United are one of three Premier League clubs who could still launch a move for Napoli forward Dries Mertens despite the Belgian nearing completion in talks over a new deal, say TalkSPORT, who have cited reports in Italy. The 29-year-old will reportedly have a £34 million release clause included in his new contract.
That may seem a sizeable fee for a player of his age, but Mertens has scored 11 goals in 16 games from the left wing for the Italian outfit, with another four goals and four assists in just six games in the Champions League.
The Manchester Evening News have confirmed speculation suggesting that a move for central defender Victor Lindelof is off despite reports in Portugal having previous suggested that a deal was almost tied up. It is now believed that the Red Devils do not want to be caught up in a bidding war with Inter and AC Milan for such an inexperienced player.
Jose Mourinho has also been impressed by the form of Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo so has accepted the club’s decision to avoid controversy after his former club Vesteras threatened to make a complaint to FIFA over a dispute with Benfica over a clause in the deal which took the 22-year-old to Portugal.
At the other end of the experience spectrum is former left back and club hero Patrice Evra, who Metro say could be back at Old Trafford in the colours of West Ham United as he seeks an exit from the Juventus Stadium after falling out of favour.
The Frenchman was an icon in Manchester, making 379 appearances for the Red Devils between 2006 and 2014, winning the Premier League on five occasions and the Champions League once, but has made just three starts for Juve this season.
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