Barcelona rival United for Pepe
Manchester United face competition from Barcelona for Lille winger Nicolas Pepe, reports Goal.com, passing on information from the French media.
Broadcaster TF1 claims that the Spanish giants are the latest club to express an interest in the 23-year-old, who scored a hat-trick against Amiens last week.
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United were linked with Pepe over the weekend, joining a race that already includes Betis and Sevilla, but Goal.com quotes Barcelona director of football Eric Abidal as saying that the profile of Pepe is “very, very interesting”.
The Ivory Coast international is Lille’s most treasured asset and they resisted attempts by Southampton and Lyon to prise him from their grasp in the summer. But the stronger financial muscle of United and Barcelona may prove harder to ward off.
Maier on the radar
Germany Under-21 international Arne Maier is being tracked by United and Arsenal, reports The Sun, a story broken by German newspaper Bild.
It claims the 19-year-old midfielder, who has been an ever present for Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga this season, has been scouted by the two Premier League powerhouses.
Consequently, says the Sun, they are both “weighing up a move” for the teenager described by the paper as a “starlet”.
The defensive midfielder is regarded by Arsenal boss Unai Emery and United gaffer Jose Mourinho as the type of tough-tackling playmaker they require in the middle of the park.
Dutchman De Jong in demand
Meanwhile the Daily Star says Tottenham are also gearing up for a transfer tussle with United.
The player in question is Ajax ace Frenkie de Jong, the 21-year-old midfielder who is already on the radar of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Dutch outfit Ajax are aware of the growing interest in De Jong, and that’s why they have slapped a £50m price tag on the young playmaker.
