Man Utd transfer news: Shock raid on Arsenal for Mesut Ozil
10 April
Jose Mourinho has set his heart on a reunion with Mesut Ozil and the Manchester United boss is ready to take him off Arsenal's hands in the summer.
The Sunday Mirror claims that Mourinho believes he can get the best out of the German playmaker, despite the fact Ozil has been the personification of inconsistency during his three years at the Emirates.
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Sometimes outstanding, often awful, Ozil is refusing to pen a new deal at Arsenal and it's widely expected he will leave in the summer, a year before his current deal expires. He has been linked with a return to Germany in recent weeks but the Mirror says Mourinho is planning "a stunning summer raid" to get his man.
The pair worked together at Real Madrid and apparently the Special One "would love to bring him to Old Trafford". Mourinho never wanted Ozil to leave Real Madrid and was told by the club's board that Arsenal's offer of £42.5m "was too good to turn down", for a player who all his career has blown hot and cold.
But Mourinho is confident he can get consistency from the midfielder and the United board are ready to give him the cash to persuade the Gunners to sell.
Meanwhile the Daily Express says that United are also going to cause a commotion in the white and blue half of north London by making a "shock raid on Tottenham". The target is Gallic gloveman Hugo Lloris, who United see as the man to replace David de Gea, widely expected to join Real Madrid in the summer.
The problem for the Red Devils, says the Express, is that Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in Lloris and this could lead to a "summer tug of war" between the clubs. Although Lloris only signed a new contract in December, United and PSG both believe they could lure him from Spurs with a promise of substantially higher wages than his current derisory salary of £100,000 a week.
Man Utd transfer news: Ibrahimovic out, Lewandowski in?
7 April
If Zlatan Ibrahimovic does do the dirty on Manchester United this summer and leaves Old Trafford for the MLS then fear not, because The Sun says that Robert Lewandowski is being "lined up" as the Swede's successor.
Ibrahimovic dropped his strongest hint that he would not seek another season at United following the edgy 1-1 draw against Everton in midweek, and that's increased the club's effort to snare Lewandowski.
The Polish international is currently at Bayern Munich but Spanish paper Don Balon says he is "top of Jose Mourinho's transfer wishlist". The Special One has long been an admirer of Lewandowski who, at 28, is seven years younger than Ibrahimovic. With 44 goals to his name this season for club and country, Lewandowski is a proven finisher and provided United qualify for Europe they should have the financial muscle to prise him from Munich.
Meanwhile, Jesse Lingard has signed a new contract at Old Trafford reports United's official website, one which keeps him at the club until June 2021 with the option to extend for a further year.
The 24-year-old came through the club's Academy system and has been at Old Trafford since he was seven. "United has always been a big part of my life," said Lingard as he signed along the dotted line. "I feel great pride every time I pull the shirt on."
Man Utd transfer news: Real Madrid offer Rodriguez for De Gea
6 April
Real Madrid have cooked up a cunning plan to force Manchester United to sell David de Gea this summer, and it involves offering James Rodriguez plus a wad of cash in return for the shotstopper.
According to the Daily Express, Real have called their plan "Operation David de Gea", which seems like a grandiose name for a cash-plus-player deal, but it serves to illustrate how intent the Spanish giants are on landing the keeper in the face of Old Trafford resistance.
De Gea has long been linked with the Bernabeu and United have repeatedly said he's not for sale and they expect him to honour his contract, which runs until 2019. Aware of United's determination to play hardball, Real's finest brains have come up with Operation De Gea and they are quietly confident that the English club will crumble when presented with their plan.
Rodriguez has this week been linked with a move to Chelsea but according to Spanish radio station OK Diario, Real are ready to scupper that deal and instead hand him to United, along with a stack of cash, if in return they get De Gea.
That might be tempting for Jose Mourinho, who would love to put one over his former club, and see the Colombian playmaker move to Old Trafford and not Stamford Bridge.
Elsewhere and the Birmingham Mail claims that Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca has "caught the eye" of Jose Mourinho and that the Special One is poised to sign the player who last season was being linked to Wolves, which explains the Birmingham connection.
The Mail makes its claim on account of comments made by Besiktas president, Fikret Orman, who says United are ready to pay £21m for Talisca.
Orman is not best pleased about the situation, because the Turkish club would love to have the Brazilian striker to themselves, having taken him on loan last summer from Benfica. However, his parent club have apparently agreed to hand over the 23-year-old Talisca to United in return for a sum that is way out of Besiktas's league.
Man Utd transfer news: Ibrahimovic set for LA Galaxy switch
5 April
It looks like being one season and out for Zlatan Ibrahimovic with reports from America claiming he has agreed a deal with LA Galaxy.
The Manchester Evening News says that the 35-year-old Swedish striker, who has scored 27 goals at Old Trafford since arriving last summer from Paris Saint-Germain, is ready to see out his career in the MLS.
Speculation has been growing in recent weeks as to where Ibrahimovic - who scored the equaliser for United in Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Everton - would be playing next season, and although he signed a one-year deal with United, with the option of another, it was claimed he and his agent wanted to pen a two-year deal.
United were said to be resistant to that suggestion, given his age, and the upshot appears to be Ibrahimovic's decision to head Stateside. The MEN quotes a Fox Sports tweet in which the broadcaster declared: "Confirmed from Europe. Zlatan Ibrahimovic will play for Galaxy." It was accompanied by a mocked-up photo of Ibrahimovic sporting a LA Galaxy shirt.
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