Man Utd transfer news live - Ratcliffe's top priority, Ramos and Martial latest

Yorke on three Man Utd targets

Dwight Yorke has named three players Manchester United should target in the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era.

Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash

Yorke told Footy Accumulators: "If I were in charge of Man United and had to sign three players, then I'd pick Victor Osimhen, Leroy Sane, and Son Heung-Min.

"I feel United are OK defensively, but they lack options in midfield.

"I wouldn't say the club needs a clear out, but they need at least six new players to freshen up the whole team. Too many players have been there for too long!"

Bebe scores outrageous free-kick

Former Manchester United forward Bebe scored an outrageous 50-yard free-kick for Cape Verde in their 3-0 victory over Mozambique at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Bebe, who is now playing his club football at Rayo Vallecano in Spain, netted a goal of the tournament contender in the 32nd minute at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium.

The 33-year-old stepped up to take a free-kick which was closer to the halfway line than the 18-yard area. With his team-mates waiting for a cross in the box, Bebe decided to have a shot at goal.

And what a decision that proved to be as Bebe's strike looped and dipped before finding the back of the net, despite the best efforts of Mozambique goalkeeper Hernane Siluane.

Read more here.

Bebe celebrates scoring for Cape Verde against Mozambique (Getty Images)

Hannibal explains reason for leaving

United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri has opened up on the conversations he had with his Old Trafford team-mates before moving to Sevilla on loan. The Tunisian could complete a permanent switch over the summer if his time under Quique Sanchez Flores proves a success.

Hannibal was out on loan when United lost 3-0 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to drop out of Europe last term, but has heard all about the home atmosphere. Speaking at his unveiling, the Tunisia international made particular reference to that game and the atmosphere in general.

Man Utd deadline day live updates as Sabitzer completes loan move

"The game here was crazy," the 20-year-old said. "Before coming, my United teammates told me about the fans, the atmosphere there. It's nice to play for a team with fans like this because they help you when you're in difficult times."

Read more here.

Bennett joins Stockport

Manchester United defender Rhys Bennett will spend the rest of the season on loan at Stockport.

Stockport manager Dave Challinor told the club's website: "Rhys is someone we know and who knows us. He spent a couple of months with us last season as part of an arrangement we had with Man United to get some younger players into our environment to train.

"It's fair to say he made a lasting impression on all of the staff not just in terms of his ability, but as a character and personality in being mature and having an understanding of the game.

"When the opportunity came to bring him back in, especially due to our current situation, it was something we were all keen to do and it’s great to have him back with us."

Ronaldo hails Saudi league

Cristiano Ronaldo has made the bold claim that the Saudi Pro League is superior to the French Ligue 1 less than 24 hours after Jordan Henderson left the Middle East.

Former Liverpool captain Henderson has dominated the headlines over the last few days having called time on his Al-Ettifaq career just six months after he left Anfield. The England international walked away from the project during the January transfer window after reports he struggled to adjust to the climate, lifestyle and small attendances in the division.

However, five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo has issued a passionate defence of the Saudi Pro League, claiming it is already better than one of Europe's major leagues. He explained: "Saudi League is not worst than Ligue 1. Saudi Pro League is more competitive than Ligue 1, I can say that after one year spent there. We are better than French league already now."

Full story here

Cristiano Ronaldo left Man United for Al-Nassr (Getty Images)

Vinicius Junior's long-term plans

If Vinicius Junior does leave Real Madrid, it might not be anytime soon... and it might not be for Old Trafford.

Players can change their mind, of course, and a £130m bid for United - if realistic - would certainly provide some food for thought.

Last year, though, the Brazil star suggested the one club he'd leave the Bernabeu for is boyhood side Flamengo.

"I promised my father I would go back one day. I have to keep this promise," he told the French media.

Read more here

United 'in pole position' for Zirkzee

According to Sky Italia (via Sport Witness), Manchester United are leading the chase for Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee.

Bologna reportedly want a sum in the region of €50m for the Dutchman, who joined from Bayern Munich, though the Bundesliga club also have an option to bring him back.

It has been suggested that Zirkzee, who saw opportunities limited in his first Bayern spell, wouldn't be particularly open to heading back to Bavaria with Harry Kane guaranteed to be ahead of him in the pecking order.

Ex-United star Bebe opens AFCON account

Bebe helped Cape Verde beat Ghana on his Africa Cup of Nations debut, and the former Manchester United forward now has his first goal in the competition.

The former Portugal under-21 international, 33, switched allegiances after giving up on playing for the European nation.

Now playing his club football in Spain with Rayo Vallecano, Bebe put his team in front against Mozambique with a long-range free-kick which caught out oppositon goalkeeper Ernan.

Bebe celebrating his goal against Mozambique (AFP via Getty Images)

Loan exit agreed for youngster Bennett

Rhys Bennett is due to leave Manchester United on loan, with the Manchester Evening News reporting the youngster is on his way to Stockport County for the remainder of the season.

Bennett, a defender, has yet to make his senior United debut but was on thr bench for the Premier League defeat at West Ham and the FA Cup win at Wigan.

Stockport sit top of League Two after 27 games, though close rivals Wrexham and Mansfield both have a game in hand.

Keane slams Fernandes

As Manchester United captain, Roy Keane could never be accused of not giving his all for the team.

Keane's commitment, relentless work ethic and hunger to win marked him out as one of United's all-time great leaders, up there with the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton and Bryan Robson. But Keane, 52, is unimpressed with the current holder of the United armband, claiming Bruno Fernandes is “killing and costing” his team with his emotional and erratic style of play.

"If you watch him at international level, he does the same thing [floating around],” Keane told the Stick to Football podcast. It can't all be the coaches and managers. There's a player out there and if he's doing all that stuff and still producing magic, you almost forgive him. But if you're in a struggling team and you’re doing all that stuff, that’s where it stands out. And you go 'you're killing us, you’re costing us'.”

Read the full story here

Roy Keane is not impressed by Manchester United (Stick to Football podcast)

Mbappe sends Varane transfer message

Kylian Mbappe has talked up Raphael Varane amid speculation that the defender could be allowed to leave Manchester United in the summer.

The France defender, 30, joined the Red Devils from Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 and quickly established himself as a key figure under firstly Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then Erik ten Hag, however, Varane has fallen down the pecking order this term. United do have an option to extend Varane's current contract, which expires at the end of the season, by an additional 12 months but the club are instead planning to try and renegotiate his deal in a bid to lower his salary.

And while it remains to be seen if Varane is open to such a proposal, there has also been suggestions that the defender could be allowed to leave at the end of the campaign, with a new report from ESPN claiming Ten Hag is keen on overseeing a rebuild of his defence in the summer transfer window.

But Mbappe, Varane's former teammate in the French national team, has spoken out on the impact that the defender's international retirement has had on Les Bleus in a move which could give Ten Hag some food for thought.

Read the full story here

Raphael Varane greets Kylian Mbappe (Getty)

Sancho proves point

Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic has praised Jadon Sancho's training performances following his return to the club earlier this month.

Sancho, 23, endured a torrid stint at Manchester United after leaving Germany in a £73million deal back in the summer of 2021 but is now back at Dortmund on loan until the end of the season. The England winger was frozen out at Old Trafford by Erik ten Hag after the player took to social media to undermine the Dutchman after he claimed Sancho had been dropped from the matchday squad against Arsenal due to poor training performances back in September.

Sancho's future beyond the end of the current campaign is unclear with Dortmund unlikely to be able to facilitate a permanent deal, but for now, Terzic is more than happy with how Sancho is doing. He told German outlet Sport: "It's true that Jadon arrived with good stats. Nevertheless, we know how the last few weeks and months have gone for him.

"If you see that with him, then we're happy about every training session. He's doing well this week. We also tested Ian Maatsen [another new signing] again on Tuesday. Both are outstandingly good. Nevertheless, we will handle it with caution."

Read the full story here

Jadon Sancho (Hendrik Deckers/Borussia Dortmund)

Amad latest

Sunderland boss Michael Beale has spoken openly about the club's desire to bring Manchester United winger Amad Diallo back to the Stadium of Light on loan this month.

"We’ve made it really clear to them that we would be in there but Man United really value him as well," the boss said. "He could have an interesting second half of the season in-house but if he was to go out on loan, I can assure you, they are well aware we would want him to come back here.

"Putting finances aside – because that’s the big thing isn't it – I know he loved his time here, the fans loved him and he was well-loved in the changing room. When I came here, it was something that if it could happen, it would happen but I think Man Utd realise they have a very good football player on their hands."

Amad Diallo is a wanted man in the Championship (Photo by Alex Dodd - CameraSport via Getty Images)

AI plans

Manchester United are turning to AI in a bid to improve their fortunes on the pitch.

The Red Devils are hoping to earn a competitive advantage by launching a partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University. The collaboration sees United join with the university's Insitute of Sport and will provide Erik ten Hag and co with access to research and innovation through PhD programmes that will use AI to develop analysis and metrics currently unavailable to their Premier League rivals.

The intention is for the partnership to facilitate better on-field decisions with an increasing number of metrics measured during matches and at a greater speed. Professor Tim Cable, the institute’s director, believes the project will strengthen the football operations of the club.

He said: "Our collaboration with Manchester United has enabled us to attract world-leading talent into Manchester and bring our state-of-the-art scientific research to address the performance needs of the club. The initiative will provide the club with an added layer of intelligence, further strengthening Manchester United’s football operations."

Read the full story here

Man Utd sent transfer advice

Manchester United legend Jaap Stam has urged his former club to target proven Premier League players in the transfer market.

"I think for a club like United, if you're willing to spend such huge amounts of money, then you also need to have a look in the Premier League," Stam exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone. "There are plenty of great players, great wingers, great midfield players at other Premier League clubs that would come in and do a good job, as well; it doesn't always have to be about bringing the best players from other countries.

"Sometimes you need to look at people who have already proven themselves in the division and, like I said, there are plenty of them around other Premier League clubs right now. But if you're eager to bring in a manager, and that manager has it in his contract that he's to make the final decision on signings, then a lot of these decisions are out of your hands as a club, so you need to be careful when making decisions like that.

"I'm assuming this is what's happened at United, I don't know for sure, of course, but it looks like Ten Hag has got the final say in every decision that's being made within the club. But I really feel like within the Premier League, there's a lot of quality within a lot of teams that would help United going forward.

"I think Manchester United need to strengthen in attack; they need more quality in those forward positions. I think an extra goalscorer is really important. Rasmus Hojlund is growing in confidence, but you can't put all of your faith and confidence in him. Alejandro Garnacho is not scoring a lot of goals, neither is Antony, Marcus Rashford did much better last season than he is right now. You need to have goalscorers in your team if you want to compete at the top of the table; it's so important you have players who are scoring goals and creating chances, so that's definitely an area in which they need to strengthen.

"But we know the difficulty of doing that in the winter transfer window; it's going to be hard to bring in very good players during this window because their clubs are not going to want to let them leave, unless you're going to go and pay huge amounts of money, and I just don't see that happening this month. But that, for me, would be the area I'd like to see strengthened more than anywhere for United."

(YouTube/The Overlap)

Defensive revamp planned

According to ESPN, Manchester United are plotting a major overhaul of their defence this summer under Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Both Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans could leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of the season, while the report states that Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof may be sold if United receive 'significant offers'. The likes of Jarrad Branthwaite, Matthijs de Ligt, Jean-Clair Todibo and Sacha Boey are also named as players United are interested in signing.

(Manchester United via Getty Imag)

Brobbey verdict

Former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre believes a move for Brian Brobbey "would make sense", given the forward has previously played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax.

"It's natural because it's not a long time ago he was there," Silvestre told bettingexpert. "He knows their qualities, weaknesses and mentality. It's normal to see managers get players and staff from their former clubs because they know them so well.

"It's not a problem. He knows what heis missing in the current squad to achieve his objectives, so if he thinks a player from Ajax can improve them, it would make sense."

(Hollandse Hoogte/REX/Shutterstock)

Woodward lands Man Utd payday

Ed Woodward may have left Manchester United 20 months ago, but he is still about to land a gigantic payday.

Woodward is a key figure in United’s recent history, having served as the club’s executive vice-chairman from May 2013 to February 2022. He is a hugely divisive figure at United, having overseen a spend in excess of £1billion on players during his time in charge at Old Trafford in return for little success.

The 52-year-old helped the Glazer family complete their takeover of United in 2005 and tendered his resignation in April 2021 after backing the disastrous European Super League. He eventually left the club in April 2022, with Richard Arnold taking on the top job.

But while he has moved on, and found himself a new gig in artificial intelligence in November, Woodward still has an interest at United. That’s because he owns shares in the club – shares that are about to make him even wealthier.

The Athletic notes that Woodward owns 551,486 Class A shares in United. That is extremely significant given that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is about to buy 25 per cent of the club’s shares in exchange for £1.3billion. After a protracted takeover process, which began in November 2022, the deal was announced on December 24 and will be officially signed off in the coming weeks.

Read the full story here

(PA)

Sancho tipped for Man Utd lifeline

Former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre believes Jadon Sancho "can still have a long term future" at the club, despite his falling out with manager Erik ten Hag.

"I think Sancho can still have a long term future at United," Silvestre told bettingexpert. "Things change a lot in football from one game to the next so from six months to another season things could change.

"If he comes back for pre-season and performs with the manager he could have another go. I think his future is not 100% over with United but it depends on him. He now needs to focus on performing for Dortmund."

(Greig Cowie/REX/Shutterstock)

Ratcliffe's top priority

Manchester United 's main priority in January is to ease their financial situation - not bring in more new faces.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has just come on board to take control of football operations, which includes their recruitment strategy. The club want to ensure they are in a strong position come the summer, which would allow the British billionaire to attack the market.

There is concern over breaching financial rules, with the Premier League demonstrating their willingness to sanction teams this season. ESPN reports that the situation as Old Trafford is still "tight" which has largely dictated their strategy in the new year.

Read the full story here

(Icon Sport via Getty Images)

Martial's agent offers update

Anthony Martial’s agent has felt compelled to defend his client following reports that he had fallen out with Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.

Martial has not played for United since the 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth on December 9, but his absence had not been explained by the club. Reports then emerged saying the Frenchman had been exiled from the first-team group by Ten Hag as a punishment ahead of his departure from the club.

As Mirror Football reported, however, Martial has simply been placed on an individual training programme. Instead of being punished, like Jadon Sancho before his departure to Borussia Dortmund, Martial is working on his fitness like others including Lisandro Martinez,Casemiro and Mason Mount have before.

The 28-year-old striker is out of contract with United in June and there had been suggestions he could be sold in the January transfer window. However, Phillipe Lamboley has now set the record straight, insisting that Martial has a hip injury, has not fallen out with Ten Hag and has no plans to leave the club this month.

Read the full story here

Good morning!

Welcome back to Mirror Football's coverage of all things Manchester United.

We'll have all the latest transfer talk, as well as updates on everything else around Old Trafford as we approach a month since Sir Jim Ratcliffe's investment in the club was confirmed.

Goodnight

Thanks for joining us on today's live Manchester United blog!

Be sure to check back with us tomorrow for more transfers news, injury updates and much more.

We'll see you then - take care.

Latest on PSG striker Ramos

Manchester United could be given a second chance of signing Portuguese striker Goncalo Ramos, who the Red Devils were linked with before he joined Paris Saint-Germain.

According to L'Equipe, via The Sun, PSG are open to selling the £69m Portugal international amid doubts from manager Luis Enrique.

Ex-Benfica hotshot Ramos, 22, played a mere 143 minutes of football in the Champions League group stage and hasn't started a Ligue 1 game since November.

Read what Bruno Fernandes thinks of him HERE.

Bruno Fernandes believes that Goncalo Ramos has what it takes to play in the Premier League (Carlos Rodrigues)

Toney makes future claim

Brentford striker Ivan Toney wants to play for a "top club" amid links of a move to Manchester United.

When asked about his future by Sky Sports, the 27-year-old striker - now available following an eight-month ban - replied: "You can never predict when is the right time to move elsewhere, but I think it's obvious I want to play for a top club.

"Everybody wants to play for a top club, that is fighting for titles. Whether it's this January that is the right time for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows?

"But my main focus is to do what I do on the pitch, and let the background work take care of itself."

(Getty Images)

ICYMI: United targeting Lazio goalkeeper

Reports from Italy have suggested Manchester United could pounce for Ivan Provedel if the goalkeeper can't agree a new deal with Lazio.

Provedel, 29, has been a regular at the Stadio Olimpico this term and scored a memorable goal against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

According to Quotidiano Sportivo (via the MEN), the Italian's wage demands have cast doubt over Lazio's ability to hang on to the keeper.

However, with Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir already on United's books, it remains to be seen how any move for Provedel would be approached.

(Elianto/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

FULL STORY: Liverpool backed to beat United to Olise

Liverpool have been tipped to sign Crystal Palace star Michael Olise from under Manchester United's noses.

Olise, 22, has recently emerged as a target for United, with his £60million release clause due to become active this summer, but Liverpool could join the race and sway the French playmaker to Anfield.

More HERE.

(Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)

United keen on Swedish wonderkid

Manchester United are reportedly keen on signing Swedish wonderkid Lucas Bergvall.

Bergvall, 17, is a midfielder who plays for top-flight side Djurgarden, who value him at around £8million.

United face competition for the Sweden under-21 international, with Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt and Barcelona all interested, as noted by German outlet Fussball News.

(Michael Campanella/Getty Images)

United tipped to sign Arsenal target

Manchester United are reportedly willing to trigger Arsenal target Martin Zubimendi's €60million (£51.6m) release clause.

The 24-year-old Spain international midfielder has starred once again for boyhood club Real Sociedad and multiple outlets claim that United are keen on his services.

It's been claimed elsewhere that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is keen to recruit a No.8 in midfield.

(Ricardo Larreina/AFP7/REX/Shutterstock)

How much would Araujo cost United?

Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has been tipped to join Manchester United this summer, with the cash-strapped La Liga champions once again needing a big sale to balance the books.

24-year-old Araujo, who's primarily a centre-back but can play as a right-back too, is also a target for Bayern Munich, who Sky Germany say have been quoted £70million by Barca.

The Uruguay international has a contract in Catalunya until 2026 and United have also been linked with his Barcelona team-mate and fellow centre-back, Andreas Christensen.

Araujo, however, would tick two boxes for new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who wants to sign a new centre-back and a new right-back.

(Jose Breton/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)