Chris Radburn via Reuters
Manchester United have been offered the chance to sign one of the best wingers in European football, but they have their eye on another player instead.
Man United's main summer transfer focus has, unsurprisingly, been on strengthening the central midfield area after Casemiro's exit was compounded by Manuel Ugarte suffering a serious knee injury for Uruguay at the 2026 World Cup.
The Red Devils had looked set to bring in Ederson from Serie A outfit Atalanta, but a move broke down amid concerns over the Brazil international's medical.
Still, United have completed the impressive double signing of two players with Premier League experience in Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans for a combined fee of £85m, the same price that Tottenham Hotspur paid for another former Red Devils target in Mateus Fernandes.
Club chiefs still want to land another midfielder for the engine room, with a number six on the agenda, with a feeling they are still yet to properly replace Casemiro's profile.
Manu Kone, Aurelien Tchouameni and Carlos Baleba are some of the names mentioned the most in recent weeks, but United could also look at other areas of the pitch too, including left-back and left-wing, especially if Marcus Rashford leaves.
Man United Offered Rafael Leao Transfer
via Reuters
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Manchester United have been offered the chance to sign AC Milan winger Leao 'in recent hours'.
The Portugal international confirmed publicly this summer that he would like to leave the San Siro for a new challenge after seven years at the club, but with just over a month until the transfer window closes, no European team has made their move.
AC Milan are willing to sell but want to recoup £51m for him.
Leao was described as 'one of the best LWs in the world' by Como scout Ben Mattinson last year, and on his day he can be unplayable for opposition defenders.
Man United Want Francisco Conceicao Instead
via Reuters
According to the same report, while Jorge Mendes is pushing Leao to them and other clubs, the Red Devils prefer Juventus star Francisco Conceicao instead.
The 23-year-old attacker has impressed for Juve, scoring 11 goals and registering a further 11 assists in 82 appearances for the Old Lady.
The Turin-based outfit now value the Portugal international at €50m, which makes him cheaper than Leao, and he is younger too.
United's hopes of landing Conceicao may have been boosted too, with TMW claiming that Juve may now need to make an 'important' sale this summer following the additions of Randal Kolo Muani and Karim Alajbegovic on Thursday.
One of the main differences between Leao and Conceicao is that the former plays from the left and the latter plays from the right, which again might hint at the fact that Marcus Rashford could be staying at Old Trafford for this season.
Indeed, the Red Devils or the player are yet to receive any offers from clubs that would be attractive, with Carrick said to be looking forward to working with him after his successful loan spell at Barcelona.