Manchester United - News

Gossip:

Roma are considering a move for Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, with the 32-year-old Spaniard out of contract in the summer.

Daniel Levy has no intention of selling to the two Manchester clubs again as the Tottenham chairman still regrets selling England defender Kyle Walker, 32, to Manchester City in 2017.

Erik ten Hag will decide on the futures of Manchester United duo Scott McTominay and Victor Lindelof in the summer, with Scotland midfielder McTominay, 26, attracting interest from Newcastle and Sweden defender Lindelof, 28, drawing interest from Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid in January.

Sir Alex Ferguson to get Aberdeen European medal 40 years on..

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Alex Ferguson and Archie Knox will soon receive medals for their 1983 European Cup Winnners' Cup success


As far as 'show us your medals' goes, Sir Alex Ferguson was doing just fine as the most decorated manager in football.

Now the 81-year-old can add one more to his vast collection, with Uefa granting additional European Cup Winners' Cup medals for Aberdeen's 1983 success.

Only the starting players and five substitutes received winners' medals after a famous win over Real Madrid but Ferguson is to receive one of six extra gongs to mark the 40th anniversary of that night in Gothenburg.

Assistant manager Archie Knox and midfielder Dougie Bell, who missed the final because of injury, will also be rewarded.

Following a campaign led by Chris Gavin on behalf of the AFC Heritage Trust, along with former Dons chief executive Duncan Fraser, the Donald family is recognised for the work of then director, Ian Donald, and his father and late chairman, Dick Donald.

There are further posthumous nods to former vice-chairman Chris Anderson and club legend Teddy Scott, who served as a player, coach and kit man at Pittodrie for almost 50 years.

"It's a great honour to be receiving this medal and I am grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to make this happen," said Ferguson.

"Their efforts, along with the co-operation of Uefa, is much appreciated. It's also fantastic to see some of the wonderful people who worked tirelessly behind the scenes during this hugely successful period for the club now being honoured."

Ferguson won 49 trophies across his illustrious career, picking up 10 with Aberdeen after leading St Mirren to the Scottish First Division title in 1977.

An incredible 38 more pieces of silverware were delivered during his 26 years in charge of Manchester United, with his Old Trafford reign ending in 2013.

The new medals have been cast from Neil Simpson's original and will be presented at a special event planned for Pittodrie on 12 May, at which the club and the 'Gothenburg Greats' will receive the Freedom of the City by Aberdeen City Council.

Gossip;

Southampton'sEngland midfielder James Ward-Prowse, 28, is a summer target for Manchester United.

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Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham have expressed an interest in activating the £40m release clause of Napoli's South Korea defender Kim Min-jae, 26.

Ajax are keen to bring Manchester United and Netherlands midfielder Donny van de Beek, 25, back to the club this summer.

Manchester United 1 (Rashford 28) Brentford 0

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Manchester United climbed back into the Premier League's top four by overcoming Brentford at Old Trafford.

Marcus Rashford's 15th Premier League goal of the season - and 28th in all competitions for his club - secured the win.

It took United back above Tottenham in the race to qualify for the Champions League, and was the response manager Erik ten Hag needed following Sunday's defeat at Newcastle.

Brentford, who are chasing European qualification, lost for only the second time in 17 Premier League matches.

Scott McTominay and Antony went close before Rashford finished from close range, with a headed assist by Marcel Sabitzer, after the Bees failed to deal properly with a corner.

Brentford, flat for large parts of the first half, were much better after half-time and United were relieved to hear the final whistle.

Home goalkeeper David de Gea needed treatment after making a crucial save to keep out substitute Kevin Schade.

United are level on 53 points with third-placed Newcastle - and three ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham, who have played one more game than their rivals.


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Gossip:

Sofyan Amrabat's agent says his club Fiorentina are willing to listen to offers this summer and that Manchester United made an offer for the Morocco midfielder, 26, in January.

Former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been included on the shortlist for the vacant manager's job left by Scott Parker at Belgian side Club Bruges.

Gossip:

Newcastle have also been long-term admirers of Scott McTominay but Manchester United want at least £50m for the Scotland midfielder, 26.

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Victor Osimhen has emerged as a target for Manchester United and Chelsea this season but the Nigeria striker, 24, says he is happy at Napoli.

Manchester United's hopes of signing Harry Kane this summer have been boosted by Bayern Munich's reluctance to get involved in a bidding war, with Tottenham set to demand at least £100m for the England striker, 29.

Watford's English left-back Harry Amass, 16, is set to join Manchester United despite interest from Chelsea and Manchester City.

Scouts from Manchester United, Tottenham, Brighton, Leicester, West Ham and Brentford watched Turkey midfielder Orkun Kokcu, 22, and Mexico forward Santiago Gimenez, 21, in action for Feyenoord against Ajax last week.

Gossip:

West Ham are monitoring Manchester United's English defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 25, with the prospect of a summer move.

Brighton are hopeful of agreeing a new contract with 18-year-old Republic of Ireland forward Evan Ferguson, despite strong interest from Manchester United and Tottenham.

Arsenal are monitoring Bayern Munich's 20-year-old Netherlands midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who is also a target for Manchester United.

Gossip:

The bidding process to buy Manchester United is to enter a third round, with owners the Glazers holding out for offers of about £6bn.

Wolves are preparing a fresh contract offer for 26-year-old Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves, who has been linked with Arsenal and Manchester United.

The agents of Valencia's Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, 22, held talks with Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and Leicester last week.

Seconds out, round three - what is happening with the Man Utd sale ?..By Simon Stone

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There have been regular protests at Old Trafford about the Glazer family's ownership of the club

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It is 142 days since the Glazer family said they were considering selling Manchester United.

The process has been protracted, as you might expect for a potential £6bn transaction, and on Wednesday a vocal bidder pulled out after the Glazers' decision to go to a third round.

"The bidding is turning into a farce, with the Glazers giving no respect to the club," Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus said.

Zilliacus' involvement has not exactly been taken seriously by those involved in the process but his words have resonated, with many starting to wonder: what is going on?

What do we know about why this has gone to a third round of bidding?
The obvious reason why there would now be a third round of bidding is either no bidder has reached the price the Glazer family are looking for, or the family believe they can get more out of those who have bid.

It is not clear whether the Glazers are unified in their analysis of the situation. Co-chairmen and brothers Joel and Avram have always been more invested in the club personally but Bryan, Kevin, Edward and Darcie are directors too.

Who is still in the running?
The only publicly known bidders are Qatari billionaire Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos group.

Sheikh Jassim wants to buy 100% of United, while Ineos want the Glazer family's 69% shareholding and are happy to leave the rest of the club on the New York Stock Exchange.

Elliott Investment Group have revised their involvement from purely offering funding to being prepared to buy a minority stake. The US firm have not said exactly how big a 'minority' they are willing to purchase.

Will the deal be done before the start of next season?
It should be - however, unlike the Chelsea sale last year, there is no deadline on this deal.

The initial feeling was a sale would be completed by the end of March. Even taking delays into account, it was expected a deal would be sorted by the end of the season.

Evidently, the March deadline has passed. There is barely five weeks from what is believed to be the deadline for third offers and the end of the season, which is not a great deal of time.

What does it mean for manager Ten Hag?
At the very least, it creates uncertainty.

While there are Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules that have to be adhered to - and in their recent second-quarter accounts United's overall debt stood at almost £1bn - Erik Ten Hag knows he needs to improve his squad this summer and the players he wants will cost a lot of money.

United are desperate for a striker. Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Jude Bellingham, for instance, would command in excess of £100m. A much cheaper alternative would be Marcel Sabitzer, currently on loan from Bayern Munich. Ten Hag needs to know if he could for example sign England skipper Harry Kane or Napoli's Victor Osimhen, plus an elite midfielder, or if he must set his sights lower.

What is the feeling among Man Utd fan groups?
There is no consensus about who should buy the club. Some want Sheikh Jassim, others want Ineos, others would prefer the club to run itself through the revenue it generates. What they seem to be united in is a demand for the Glazers to leave.

Former United captain Gary Neville said this week on social media the Glazers were "making it up as they go along" and need to get out "by the end of May". Many fans would argue even that would be too long.

United missed out on hosting Euro 2028 games because it could not guarantee Old Trafford would be ready. That in itself is because of the prevarication around improving the stadium, which is likely to cost £1bn.

The Manchester United Supporters' Trust (MUST) called for the sale process to be "concluded without further delay".

"With Erik Ten Hag having made such great progress in his first season, and with the vital summer transfer window a matter of weeks away, the news of these delays and further prolonged uncertainty are of great concern," MUST said in a statement.

"We are also unable to move forward on major investment projects - not least the stadium redevelopment as we remain in limbo.

"We are in dire need of new investment, which undoubtedly requires new ownership."

What is the next stage in the process?
The ball remains in the Glazers' court. The next bids are believed to be due by the end of this month, then it is back to the Glazers to decide on the next steps.

All parties are acutely aware the family could decide not to sell. However, if they do not do so now, when could they?

If Sheikh Jassim in particular does not complete a deal, could another Qatari attempt to buy into a different Premier League club be successful? That in turn would make it even harder for United to compete for trophies - and cost the Glazers even more in the long-run.