Coutinho swoop
Manchester United are expected to appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as their new permanent manager very soon and the Norwegian could be about to go nuclear in the transfer market.
According to the Daily Mirror, Barcelona misfit Philippe Coutinho could be on the radar. That would be an incendiary signing given that the Brazilian was previously a Liverpool player.
However, he has struggled since moving to Spain for £142m. “The former Liverpool midfielder is missing the Premier League and has even been in contact with a number of Red Devils players over a potential £100m switch to Old Trafford,” reports the paper.
A deal would also put noses out of joint at Anfield because the club could miss out on bonus payments attached to the deal.
“Liverpool are due to make earn £4.4million every time Coutinho makes 25 La Liga appearances up to 100,” says the paper, which notes that so far he has only played 43 games.
And Neymar too?
If that’s not a big enough deal how about adding Neymar to the mix? Reports from the ever-reliable Don Balon in Spain suggest that United are ready to move for the Brazilian superstar this summer as he looks for an escape route from Paris Saint-Germain.
Neymar is wanted by Real Madrid but, according to Don Balon, United are “willing to pay more” to land him.
And the website adds that the “candy on the table” in any deal could be Coutinho. The two Brazilians are close friends and Neymar tried to persuade Coutinho to join him in Paris before he left Liverpool, and now the pair could be united in Manchester.
Sanchez out
Signing Coutinho and Neymar would cost a fortune but United may free up some money by offloading Alexis Sanchez in the summer. The Chilean has failed to live up to his reputation since arriving at Old Trafford and appears to have no future there.
“Sanchez arrived on a four-and-half-year deal in January 2018 in a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan,” says The Sun. “He has struggled throughout and Solskjaer will not fight to keep him in his squad.”
The problem is his salary says the paper. “United already know they will struggle to sell a player on Sanchez’s massive wages – up to £25million a year.
“Instead, the Old Trafford outfit are preparing to make Sanchez – who has been a disaster since joining from Arsenal – available on a loan deal in the hope of tempting clubs.”
United fight for Lozano
Another big name signing for Solskjaer could be Mexican international and PSV Eindhoven star Hirving Lozano, and United are said to be in a battle with Napoli to land the 23-year -old, who is valued between £43m and £52m, according to reports in Italy.
The wideman, who enjoyed an impressive World Cup last year, has continued his sparkling form in Holland this season with 18 goals and nine assists in 33 appearances for PSV.
