Transfer Gossip: Man Utd open talks to beat Tottenham to powerhouse Ligue 1 centre-back; Spurs in swap deal for Brazilian midfielder
Manchester United have opened initial talks to sign a highly-rated Monaco centre-back also wanted by Tottenham and West Ham, while Friday’s Transfer Gossip claims Spurs are considering a swap deal for a Brazilian midfielder.
UNITED OPEN INITIAL TALKS TO SIGN MONACO MAN
Manchester United are reportedly eyeing a potential January move for Monaco and France centre-back Axel Disasi.
The 24-year-old, who was part of France’s World Cup squad, is no stranger to Premier League links – having also been tipped to join Tottenham and West Ham.
And while the Daily Mail reports that multiple top-flight clubs are tracking the defender, initial negotiations have already taken place with United.
Disasi joined Monaco from Reims in 2020 and made his international debut for France in Qatar.
The report adds that the defender is expected to leave Monaco either this month or in the summer transfer window, despite the club already offloading Benoit Badiashile to Chelsea for £35million.
The Red Devils are expected to be in the market for a new centre-back as speculation continues over Harry Maguire’s long-term future.
Mail sources claim that while Maguire is going nowhere this month, he could offloaded in the summer.
Maguire dropping further down pecking order
The England defender is moving rapidly down Erik ten Hag’s centre-back pecking order. Indeed, even Luke Shaw is now preferred to Maguire.
Shaw started alongside Raphael Varane, with Maguire on the bench, against both Wolves and Nottingham Forest.
And while Maguire did return to a much-changed starting XI against Bournemouth, Ten Hag is expected to restore his pre-World Cup partnership of Varane and Lisandro Martinez for next weekend’s huge Manchester derby.
And if United opt to turn their talks with Disasi into an actual transfer then surely the £80m signing’s days are numbered.
SPURS TIPPED FOR BRAZILIAN SWAP DEAL
Tottenham are ready to use Lucas Moura as bait to land highly-rated Sao Paulo midfielder Pablo Maia.
The Brazilian midfielder is on the radar of Spurs, West Ham and Fulham. But the north London outfit may have the edge due to Lucas.
The winger is expected to move on this month, having fallen completely out of favour with Antonio Conte.
Sao Paulo have reportedly shown an interest in bringing the pacy attacker back to the club where his career started. And reports suggest Tottenham could propose a straight swap deal that would suit both parties.
The Brazilian outfit would get a 30-year-old who still has quality. Meanwhile, Spurs would land a youngster who was recently ranked by CIES as the single-most promising defensive midfield player in the world, as reported by HITC.
Maia is currently valued at a bargain £9million, and with Lucas’ contract running down a straight swap makes perfect sense.
PSG CHASING PALACE WINGER
French giants Paris St Germain are reportedly monitoring the situation of Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise.
The 21-year-old has been impressive this season. Indeed, there were reports that he narrowly missed out on a place in England’s World Cup sqaud.
PSG are already planning for the future, as they look to cash in on Neymar in the near future.
To that end, Olise fits the bill, having become a key player for Palace over the last two seasons.
Compared to his two goals and five assists last season, this term he already has one goal and four assists.
The 21-year-old talent also made one appearance for the French U21 national side. However, he also qualifies to play for the Three Lions.
With his stock continuing to rise, the Mail reports that PSG are watching Olise’s development across the season.
