Man Utd transfer window 2015: from Memphis to Martial

Man Utd transfer news: Real Madrid issue De Gea ultimatum

11 August

The David de Gea transfer saga could be about to reach a conclusion, after Real Madrid made a final offer of £21.2m for the goalkeeper and even had the cheek to issue an ultimatum to Manchester United.

According to the report from ABC in the US, picked up on by British media including the Daily Mirror, Madrid are not prepared to meet United's asking price of £24.75m and have presented their latest bid as a take-it-or-leave-it offer.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

It leaves United in a quandary, says the Mirror. "De Gea would be out-of-contract next summer... with agent Jorge Mendes insisting that he does not want his client to sign another deal. Real Madrid have insisted that if United do not accept this current offer, the deal will not be done and they will pick him up on a free next summer."

Manager Louis van Gaal dropped De Gea for the opening game of the season against Spurs, although it has since been claimed that the keeper wanted to play.

Valencia defender Nicolas Otamendi is "desperate" to seal a £35m move to Manchester United. That's according to the Daily Star with the paper adding that the Argentine blocker remains a top target for Louis van Gaal.

The United gaffer was believed to be homing in on Otamendi last month but those rumours cooled as speculation increased that the Dutchman had turned his attention to Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos. But the Star claims United "have missed out on the Spaniard" and consequently are looking once more at the Valencia man.

Apparently the Spanish side could do with the cash from any sale, but despite their need to balance their books Valencia are playing hardball over Otamendi's fee and the Star says they won't let the 27-year-old go for anything less than £35.4m.

There's nothing like a 'wonderkid' to excite the gossip columns and apparently United are on the tail of the less-than-exotically named Lincoln. The 16-year-old Brazilian, who plays for Gremio, has been scouted by several English clubs but the Daily Express quotes Brazilian news outlet Boa Informacao saying that United "have established contact with the youngster".

Man Utd transfer news: Ajax play hardball over Cillessen

10 August

After weekend reports that Louis van Gaal has told Real Madrid they can have David De Gea if they cough up £35m, speculation is mounting that the Manchester United boss has identified Jasper Cillessen as the man to replace the Spaniard between the Old Trafford sticks.

But, as the Daily Mail reports, the Dutch stopper "will not come cheap" and Ajax boss Frank De Boer has a message for United, telling them that they will "have to pay a huge price for Cillessen". The Daily Mirror quotes De Boer adding: "Let it be clear that we are going to take a really strong attitude and we will fight against him leaving at this stage."

That's because Ajax have tried and failed to sign Maarten Stekelenburg from Fulham and also Wojciech Szczesny from Arsenal, with the latter preferring a move to Roma. Apparently Van Gaal first informed De Boer of his wish to sign Cillessen four weeks ago but has yet to act, prompting De Boer to declare: "To make it clear, Jasper is getting more expensive by the week, although there are certain figures that we can't turn down."

Meanwhile Spanish paper Marca says that United will unveil Pedro as their latest signing on Wednesday. The Barcelona winger has been linked with the Red Devils for the last month and it appears that a £25m deal has been agreed with the paperwork almost completed.

According to the Manchester Evening News, West Ham United are "ready to make an improved £12m offer" for striker Javier Hernandez. The Mexican marksman, who returned to Old Trafford from a season-long loan at Real Madrid in the summer, is wanted by both the Hammers and Tottenham but MEN says the former are in pole position to sign Hernandez.

Man U transfer news: PSG deal is 'not maths' says Di Maria

7 August

The most drawn-out transfer saga of the summer reached its conclusion on Thursday when Angel di Maria was finally unveiled as a Paris Saint-Germain player after a transfer worth £44.3m.

According to the Daily Express, Di Maria "will pocket an estimated £56.2m before tax over the duration of his four-year contract". In confirming the news, Manchester United said in an official statement: "Di Maria is now embarking on a new challenge and the club wishes him all the best for the future."

The Argentine winger will wish for a better time of it in Paris than that which he endured during his season at Old Trafford. At a PSG press conference on Thursday evening, Di Maria was asked why he had left United: "If I am here it was because they wanted to sell me, first of all," he replied. He then talked warmly of his new employers, saying: "I am very happy to be here at PSG, it has been several years that this team has tried to sign me."

As to where he will fit into Laurent Blanc’s side, Di Maria said: "The position I will play is the position that the manager asks me to. The aim this year is to go past the Champions League quarters."

The Daily Mail reports that despite failing to fire at United Di Maria wrote an open letter to the fans in which he thanked them for their support during his brief stay in Manchester and expressed his regret that things didn’t go better. "I can guarantee you it was not for trying," explained Di Maria. "I did my best but football is not like maths: often a lot of things out of our control affect the way we feel and the way things turn out. I am sorry it did not work out as I would have wished in this amazing huge club."

Man Utd transfer news: £66m Spurs raid for Kane and Lloris

6 August

With the transfer window still wide open for the next few weeks there's plenty of time for Manchester United to add to their squad, which has already been bolstered this summer by the arrival of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and others.

Now, according to website Caughtoffside, the Red Devils "have set their sights on two Tottenham talents" in Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris. United manager Louis van Gaal has targeted the duo knowing that the sale of Angel Di Maria to Paris Saint-Germain has enriched the club to the tune of £46m.

With the cash burning a hole in his pocket the Dutchman is reportedly preparing to raid White Hart Lane, with Spanish paper Marca claiming a £45m bid has already been tabled for 22-year-old England frontman Kane. Apparently van Gaal sees the youngster – who scored 31 goals last season – as the man to replace Robin van Persie, who was offloaded to Fenerbahce last month.

As for Lloris, it's believed United are about to offer Spurs £20.9m for the French gloveman as they prepare to wave goodbye to David De Gea.

When might that happen? Soon, claims Metro, which reports that De Gea's girfriend has inadvertently given the game away during a television interview in Spain. Taking its cue from El Mundo, Metro says that Edurne Garcia was caught talking to someone off-microphone after an interview on Wednesday. "Now, when he is in Madrid," she reportedly said, "everything will be much easier."

Angel Di Maria will be hoping that life at Paris Saint-Germain will be easier than it was in Manchester, and the Argentine winger is set to be unveiled as PSG's marquee signing this evening. The Daily Express is just one organ to report that Di Maria will be presented to the world in the blue of PSG at 5.30pm (BST) tonight.

But United did manage to get some extra dosh out of PSG. According to Metro the French club have been forced to pay an extra £3m for Di Maria because, while the Argentine had been granted permission to talk to PSG, he had not been authorised to fly to Qatar while still officially a United player.