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“Great market opportunity” – Ornstein’s Man United transfer update on “excellent” World Cup star

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By:Mark Brus

David Ornstein says there could be a “great market opportunity” for Manchester United and other clubs to sign Roma midfielder Manu Kone this summer.

The France international has been in superb form in Serie A and also put in some “excellent” displays for Les Bleus at the 2026 World Cup.

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Kone has been linked with a number of top clubs in recent times, and it seems Ornstein is aware of Man Utd’s interest in him, with the Athletic journalist describing him as a good cheap option on the market this summer…

A lot of reports suggest that Manchester United are looking at him, and I think that would be excellent.

“It's, from what we hear, a great market opportunity, the value that you could get him from Roma.”

France’s Manu Kone was one of the World Cup’s breakout stars – and… pic.twitter.com/xi1fA5gZJE

— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) July 15, 2026

“It’s, from what we hear, a great market opportunity, the value that you could get him from Roma,” Ornstein said of Kone.

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Manu Kone transfer: What we know so far

Kone previously made a name for himself at Borussia Monchengladbach before moving to Roma in 2024, in an initial loan move that later became permanent.

The 25-year-old now clearly seems to be on United’s radar, following updates from both Ornstein in the video above, as well as a recent YouTube post from Fabrizio Romano.

MUFC have already confirmed the signings of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos in midfield, but it seems they’re keen on a third new addition in that position.

Do Man United need Manu Kone?

Some fans might feel a third new midfielder is a bit excessive, but there could be a case for completely revamping that position.

Casemiro has just left Old Trafford after coming to the end of his contract, while Manuel Ugarte is out with a long-term injury and hadn’t particularly impressed enough to be a regular starter for the club anyway.

There’s also Kobbie Mainoo, but if Michael Carrick can rotate between him, Kone, Tielemans, and Santos, that should cover the team well for the season ahead, with the team now set to have more games due to being back in the Champions League.

The post “Great market opportunity” – Ornstein’s Man United transfer update on “excellent” World Cup star appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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Update: Contacts held as clubs queue up to sign Arsenal star, including Man Utd & Newcastle

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By:Mark Brus

Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli is reportedly attracting transfer interest from as many as five clubs as he could be on the move this summer.

The Brazil international has perhaps not developed quite as well as many at Arsenal will have expected, scoring only one league goal for the entire 2025/26 campaign.

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Martinelli fared better in Europe, scoring six goals in 14 Champions League games as the Gunners reached the final of the competition.

According to Ekrem Konur, it now seems Martinelli could leave Arsenal, and he has interest from big clubs such as Manchester United, Newcastle, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Roma…

?#Arsenal Gabriel Martinelli could leave Arsenal this summer.

? Man United, Newcastle and Bayern Munich are interested.

? Roma and Juventus have also contacted Arsenal for the Brazilian winger. https://t.co/IQREY7Thwc pic.twitter.com/IMcERmFXhq

— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) July 15, 2026

Konur posted: “Gabriel Martinelli could leave Arsenal this summer. Man United, Newcastle and Bayern Munich are interested. Roma and Juventus have also contacted Arsenal for the Brazilian winger.”

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Arsenal need an upgrade on Gabriel Martinelli

It’s surely time for Arsenal to move on from Martinelli, who is just not consistent enough to start regularly for a club with the ambition to win major titles like the Premier League and the Champions League.

The 25-year-old has been at the Emirates Stadium since 2019 and perhaps he’d now benefit from a change of scene.

Arsenal could also do well to try something different on that side of their front three, and they’ve been strongly linked with Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis by Ben Jacobs and others.

Could Gabriel Martinelli still have a good Premier League career?

Martinelli has still shown enough during his time at AFC that could make him tempting to other English clubs, so the links with Man Utd and Newcastle aren’t too surprising.

We’ve previously been informed of Newcastle asking about Martinelli, though this has not yet progressed as far as we’re aware.

The Magpies could do well to land Martinelli as a replacement for Anthony Gordon, who left for Barcelona earlier this summer.

United, meanwhile, might do well to bring in Martinelli to give them more depth behind their first choice front three of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko, as he can fill in on the left, right, or as a central striker.

The post Update: Contacts held as clubs queue up to sign Arsenal star, including Man Utd & Newcastle appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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Leeds beating two Premier League rivals in race to sign World Cup breakout star

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By:Will Faulks

Leeds are advancing strongly to pick up one of the World Cup’s breakout young players for a hefty fee.

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Leeds United’s big move of the summer so far was signing Harry Wilson on a free transfer, but the Whites are closing in on a far higher priced deal.

MOTLeeds says that Tarik Muharemovic is close to joining for £34m. Half of that fee will go to his current club Sassuolo, and the other half to Juventus.

The young centre back impressed with Bosnia at the World Cup, and will be one of the big transfer winners of this summer’s tournament. Sunderland and Bournemouth are also linked, but it seems Leeds are further ahead in their arrangements.

Shea Charles wanted by Leeds despite big bids for Bosnia man

The piece stresses that any deal for Muharemovic won’t affect Daniel Farke’s team’s long standing interest in Shea Charles of Southampton.

Their bidding is up to £30m for the midfielder, but they are able to buy both if their offers are accepted. The sale of Pascal Struijk to Brighton has freed up some liquid spending money which will allow them to continue to reshape their squad.

Get both deals over the line and Leeds will be looking a very interesting prospect for next season.

In other news…

Newcastle have locked in on a Fiorentina full back who is available at a bargain price this summer.

Trevoh Chalobah and Maxence Lacroix could end up swapping clubs this summer, with rumour about both moving in opposite directions.

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The post Leeds beating two Premier League rivals in race to sign World Cup breakout star appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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Fabrizio Romano reveals Manchester United “made a call” to star’s agent over surprise transfer

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By:Mark Brus

Manchester United have reportedly had recent contact with the agents of Roma midfielder Manu Kone as they look for a third signing in that position this summer.

The Red Devils have already officially confirmed the arrivals of both Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos in midfield, but it seems they’re surprisingly still looking for more in that area of their squad.

A replacement for the departing Casemiro was undoubtedly needed, while Manuel Ugarte is also injured after generally struggling for form, so two new signings looked sensible.

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A third perhaps looks like a bit too much, however, when other positions also surely need strengthening.

Still, Romano says United have had contact over Kone as they continue to look for new additions in that department.

Fabrizio Romano on Manchester United’s Manu Kone pursuit

Speaking in his latest post on his YouTube channel, Romano said: “Manchester United are still looking at midfielders. (There are) many names among the defensive midfielders.

“Many of you asking me, can you give us some names? It’s still early to indicate who is going to be the wanted player for Manchester United. I will tell you in the next days was going to develop there.

“I can tell you, for example, that Manchester United made a call to the agents of Manu Kone from Roma – (he) is one of the players they appreciate. There was a call over the recent days. Let’s see if it’s going to develop.

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“They have more targets at defensive midfielders. But Man United are looking for that kind of player.”

MUFC are clearly determined to make sure they have plenty of quality and depth in midfield, and Kone looks like he could be a good option.

Still, it will be interesting to see what this means for Kobbie Mainoo’s playing time after such impressive form at Old Trafford last season.

The post Fabrizio Romano reveals Manchester United “made a call” to star’s agent over surprise transfer appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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Fabrizio Romano confirms Cristian Romero is leaving Tottenham, names two transfer suitors

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By:Mark Brus

Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero is leaving the club this summer, with Inter Milan and Barcelona interested, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Argentina international has had a mixed spell at Spurs, while the club have also endured mixed fortunes in the last few years.

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Overall, it perhaps makes sense that Romero is keen on a new challenge, and that Tottenham might perhaps also be content to part ways with him.

See below for details as Romano has posted on X to confirm that the plan is for Romero to leave Spurs this summer…

??? EXCLUSIVE: Cuti Romero to leave Tottenham this summer, Inter held talks with Spurs over recent days.

Romero has been offered as option during talks for Djed Spence.

Inter keen but costs very high.

?? Barça also like Cuti Romero.

? https://t.co/kTNiTHRWTl pic.twitter.com/0jripDDK9R

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2026

“EXCLUSIVE: Cuti Romero to leave Tottenham this summer, Inter held talks with Spurs over recent days. Romero has been offered as option during talks for Djed Spence. Inter keen but costs very high. Barça also like Cuti Romero,” Romano posted.

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What next for Cristian Romero?

Romero could be a decent signing for someone like Barcelona, while Inter also makes sense for him, even if that currently looks complicated due to how expensive the deal would be.

For now, it seems there isn’t much possibility of Romero staying in the Premier League, and that makes sense given that he hasn’t always appeared that settled here.

Despite some moments of quality, Romero hasn’t always looked that well suited to the physical demands of English football.

Still, it’s easy to imagine the 28-year-old still having the quality to perform at a high level in a different league, and perhaps in a more settled environment than he’s had at Tottenham.

Spurs have been poor in the last two seasons, finishing 17th in 2024/25 and 2025/26, so even if Romero could have done better at various points, he’s far from the only one under-performing, and the frequent managerial changes and poor decisions in the transfer market won’t have helped.

The post Fabrizio Romano confirms Cristian Romero is leaving Tottenham, names two transfer suitors appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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Club director “stunned” by Manchester United transfer decision

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By:Mark Brus

Atalanta director Cristiano Giuntoli has admitted to being left “stunned” by Manchester United’s decision to pull the plug on the Ederson transfer.

The Red Devils had everything more or less done to sign Ederson from the Serie A club, before pulling out of the deal late on.

BBC Sport were among the outlets to report that this was due to an injury concern that came up during Ederson’s medical, though Atalanta have denied that there’s any problem with the player’s fitness.

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The Brazilian midfielder has been a star player for Atalanta, so they’ll surely be glad to keep him, with Giuntoli adding that they’re now working on tying him down to a new contract.

See below for Giuntoli’s response to Man Utd deciding against signing Ederson, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano on his X page…

??? Atalanta director Cristiano Giuntoli: “We were stunned [by Man United calling Ederson deall off]”.

“Now we are working on a new contract for him”. pic.twitter.com/mrTforgvsl

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2026

Romano posted: “Atalanta director Cristiano Giuntoli: “We were stunned [by Man United calling Ederson deall off]”. “Now we are working on a new contract for him”.”

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Will Manchester United live to regret Ederson transfer decision?

United clearly decided that signing Ederson wasn’t quite worth the gamble for one reason or another, and of course it would have been a big waste of money if they’d brought him in only to find that he wasn’t up to scratch fitness-wise, or ended up missing a lot of games through injury.

Still, Ederson looks like a top player and this surely won’t be the end of this summer’s saga, with other top clubs surely likely to also take a look at the 27-year-old.

MUFC, meanwhile, have turned to other options, so they’ll hope that new signing Andrey Santos can prove a success, while Youri Tielemans looks like being next, according to the Athletic and others.

Santos and Tielemans are both Premier League-proven, which is a nice bonus to have when signing a player, but Ederson would have arrived more at ‘peak age’ than either of those two, and might arguably have acted as more of a level-raiser for this team.

The post Club director “stunned” by Manchester United transfer decision appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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Fabrizio Romano drops “here we go” for long-term Arsenal transfer target

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By:Mark Brus

Arsenal have reportedly missed out on the transfer of Real Madrid defender Victor Valdepenas, who is set to join Fiorentina instead.

The talented young Spaniard is closing in on an €8m move from Real Madrid to Fiorentina, according to Fabrizio Romano in a post on his official X page today.

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See below as Romano claims Valdepenas will have a 50% sell-on clause and some form of first refusal option with his new club, putting Real Madrid in control over his long-term future…

?? Fiorentina reach verbal agreement to sign Víctor Valdepeñas from Real Madrid, here we go! ??

€8m transfer fee, contract until June 2031, Real Madrid mantain 50% sell-on clause and future control in case of any bids.

Clubs started exchanging documents today. pic.twitter.com/1HrErsjgM6

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2026

“Fiorentina reach verbal agreement to sign Víctor Valdepeñas from Real Madrid, here we go!” Romano posted. “€8m transfer fee, contract until June 2031, Real Madrid mantain (sic) 50% sell-on clause and future control in case of any bids. Clubs started exchanging documents today.”

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How Arsenal missed out on Victor Valdepenas transfer

Arsenal have a long-standing interest in Valdepenas, so there’ll likely be some disappointment that they missed out on the 19-year-old.

However, when you look at the terms of this deal with Fiorentina, they’re very favourable towards Los Blancos, and it’s hard to imagine Arsenal would’ve agreed to anything like that.

In truth, this looks like a sale that is very much set up for Valdepenas to come back to Madrid at some point in the future.

Otherwise, even if he leaves Fiorentina for big money, that should be profitable for Real, whereas a club like Arsenal would not generally be in the business of selling star names in that way.

What it could mean, however, is that the Gunners can come back in for Valdepenas in the future if he impresses at Fiorentina, and whatever fee they pay would be split evenly between La Viola and Los Merengues.

Either that, or it could force Real into re-signing Valdepenas themselves.

The post Fabrizio Romano drops “here we go” for long-term Arsenal transfer target appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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