Manchester United transfer news and opinion including the latest on Moise Kean, Ollie Watkins, Alejandro Garnacho and Christopher Nkunku
Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has been linked with Man United
(Image: PA)
Manchester United could finally be about to reignite their summer transfer business.
After completing the signing of Matheus Cunha at the start of the month, United's work in the market has been muted. Failure with their first bid for Bryan Mbeumo resulted in a move for the Brentford star appearing to be in doubt.
Now, as we prepare to head into July and the new financial year, United could be about to go up a gear. Reports on Monday claimed that a new bid worth over £60million for Mbeumo had been submitted.
The priority is to get the deal over the line before the start of pre-season, which is now less than a fortnight away. Attention will then turn to strikers and there have been a handful of interesting updates in the last 24 hours.
Here, The Manchester Evening News has taken a look at the latest news.
Wildcard striker option
Reports from Europe have claimed that United are exploring moves for Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins and Fiorentina star Moise Keane. With Viktor Gyokeres growing increasingly likely to secure a move elsewhere, Spanish outlet Fichajes [via The Standard] report that Watkins has emerged as a possible candidate.
Villa's need to raise funds means a deal could materialise pretty soon. Unai Emery's men are believed to have slapped a £60million valuation on the England international, who has scored 75 Premier League goals across five seasons.
Moise Kean and David De Gea
Moise Kean and David De Gea(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy have claimed Kean, another centre-forward linked, is also of interest with United registering an interest. The Italy international is believed to have a £44.5m release clause active from July 1 until July 15 and United are said to be considering making a move.
MEN Sport says: "After being linked with big names like Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen, it's hard to see a positive reaction from the United fanbase with these links. But it should be said, Watkins would be a superb signing.
"The England international scored 17 and assisted 14 last term on the back of 27 the season before. At 29, he's at his peak and doesn't need any adjusting period in England. Keane, who struggled in England for Everton, would, and £44.5m is a lot of money."
Garnacho and Nkunku reverse
Alejandro Garnacho was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons on Monday after his controversial post on Instagram. His future at Old Trafford is all but dead in the water and according to The Telegraph, the possibility of swapping the winger with Christopher Nkunku is being weighed up.
Both players want to quit their respective clubs, and it's said the prospect of Nkunku moving to Manchester and Garnacho coming the other way has not been ruled out. No talks have yet been held between the two clubs.
MEN Sport says: "United would be the loser in this deal. Garnacho's contract until 2028 means they are in a perfect position to cash in on him. A swap deal for a player that has spent more time on the injury table than on the pitch would be a financial disaster.
"United may not get the £70m for Garnacho that they are seeking this summer, but swapping him for Nkunku would be strange. If they can bring in £50m for the Argentine and Nkunku comes in at a bargain price, it could be a smart deal to complete."
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we're dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.
And finally, if you'd rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .