A Manchester United reporter has clarified which other position aside from central midfield the Red Devils are prioritising in the market, and following a U-turn on a Barcelona ace, it’s full steam ahead for a Newcastle signing.
Man Utd aim to sign two more midfielders after Ederson. West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes is shaping up to be arrival No 2, with the Portuguese preferring a move to Old Trafford over all others.
Man Utd are now ramping up a deal with the Hammers, and agreeing personal terms with the 21-year-old who is valued at £85m won’t be a problem.
Elsewhere, Man Utd have interest in signing a left-back and left winger too. But according to the latest from Manchester Evening News reporter, Tyrone Marshall, the winger pursuit has taken a backseat to the hunt for a left-back.
“At the moment, the focus is on a left-back rather than a left-winger,” he declared in a Q&A for the MEN. “United like Lewis Hall and a deal could be done, with the ideal aim being to find a long-term successor to Shaw.
“Patrick Dorgu is being considered more of a winger at the moment and I think that means it’s unlikely a left-winger will join.”
Newcastle value Hall at £60m, with TEAMtalk confirming he, Nathaniel Brown and Alejandro Balde featured highly on Man Utd’s left-back shortlist.
However, the Red Devils chose to take a pass on Brown who is now heading to Bayern Munich. That narrowed the option to two, with Marca then reporting Barcelona had put Balde up for sale.
They declared: ‘[Balde] is one of the players they (Barcelona) consider transferable. In fact, they have put him on the market. They are waiting to see what happens.’
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Barcelona won’t sell Balde / Man Utd going for Hall
Marca are a notoriously pro-Real Madrid publication, and aren’t averse to writing stories that disrupt goings on at Barcelona.
And according to the latest update on Balde by way of Mundo Deportivo, Marca’s claims that Balde is up for sale are NOT true.
They declared: ‘Balde is not for sale unless he asks to be let go.’ And as yet, the left-back has not asked to leave, meaning he’s not up for sale.
The Balde story may be a mere sideshow anyway, with Hall the real prize for Manchester United. Per our insider, Graeme Bailey, Man Utd are now ready to accelerate their pursuit.
He explained: “TEAMtalk understands the club are now preparing to intensify their pursuit of Newcastle United full-back Lewis Hall.
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“We have previously revealed that the England international remains Man Utd preferred target, and there is growing belief within Old Trafford that Hall would be open to making the move.
“Man Utd sources remain confident that the 21-year-old is interested in joining the club and plans are being put in place for a concerted push in the coming weeks.
“Newcastle for their part remain reluctant sellers and continue to insist they do not want to lose Hall, but Man Utd believe the situation is one worth pursuing.”