Man Utd talks ‘far down the line’ for midfielder as Solskjaer transfer splurge continues
Manchester United have a transfer deal for Wolves star Ruben Neves ‘reasonably far down the line’, according to reports.
The Portugal international midfielder has been strongly tipped to seal a move to Old Trafford, as Ole Gunnar Solakjaer looks to add more competition to his engine room. Premier League rivals Arsenal are also keen, but it appears that the Red Devils are the frontrunners for Neves’ signature.
United have so far sealed deals for Tom Heaton and Jadon Sancho, while an agreement is also in place to sign Raphael Varane from Real Madrid.
The club’s owners, the Glazers, appear determined to back Solskjaer with several new additions. It comes off the back of a season where United finished second in the Premier League and lost the Europa League final.
And Europsport’s Dean Jones has confirmed that a deal for Neves is close. However, talks of a swoop for Liverpool target Saul Niguez is well wide of the mark.
“I just haven’t heard a lot about Saul Niguez personally,” Jones told The Football Terrace podcast.
“So it’s hard for me to assess that one. So I’d say because of the information I’ve had, and it all depends on your sources, I know for a fact that they do like Neves, that they’ve been working on it in the background and it’s reasonably far down the line.
“And if they do want to progress with it they can, because the foundations have been laid.
“I don’t know about Saul Niguez, how much weight there really is behind that so it’s difficult for me to judge.
“There’s enough out there to believe there’s some substance to it. But I’m sceptical because it’s Saul Niguez, this has happened a few times.”
Arsenal have also been looking to bring in Neves as a potential replacement for Roma target Granit Xhaka.
However, it would appear that the Red Devils are on the verge of winning this particular transfer race.
Assessing Paul Pogba’s best options in this summer’s transfer window – Man Utd or PSG?
Solskjaer set to make key Rashford decision
Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Manchester United will make a decision soon on whether Marcus Rashford undergoes shoulder surgery, while he has signalled his intent to allow one player to leave on loan.
Having featured for England at Euro 2020, the 23-year-old was planning to go under the knife to deal with a longstanding shoulder injury that would keep him out for approximately 12 weeks.
But Solskjaer was quick to say a decision had yet to be made on whether Rashford would undergo surgery, with the forward set to meet with the club when returning from his summer break.
“With Marcus, we’ll probably make a decision in next few days when we check him up again. The last decision-making,” he said. “What’s best for him and best for the club has to be considered.
“With the boys who’ve not come back yet, I don’t know (how they are). I haven’t got a Scooby-Doo on how they are fitness-wise.
“Everyone’s due in Monday for training and then we’ve got two weeks. That means they’ve had three weeks since the last game – Fred at the Copa America and English finalists.
“So we’ll see how they are, what fitness levels they’re at because it’s down to them, what they’ve done during the holidays as well. I can’t just throw them in if it’s not safe or if they’re not fit enough.”
READ MORE: Man Utd left feeling used after contract details emerge over Pogba replacement
The post Man Utd talks ‘far down the line’ for midfielder as Solskjaer transfer splurge continues appeared first on TEAMtalk.