monitoring Feyenoord duo Orkun Kokcu and Santiago Gimenez, according to reports from The Mirror.
A number of scouts from Premier League clubs like Tottenham, Brighton, West Ham and Tottenham recently watched them play against Ajax.
Kokcu is a technical central midfielder and Gimenez is a 21-year-old attacker.
Incredible Martial stat
Anthony Martial has incredibly registered a goal or an assist every 89 minutes this season.
The Frenchman has seven goals and two assists in 17 games in all competitions.
He has started just nine games.
Pundit Paul Scholes thinks he can get 20-25 goals a season if he keeps fit.
Credit: Getty
Casemiro welcomed
When Casemiro first joined Man Utd he did not speak English.
But thankfully, he was left shocked when assistant coach Eric Ramsey began speaking to him in Spanish, he is fluent in the language.
This reportedly help the ex-Real Madrid man settle into life at his new club, claim Manchester Evening News.
Seagull Swoop
Man Utd are interested in signing Brighton duo Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo, according to reports.
Erik ten Hag is eager to add to his midfield ranks ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
And according to The Telegraph, he believes that both Mac Allister and Caicedo would be a perfect fit for the Red Devils.
United have struggled this season when missing Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in midfield.
And with loan star Marcel Sabitzer set to return to Bayern Munich this summer, reinforcements will undoubtedly be required to build on the club’s current form.
However, it will cost a lot to tempt the Brighton duo away from the Amex Stadium.
Exclusive: No rush to sell McTominay
Man Utd will demand at least £50MILLION before considering selling Scott McTominay this summer.
Newcastle are one of a host of clubs who are big admirers of the Scottish midfielder — who has been at Old Trafford since he was a kid.
But United bosses have made it clear to both the player and would-be suitors that he is still a valuable member of the squad and they will not be pressured into a sale.
McTominay, 26, is under contract for another two years, with the club also having the option to extend by 12 months beyond that.
Although United are looking to raise transfer funds, they are in no rush to cash in on the man whose two goals gave Scotland a famous win over Spain.
Maguire praised by Ten Hag
Harry Maguire has been praised by Erik ten Hag after a great performance against Everton.
The Dutchman said: “That was a different Harry Maguire to what I’ve seen in the first weeks and months.
“It’s not been that easy for Harry but the demand is on him. He did really well today, in and out of possession, dominating his opponent, dictating and bringing passes.”
Maguire has featured in only five minutes across three home Premier League games since he started against Bournemouth at the beginning of January.
Ten Hag gives Rashford update
Manager Erik ten Hag has given an update on the fitness of Marcus Rashford after he went off injured in the win over Everton.
The boss also slammed the schedule of fixtures.
He said: “We have to wait. He doesn’t look well.
“This was avoidable. All science and research tell you players need a certain time to recover.
“It is also part of the schedule that we are now finding ourselves in this situation and now we can only pray he is not dropping off.”
Scholes predicts Kane blow
Man Utd legend Paul Scholes believes Harry Kane will choose to stay at Tottenham this summer despite interest from the Red Devils.
Kane, 29, has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent weeks.
But according to Scholes, the England skipper would not be the best fit for Man Utd.
When speaking to BT Sport, the 48-year-old said: “I think goals are a problem, [United are] a long way behind City and Arsenal at the top of the table goals wise.
“I think Harry is very happy where he is. If he was going to move it would have been to Man City a couple of years ago.
“He would be fantastic, 25 goals guaranteed, but it’s very difficult for him to move at 30 years of age.
“It’s a risk as well for Man Utd, if you put all your eggs in that Harry Kane basket and all of a sudden Daniel Levy is messing you about, you might end up with no one.
“If you get him early, brilliant, but I just think he’s very happy at Tottenham doing what he’s doing.”
Credit: AFP
Top four race
Man Utd secured a huge win over Everton 2-0 yesterday, helping ease concerns of just a Europa League finish.
However, United fans may still be concerned as Newcastle secured a great win over Brentford 2-1.
The game between Tottenham and Brighton ended 2-1 to the hosts.
This means that Man Utd and Newcastle have a three-point cushion ahead of Tottenham.
Meanwhile, Brighton trail by seven points but have two games in hand.
Aston Villa are in the mix too, but they remain six points away.
Good Morning United fans
Borussia Dortmund superstar Jude Bellingham has been put on full blast because he “doesn’t have discipline”.
That is according to Liverpool hero Dietmar Hamann, who insists Bellingham needs to work on his game if he wants to join a bigger club.
The midfielder has attracted immense interest from some of Europe’s heaviest hitters, such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid and the Reds.
Hamann told Sky Sports: “What Bellingham doesn’t have is discipline.
“He may want to return to the island [England] or Real Madrid. He has to play differently.“At Dortmund he can do what he wants. Nobody dares to say anything. Because they’re afraid of upsetting him. If you have that as a team-mate, you’ll have a problem.
“If he doesn’t do anything forwards and backwards, what does he do then?
“Obviously he is an exceptional player. But he has to get his discipline under control.”
Manchester United legend Bryan Robson was involved in a car crash while heading to watch his old club’s victory over Everton on Saturday.
The 66-year-old was driving to Old Trafford when his blue Mercedes S350d was hit from behind by another vehicle – damaging the boot and bumper.
Police officers attended, closing one lane while debris was removed from the dual carriageway.
Robson – nicknamed Captain Marvel during his playing days – stood on the grass embankment hugging a young lad while chatting to cops.
The ex-midfielder was dressed in official club colours ready for his role as a Manchester United ambassador.
Bayern Munich are keen to hijack Man Utd’s move for Harry Kane, according to reports.
Bayern insider Christian Falk told CaughtOffside: “There are always rumours about FC Bayern but they haven’t discussed Füllkrug yet. There is still a little hope that they can sign Harry Kane, but Bayern also now have an eye on Randal Kolo Muani of Frankfurt.”
According to Falk, Tuchel is desperate for a new No9 with doubts over Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s fitness.
“The new manager, Thomas Tuchel, is checking the squad at the moment to determine whether he needs new players in the summer,” Falk continued.
“At the moment, they’re focusing on the No.9 position. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is 34 years old and has problems with his back.
Mathys Tel is very talented, but just 17 years old. Bayern want to discuss the potential need for a new striker at the end of the season.”
Man Utd loanee Eric Bailly is expected to return to Old Trafford at the end of the season, reports suggest.
The 28-year-old joined Marseille on a season-long loan in August after falling out of favour with Erik ten Hag.
His current contract includes an £8.4million obligation to buy clause, which will be triggered if he makes 19 Ligue 1 appearances and Marseille qualify for the Champions League.
However, according to French outlet La Provence, Bailly is not expected to meet that target.
The defender has made just 11 league appearances for the Olympians so far this season. And he is not expected to play a part in the majority of the club’s nine remaining Ligue 1 games.
Man Utd target Ousmane Dembele’s contract talks have stalled, according to reports in Spain.
The 25-year-old has just 12 months left on his current deal.
Sport report that the negotiations have hit a stumbling block because the Catalans can’t afford the French star’s demands.That news has put several Premier League clubs on red alert.
Dembele contract stalls
Man Utd target Ousmane Dembele’s contract talks have stalled, according to reports in Spain.
The 25-year-old has just 12 months left on his current deal.
Sport report that the negotiations have hit a stumbling block because the Catalans can’t afford the French star’s demands.
That news has put several Premier League clubs on red alert.
‘Bellingham needs to work on his game’
Borussia Dortmund superstar Jude Bellingham has been put on full blast because he “doesn’t have discipline”.
That is according to Liverpool hero Dietmar Hamann, who insists Bellingham needs to work on his game if he wants to join a bigger club.
The midfielder has attracted immense interest from some of Europe’s heaviest hitters, such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid and the Reds.
Hamann told Sky Sports: “What Bellingham doesn’t have is discipline.
“He may want to return to the island [England] or Real Madrid. He has to play differently.
“At Dortmund he can do what he wants. Nobody dares to say anything.
“Because they’re afraid of upsetting him. If you have that as a team-mate, you’ll have a problem.
“If he doesn’t do anything forwards and backwards, what does he do then?
“Obviously he is an exceptional player. But he has to get his discipline under control.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
