Euro Paper Talk: Ratcliffe to ruthlessly dump Antony as Man Utd open €140m talks for Spain winger and Lille defender; Arsenal elbow Tottenham aside in €60m striker pursuit

Manchester United plan to sign a classy LaLiga winger and a new defender in a double €140m coup, PSG are to make a colossal move for a top Newcastle player, while Arsenal are to battle Tottenham for the signing of an elite €60m-rated striker.

RATCLIFFE TO REPLACE ANTONY AT MAN UTD WITH €60M SOCIEDAD STAR

Manchester United chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to replace flop £85m signing Antony with one of LaLiga’s top wingers as one of his first major acts at Old Trafford, per a report.

The Brazilian arrived at Manchester United in an eyebrow-raising move from Ajax in summer 2022 at the insistence of Erik ten Hag, who had worked with him at the Amsterdam giants.

But after managing just eight goals and two assists from 44 appearances in his first season, Antony‘s form has taken a dramatic tumble this season, where he is yet to register a goal involvement from 21 appearances.

As a result, it’s being strongly reported that incoming new investor Ratcliffe, who is set to take full sporting control at Old Trafford, wants the 16-times capped Brazil winger moved on at the end of the season.

After his struggles, United can expect to make a sizeable loss on their initial investment.

Now according to reports in Spain, Ratcliffe has already identified his successor in the form of Real Sociedad winger Mikel Oyarzabal.

The 26-year-old is now into his ninth season with the Basque side and is widely regarded as one of the most consistent and effective wingers in LaLiga.

Having scored 92 goals in 324 appearances, Oyarzabal has also contributed 42 assists in that time – meaning he has record of a goal contribution every 2.4 appearances.

And with a tempting €60m (£51.7m) exit clause in his deal, Ratcliffe is understood to see great value in bringing the 26-times Spain cap to Old Trafford.

Man Utd also line up big defender signing

Per reports, Ratcliffe is planning a huge summer overhaul at Old Trafford and also has his eyes on one of top world-class defenders to bolster Ten Hag’s defensive options.

The Red Devils conceded an alarming 15 goals in just six Champions League games this season to illustrate their fragility and Ratcliffe knows that is another area of weakness that needs addressing.

As such, RMC Sport claims Lille are ready to sell in-demand €80m-rated (£68.9m) defender Leny Yoro this summer, with United among the sides to have ‘asked for information’ over a deal.

The 18-year-old is also being linked with Real Madrid and PSG, while Liverpool were also this week named as suitors of the player, who has drawn favourable comparisons to Arsenal’s William Saliba.

United are also reportedly set to rival Bayern Munich in the race to sign Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, who is rated in the same €80m (£68.9m) bracket.

The Uruguayan may be sacrificed by the Spanish giants this summer to raise transfer funds, leading to links with United.

Ratcliffe will not sign both but it is understood a defender is high on his list of priorities, leading to a potential €140m double splash once Oyarzabal is factored in.

DON’T MISS: Man Utd launch stunning Barcelona raid as Ratcliffe goes big; £68.9m bid tipped to be accepted

REAL SOCIEDAD EYE SPURS STAR AS SUCCESSOR FOR MAN UTD TARGET

Real Sociedad are in ‘fluid talks’ with Tottenham over the future of Bryan Gil amid claims they want the Spaniard as a replacement for the in-demand Oyazarbal. (El Diario Vasco)

Jesse Lingard is in talks with MLS side Portland Timbers over a surprise move to America, having failed to agree terms with clubs in either Europe or Saudi Arabia. (various)

Manchester City will complete the €14m (£12m) signing of River Plate starlet Claudio Echeverri as soon as the Argentine transfer window opens on January 25. (various)

Besiktas are set to win the race to sign unwanted Arsenal full-back Cedric Soares, who has been cleared to leave by Mikel Arteta. (Record)

Crystal Palace are set to move to sign Nice right-back Jordan Lotomba as long-term successors to Nathaniel Clyne and Joel Ward. (L’Equipe)

Victor Orta has been noted as key to Sevilla’s signing of Hannibal Mejbri from under Everton’s noses after they secured a €20m loan to buy option with Manchester United. (Mundo Deportivo)

Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Roma, with the Italian club issuing a 65-word statement and amid three new jobs the Portuguese firebrand is being linked to. (various)

The Giallorossi are set to appoint legendary former star Daniele De Rossi as Mourinho’s replacement in the coming days. (Gazzetta dello Sport)

PSG READY TO MAKE COLOSSAL BID FOR STAR NEWCASTLE PLAYER

PSG are considering a €116m (£100m) approach to Newcastle to sign Bruno Guimaraes amid claims the Magpies may need to sell a top star to satisfy FFP limits and to help fund a January signing of their own. (Telefoot)

An unnamed Premier League club, believed to be Chelsea, has made an offer to Mario Hermoso, who will be free to leave Atletico Madrid this summer. The 28-year-old Spain international is unhappy at Atleti’s new contract offer to him. (AS)

Arsenal are pushing to sign 18-year-old Angers attacking midfielder Jean-Mattéo Bahoya, who is also wanted by Eintracht Frankfurt and VfB Stuttgart. (L’Equipe)

Real Madrid could be forced to abandon their pursuit of Kylian Mbappe after learning their offer of €30m a year (£496,000 a week) has been more than TREBLED by Paris Saint-Germain, who are offering him €100m a year (£1.6m a week). (AS)

Real Madrid, however, are determined to pursue a deal for Bayern Munich full-back Alphonso Davies with the Canadian emerging as one of their primary summer targets. (Fabrizio Romano)

Fulham are among three Premier League sides who have made an approach to sign unwanted Atletico Madrid defender Caglar Soyuncu. The former Leicester defender is as being chased by clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia. (Marca)

Exclusive: Trevoh Chalobah will decide by the end of this week where to play next with Roma, Napoli and Nottingham Forest all chasing the unwanted Chelsea defender.

ARSENAL BATTLE TOTTENHAM FOR SANTIAGO GIMENEZ

Arsenal will battle Tottenham for the €60m (£51.7m) signing of Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez, who has 21 goals in 23 games this season. (various)

Napoli have reached a verbal agreement to sign Hellas Verona winger Cyril Ngonge in a deal worth up to €15m. The forward had been strongly linked with a move to Aston Villa. (Tuttomercato)

Turkish giants Galatasaray are interested in Lazio attacker Daichi Kamada, who arrived as a free agent from Eintracht Frankfurt over the summer but only penned a one-year deal at the Stadio Olimpico. (Calciomercato)

Real Madrid are to battle Barcelona in the race to sign Brazil Under-17 World Cup star Kaua Elias of Fluminense. (Mundo Deportivo)

Renato Sanches’ agent is looking to find the Portuguese player another club with Roma set to cancel his loan and parent club PSG having no interest in keeping the former Bayern Munich and Swansea midfielder. (Fabrizio Romano)

Atletico Madrid are lining up replacements for forward Angel Correa amid claims he is the subject of an offer from Al Ittihad. (Football Espana)

Thiago Alcantara is the subject of interest from Al-Ettifaq and Flamengo as the clock runs down on his Liverpool contract, which is currently due to expire this summer. (various)