Manchester United 'plot' triple £190m raid on Premier League rivals as Bayern Munich 'in talks' for midfielder

Manchester United will already be laying the foundations for another summer of major investment as they look to re-join the Premier League elite. This season’s eighth-placed finish was hugely disappointing and only eased by the excellent, albeit surprising, FA Cup triumph over rivals Manchester City at the end of last month.

Despite bringing a second trophy back to Old Trafford in as many seasons, manager Erik ten Hag remains under pressure with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe thought to be weighing up whether to sack or back the Dutchman. A decision could be made following an end-of-season review with reports suggesting that could come this week. 

Regardless of who is in the dugout come August, United will spend heavily again this summer. Reinforcements are being eyed across the board at United as Ratcliffe attempts to put his stamp on the club, and ManchesterWorld has rounded up some of the latest stories including reported details of the meeting between Sir Alex Ferguson and a Premier League sporting director.

Palace raid

United are ‘plotting’ an incredible triple raid on Crystal Palace, having sent Sir Alex Ferguson to meet with their sporting director Dougie Freedman last week. Football Insider reports that Ferguson used the meeting to scope out Palace’s stance on selling Marc Guehi, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze.

Guehi has been regularly linked with a move to Old Trafford and is quickly developing into one of the Premier League’s most gifted young centre-backs - a position that Ratcliffe will prioritise with Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans leaving. Olise is also thought to have been on the club’s radar for some time with Antony continuing to underwhelm, and the French under-21 international is well-liked by Ratcliffe personally.

Olise signed a new four-year contract at Selhurst Park in August but that deal contains a release clause, thought to be around £70million, while midfielder Eze reportedly has a similar clause. Palace reportedly value Guehi at around £50m. All three have also attracted the interest of other top-flight clubs including Chelsea and Manchester City.

Fernandes ‘talks’

Bayern Munich have emerged as surprise admirers of United captain Bruno Fernandes, whose future has been subject to recent speculation. Portuguese outlet O Jogo reports that Bayern have taken ‘the first steps’ to signing Fernandes after opening ‘talks’ with his agent, Miguel Pinho, over a potential move to the Allianz Arena.

Bayern recently appointed former Burnley boss Vincent Kompany as their new manager, following Thomas Tuchel’s exit, and the Belgian will demand to be backed financially this summer, seemingly eyeing Fernandes as a marquee arrival. The report adds that Barcelona have expressed a ‘deep interest’ in the 29-year-old and could soon open talks of their own, albeit the situation at Camp Nou means it is unlikely they could afford his price-tag.

Fernandes led United to FA Cup glory in a brilliant end to an otherwise disappointing fifth campaign in Manchester, but speculation regarding his future has surfaced in recent weeks. The midfielder insisted in a recent interview that he would remain with the club and there has been no suggestion of a surprise sale.