Man Utd chief Woodward leading £45m transfer race, £85m Chelsea bid, Arsenal, Liverpool

Sunday, March 15

• Manchester United are the frontrunners in the race to sign the £45m-rated Denis Zakaria from Borussia Monchengladbach
• Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is lining up an £85million move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Jamaican international Leon Bailey
• Barcelona are ready to end Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s dreams of swapping London for Catalonia this summer
• Liverpool ace Sadio Mane has been contacted by Real Madrid to inform the Senegalese forward that they have made him a summer transfer target

Paul Pogba update

Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane still reportedly dreams of signing Paul Pogba this summer and he can land his man if he makes a difficult decision – but Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hoping to keep hold of his £89million star.

According to Spanish outlet Diario Madridista, Real have an agreement with Ajax to complete the signing of Donny Van de Beek when the transfer window reopens.

But Zidane must decide whether to give the green light to that deal or turn his attention to United ace Pogba.

The Real boss has always held his fellow Frenchman very highly and has attempted to sign the 27-year-old in previous transfer windows.

The ex-Juventus ace attempted to force through a move to the Bernabeu last summer but a deal never materialised.

Diario Madridista add that Zidane will weigh up his options during the enforced La Liga break owed to coronavirus.

Man Utd to table Dean Henderson offer

Manchester United have offered Dean Henderson a new £100,000-a-week contract to fend off interest from Chelsea in their goalkeeper in the summer transfer window. The 23-year-old is currently on a season-long loan deal with Sheffield United.

Henderson has been in fantastic form for the Blades this campaign and has been a key member of a side who currently sit seventh in the Premier League table.

The consistent performances of Henderson has attracted the interest of Chelsea, with Blues boss, Frank Lampard, not happy with some of the displays from 25-year-old Kepa Arrizabalaga this season.

However, in order to ward Chelsea’s interest in Henderson United have offered him a new contact.

According to The Sun, United want to give Henderson a pay rise and take his wages to over £100,000-a-week.

Man Utd leading Zakaria transfer race

Manchester United are the frontrunners in the race to sign the £45m-rated Denis Zakaria from Borussia Monchengladbach.

That’s according to Sky Germany, who say United face competition from Bayern Munich when it comes to signing the 23-year-old.

United’s defensive midfielders Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matic have both caught the eye in recent months.

But that doesn’t appear to be a deterrent for United when it comes to signing Zakaria this summer.

The player is also attracting interest from Atletico Madrid, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund amid his impressive form in the Bundesliga.

Chelsea £85m bid

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is lining up an £85million move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Jamaican international Leon Bailey after watching him destroy Rangers in the Europa League.

Bailey, 22, who has three years left on his contract with the Bundesliga outfit has also attracted interest from Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal.

While Bayern Munich have been keen on Bailey for the two seasons but Bayer are reluctant to do business with them and would rather sell to a Premier League club.

Chelsea had scouts paying particular attention to Bailey when he scored against Rangers on Thursday night, and Lampard is ready to make a move.

Lampard is set for a significant overhaul of his squad this summer with older stars like Willian who interests Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur as well as Pedro set to leave the club.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona update

Barcelona are ready to end Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s dreams of swapping London for Catalonia this summer.

The Catalan giants want to bolster their strike force and have been looking at the Arsenal hitman who has scored 20 goals in 32 appearances so far this season.

The Gunners have got Aubameyang, 30, under contract until the end of next season and he has been linked with both Barcelona and Inter Milan.

And even though they have improved under Mikel Arteta, the club could miss out on the Champions League which will leave another hole in their finances to fill.

Aubameyang’s £300,000-a-week demands – an increase of around 30 per cent on his current deal – have caused talks about an extension to stall, and they could now look to sell.

But Barca have told Aubameyang that he isn’t their priority with Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez and a return of Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain higher on their shopping list.

Inter have maintained their interest and will have money to spent if they sell Martinez and will make a move if Aubameyang and the Gunners board don’t reach a compromise.

Sadio Mane to Real Madrid?

Liverpool star Sadio Mane has been contacted by Real Madrid to inform the Senegalese forward that they have made him a summer transfer target.

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane wants to strengthen his attacking options at the end of the season.

And according to The Mirror, Mane’s representatives have been made aware of Real’s interest.

The Spanish side have been impressed with Mane’s development under Jurgen Klopp and now want to bring him to the Bernabeu.

Real have been monitoring Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe for quite some time and have also taken notice of Erling Haaland’s recent outstanding form, however, they have their sights set on signing Mane this summer.

Mane has three years on his current deal but Real think they can still tempt Liverpool to sell one of their best players.