20 July 2023 , 02:00
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Manchester United are jetting off to the United States for their pre-season tour after beating Lyon in Edinburgh on Wednesday.
Donny van de Beek scored the game’s only goal to give United a 1-0 victory in the friendly to go with their 2-0 success against Leeds in Oslo last week. Erik ten Hag has now named a 31-man squad for the main part of pre-season, which will begin on Saturday with a friendly against Arsenal at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
It’s an extremely busy time for United, who are also working hard in the summer transfer window to reshape Ten Hag’s squad for the 2023/24 season, which is less than a month away. Progress has been made, with Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund the main two targets at this stage.
Here Mirror Football brings you all the latest transfer news.
Evans’ deal could be extended
An unexpected deal came earlier this week when United announced that Jonny Evans had signed a short-term contract with the club.
Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash
The 35-year-old defender had been training with his old club after his deal with Leicester expired. He impressed Ten Hag, who decided to keep him on and give him some minutes against Lyon.
Ten Hag has praised Evans as a “really experienced player but also a very good person, a big personality” and it seems his surprise stay could go on even longer.
The Athletic says ‘nobody is ruling out the possibility of extending the short-term deal’ for the experienced centre-back, who was a firm favourite of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Atalanta ‘unhappy’ with Hojlund
Rasmus Hojlund is valued at £60m by Atalanta (Marco Canoniero/Getty Images)United have agreed personal terms with Hojlund, who is keen to move to Old Trafford, just a year after joining Atalanta from Sturm Graz.
There are a few potential stumbling blocks, though. Firstly, Atalanta value the 20-year-old at £60million, despite his inexperience.
And secondly, they are reportedly unhappy with the way the negotiations have taken place. The print edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport says the behaviour of the agents involved in the deal have angered Atalanta, who believe they are desperate to see the move happen, even if it is not on the Italian side’s terms.
Onana announcement close
Andre Onana flew in on a private jet to complete his medical (@GiovaAlbanese / Twitter)United will soon have a new first-choice goalkeeper, with Onana having undergone medical tests at Carrington on Wednesday ahead of a transfer from Inter Milan.
Onana will cost an initial £43m and will replace David de Gea, who left last month after his contract expired. Everything is now in place and an announcement is anticipated in the coming days.
As fans found out when it came to Mason Mount, things can take a little bit longer than hoped to become official, with paperwork a frustrating but important hurdle to clear.