Romelu Lukaku has emerged as a transfer target for Manchester United. Glyn Kirk / AFP
Romelu Lukaku has emerged as a transfer target for Manchester United. Glyn Kirk / AFP
Romelu Lukaku has emerged as a transfer target for Manchester United. Glyn Kirk / AFP
Romelu Lukaku has emerged as a transfer target for Manchester United. Glyn Kirk / AFP

Transfer talk: Man United want Everton’s Lukaku, Man City to bid for Arsenal midfielder


  • English
  • Arabic

A round-up of the biggest football transfer stories including Manchester United’s reported interest in Everton striker Romelu Lukaku.

Manchester United

Manchester United are set to switch their focus to Everton striker Romelu Lukaku if they fail in their attempts to sign Atletico Madrid's Mario Mandzukic, according to The Sun.

United are in the market for a consistent goal-scorer following a season that saw their three main front-men, Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, and Radamel Falcao amass just 26 league goals between them.

Falcao has since left Old Trafford, with the club refusing to take on the Colombian striker following a dismal loan spell, while there remain question marks over Van Persie’s long-term future.

It has led manager Louis van Gaal short of attacking options, and the Dutchman has targeted Croatian forward Mandzukic as his top priority.

However, The Sun has reported that should United fail to land Mandzukic, Van Gaal will make an attempt to sign Belgian Lukaku.

While Lukaku endured a frustrating season last year, totalling just 10 league goals, the Belgian is a proven Premier League striker, and at 22-years-old would be a long-term option for United.

Everton are reportedly reluctant to sell their club record signing, and with four years remaining on his contract, are under no immediate pressure to do so.

While Everton are in a position of strength, Lukaku has made his desire to compete in the Uefa Champions League clear, and should the striker rock the boat, he may force the Goodison Park club to the negotiating table.

Manchester City

Crossing to the blue half of Manchester, and Premier League runners-up City have set their sights on Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, according to reports in the British media.

City appear to be focusing their transfer strategy on acquiring the finest English talent, and their interest in Liverpool forward Rahemm Sterling is well-documented.

Now, according to the Daily Mirror, City will make an initial £30 million (Dh175m) offer to Arsenal for Wilshere.

The midfielder was in fine form for England on Sunday, his two goals helping his national team to a 3-2 victory over Euro qualifying rivals Slovenia.

And City are wasting little time in identifying transfer targets as they look to wrestle the Premier League title away from Chelsea.

Aside from Sterling and Wilshere, the Abu Dhabi-owned club have been linked to Wolfsburg playmaker Kevin De Bruyne and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.

Juventus

In another report from The Sun, Serie A champions Juventus have opened talks with Chelsea over a move for attacking midfielder Oscar.

Juve are eager to bolster their midfield options should Paul Pogba leave Turin this summer, and have made Oscar their top target.

According to The Sun, Juventus will open with a bid of £18m for the 23-year-old Brazilian, although it remains unclear what Chelsea and Jose Mourinho's stance is.

Oscar endured an inconsistent season, with spells of brilliance mixed with anonymous displays, but while his form was far from stellar, Mourinho has previously made it clear that he intends to build a team around the playmaker.

An attractive offer from Juve may force the hand of Chelsea, who are not lacking options in the attacking midfield area.

Galatasaray

Turkish giants Galatasaray have entered the race to sign Manchester United striker Robin van Persie, according to reports in the British media.

Van Persie’s United future is far from certain after an injury-hit campaign that produced just 10 league goals.

Indeed, the Dutch striker has admitted he is unsure of his Old Trafford future, and according to the Manchester Evening News, Galatasaray are keen to sign the 31-year-old.

Despite their interest, Van Persie’s £250,000 a week wages a sure to cause a stumbling block.

Liverpool

Liverpool finally look likely to land England fullback Nathaniel Clyne after Southampton reportedly agreed a deal for his replacement.

Clyne has been the subject of ongoing interest from Liverpool, who have seen two successive bids rejected by Southampton.

However, according to the Liverpool Echo, Clyne's switch to Anfield is edging closer, with the two clubs nearing an agreement on the £15m-rated defender, and Southampton close to finalising a deal for Sporting Lisbon's Cedric Soares.

Clyne’s arrival would make him the fourth player to arrive at Anfield this summer behind James Milner, Danny Ings, and Adam Bogdan.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @NatSportUAE

The Ashes

Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs

LA LIGA FIXTURES

Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)

Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)

Sunday Real Sociedad v Eibar (5pm), Real Betis v Villarreal (7.15pm), Elche v Granada (9.30pm), Barcelona v Levante (midnight)

Monday Celta Vigo v Cadiz (midnight)

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

World Cup League Two

Results

Oman beat Nepal by 18 runs

Oman beat United States by six wickets

Nepal beat United States by 35 runs

Oman beat Nepal by eight wickets

 

Fixtures

Tuesday, Oman v United States

Wednesday, Nepal v United States

 

Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
Race card:

6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m.

7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.

7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m.

8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m.

8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m.

9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.

10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m.

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh135,000

Engine 1.6L turbo

Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode

Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds

Top speed 420 kph (governed)

Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)