Kroos keen on Prem move
Gareth Bale is determined to stay at Real Madrid but that may not be the case for several of his team-mates.
According to The Sun, citing Spanish newspaper El Confidencial as its source, midfielder Toni Kroos, playmaker Isco and left-back Marcelo are all considering their futures at the Bernabeu. Real’s disastrous season hit rock bottom on Tuesday night with elimination from the Champions League by Dutch side Ajax.
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As a consequence the trio will be “surplus to requirements and sold to raise funds” as Real embark on a major overhaul of their squad in the summer.
United were first linked to 29-year-old German World Cup winner Kroos in 2014 but he chose Madrid over Manchester after the sacking of David Moyes.
However, the Sun believes that the Red Devils will “push to land” Kroos if Welsh forward Bale does turn down an approach from Old Trafford.
The Sun says Kroos is “keen to play in the Premier League” and believes that United are a club back on the up while Madrid are likely to face another season or two of uncertainty.
Tracking Cancelo
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident he will get the full-time manager’s job at Old Trafford and to that end the Norwegian is drawing up his summer shopping list.
The Sun says that defenders are a priority for United, and one name interesting them is Juventus star Joao Cancelo.
Italian paper Gazzetta dello Sport claims that United had scouts at the Stadio San Paolo on Sunday to check how the right-back fared against Napoli.
All right, was the answer, and the 24-year-old Cancelo is seen by Solskjaer as the man to replace club captain Antonio Valencia, whose contract will not be renewed when it expires in June.
Cancelo is nearly ten years younger than Valencia and has come up through the ranks with Portugal. As for a price, it’s believed that Juventus would demand in excess of £50m for a player they bought from Valencia last year for £35m.
Message about Maguire
Another defender on United’s radar is England’s Harry Maguire, says the Manchester Evening News.
The Leicester City centre-back was linked to the Red Devils last summer after his sensational performances in the Fifa World Cup.
Though former boss Jose Mourinho wasn’t given the funds to make a move for £75m-rated Maguire, the Foxes expect that United will come calling again in the summer.
“They may well come in,” admitted new Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers. “You always have to prepare for that moment as a club. It happens but at this moment in time, I’m thinking about the team, and making it the best that we can.”
Premier League fixtures
Saturday 9 March (3pm unless stated)
- Crystal Palace vs. Brighton and Hove Albion (12.30pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Cardiff City vs. West Ham United
- Huddersfield Town vs. AFC Bournemouth
- Leicester City vs. Fulham
- Newcastle United vs. Everton
- Southampton vs. Tottenham Hotspur
- Manchester City vs. Watford (5.30pm, live on BT Sport)
Sunday 10 March
- Liverpool vs. Burnley (12pm, live on BT Sport)
- Chelsea vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (2.05pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Arsenal vs. Manchester United (4.30pm, live on Sky Sports)
