Manchester United and Manchester City are both circling over a free-scoring defender who can be signed on the cheap thanks to a modest €40m release clause, according to a report.
One of the major stories in European football this season is Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen. The club have rather cruelly been dubbed ‘Bayer Neverkusen’ in some circles in Germany having failed to win a single Bundesliga title following a series of soul-crushing near misses over the years.

However, Leverkusen are primed to break their duck and currently hold a whopping 13-point lead over closest challengers Bayern Munich. With just seven games remaining, it would take a collapse of epic proportions to surrender the title from here.
Manager Alonso is a man in demand and had been courted by Liverpool and Bayern Munich. However, the classy Spaniard announced he’ll remain loyal to Leverkusen for at least one more season last Friday.
Many of Alonso’s playing personnel are also wanted men. Among them is defender Jeremie Frimpong who has put up staggering attacking numbers from right wing-back this season.
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The Dutch international, 23, has remarkably notched 11 goals and 11 assists across all competitions this term. Unsurprisingly, his exploits have not gone unnoticed.
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So First off, Sir Jim Radcliffe,

Man Utd have long been linked with Frimpong who Ten Hag has coveted since taking charge at Old Trafford.
Frimpong – along with fellow Netherlands ace Denzel Dumfries – have both been touted as attack-minded upgrades on Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Now, a fresh update from the Sun has reaffirmed Man Utd hold strong interest in Frimpong. Man City too are named amid the claim Pep Guardiola believes Frimpong can be the long-term successor to 33-year-old Kyle Walker.
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United v City for Frimpong; release clause confirmed

The Sun revealed Man Utd officials have made ‘regular visits’ to Germany to watch Frimpong in action this term.
Furthermore, a bargain release clause worth just €40m/£34.1m becomes active this summer. The Sun as well as transfer guru Fabrizio Romano have confirmed the presence of the clause.


As such, Leverkusen will be powerless to prevent Frimpong’s exit if either Manchester club triggers the clause.
And given speculation Wan-Bissaka’s time at Old Trafford is up, it’s Man Utd who are set to have the greatest need for Frimpong this summer.
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Frimpong stands at just 5ft 6in tall and his lack of height could be a concern if deployed as an orthodox right-back in a back four by Erik ten Hag.
However, Ten Hag has shown faith in undersized players such as Lisandro Martinez who has arguably been the most successful of his signings thus far.
It’s Frimpong’s attacking numbers that catch the eye anyway, and his mark of 11 goals would place him second in United’s top scorers chart if he were at Old Trafford this season.
Rasmus Hojlund has netted 13 times across all competitions. Next in line – Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes – have only scored eight goals each.
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Man Utd flop is rejected by Ligue 1 giants as alternative exit routes are assessed

Lyon have rejected the chance to sign Anthony Martial this summer, despite the Manchester United star being available on a free transfer, according to reports.
With plenty of moving parts behind the scenes at Old Trafford right now, a big clearout is expected in the upcoming window.

Martial is one of the players who is expected to move on at the end of the season, following nine years at the club.
His contract at Old Trafford expires at the end of the campaign and while the club does have the option to extend it by a further year, they have opted against triggering this clause.
On his day, Martial can be lethal in front of goal, but it’s probably fair to say that he hasn’t lived up to expectations at Man Utd.
The French forward can be a game-changer when fully fit, but injuries and a lack of consistency have seen him fall down the pecking order at the club.
In the 2023/24 campaign, he’s only started in five league matches and an exit this summer seems like the best thing for him at this stage.
A return to France has been heavily rumoured, although Lyon have seemingly taken themselves out of the race to sign the 28-year-old forward.
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but we we will be ready.

According to French outlet Jeunes Footeux, Lyon have snubbed the opportunity to sign Martial on a free transfer. The report claims that chairman John Textor is not interested in following through with a deal.
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Martial has other options on the table

While a move to Lyon no longer seems viable for Martial, the French forward does have a few other options on the table this summer.
According to French football reporter Jonathan Johnson, the Man Utd forward will have “no shortage of suitors” once his deal at Old Trafford expires.


“I expect Martial will have no shortage of suitors, but his personal demands based on what he’s been earning at Manchester United might put him out of reach for some clubs who might enquire, but at the same time I do think a club in Ligue 1, involved in European competition, could be a good rebound spot for him to start afresh and potentially get back to somewhere close to the level he’s been at in the past,” Johnson said in his Daily Briefing column.
“He’s always been a fine talent, he just needs to find some consistency, and then who knows, perhaps it could even mean getting himself back into contention for a place in the French national side, which, at this moment in time, is extremely far away.”
A move elsewhere in France could still be on the cards for Martial and clubs from the Saudi Pro League could yet resurface their interest too.
According to reports from earlier this year, the French forward has suitors in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, meaning that he shouldn’t be short of options this summer.
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Transfer expert reveals Man Utd plan to buy ‘two forwards’ with ‘big signing’ in the offing

Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe will sanction the purchase of two new forwards in the summer transfer window, according to reports.
The British billionaire completed a deal to buy 27.7 per cent of the Red Devils earlier this year with Ratcliffe set to take over football operations as part of the agreement.

Man Utd want to bring in two forwards in the summer

Ratcliffe quickly appointed Omar Berrada, who will join at the end of the season, as the new CEO from arch-rivals Man City, while he is hoping to agree compensation with Newcastle to bring Dan Ashworth in as sporting director.
INEOS and Ratcliffe are determined to squeeze value out of their money after a decade of Man Utd spending transfer fees badly with Paul Pogba, Antony, Harry Maguire and Mason Mount good examples of disappointing big-money signings.
Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford have been in better form in the new year but both struggled to score Premier League goals earlier in the season, while Antony is yet to contribute a Premier League goal or assist this term.
19-year-old Alejandro Garnacho has contributed seven goals and three assists but La Liga and Serie A insider Matteo Moretto insists that Man Utd are looking to bring in “two forwards”.
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So yesterday we started this process,

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When addressing rumours that Real Madrid striker Joselu could move to Man Utd, Moretto wrote in his Caught Offside column: “I can’t speak to the those reports, but I can tell you that Manchester United are looking for two forwards in the summer.
“One of high level, a big signing, and another that is not very expensive (less than €40m) but potentially a younger forward, and someone to complete their attacking options. That’s what I know so far. Regarding Real Madrid’s options, Endrick Felipe won’t leave Real Madrid on loan in the summer.”
Man Utd could not follow up their impressive 4-3 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a good performance against Brentford as they drew 1-1 on Saturday.
The Red Devils allowed the Bees to have over 30 shots at their goal in a performance which has worried former Man Utd defender Gary Neville.


Speaking on his Sky Sports podcast, Neville said: “I watched them last night and suppose like everyone else couldn’t believe really what I was watching.
“I thought that they would put a bit of pressure on Tottenham and [Aston] Villa on the run-in, it’s actually really difficult to play that badly.”

Gary Neville: It was a horrible performance, it really was

Neville added: “Honestly, it really is you know.
“I can’t remember any point in the game… usually, whatever team you play against, if you’re a top team, the other team will have five or ten minutes of play or of domination.
“Manchester United, I can’t think of any point in that game, maybe the first few minutes, but I can’t think of any point in that game where they did anything well at all.

“It was a horrible performance, it really was, to the point where by when Mason Mount scored, I don’t know, I think Manchester United fans, we may have had to have started a petition maybe to give Brentford two points back or something.
“It was absolute robbery but then Brentford score. I can’t even explain that performance, I have no idea where it comes from, very worrying that you can go to that level of low.
“You know you can play badly in football, you know you can have players missing, you know you can miss chances, you know that sometimes you don’t feel quite right. But that was a dismal, dismal effort in an attempt to play football.”

Gary Neville rips into Man Utd as Ten Hag reaches new ‘level of low;’ Champions League hopes vanish

Gary Neville has ripped into Manchester United’s performance in their 1-1 draw against Brentford, stating it would have been a “robbery” had they won.  
The Bees dominated 90% of the game but despite having numerous great chances couldn’t find the back of the net until after Mason Mount’s goal in the 96th minute, which came against the run of play.

Erik ten Hag’s side were unable to cling on, however, as some wonderful work from in-demand Brentford striker Ivan Toney led to Kristoffer Ajer equalising three minutes later.
It was another big reality check for Man Utd fans who no doubt will have still been buzzing from their dramatic 4-3 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-final.
Brentford registered over 30 shots on Andre Onana’s goal and it was baffling that they didn’t score more, while Mount’s strike was the only real positive for the Red Devils.
Unsurprisingly, Gary Neville was greatly disappointed with Man Utd’s performance and described it as a new “level of low” for Ten Hag.
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‘It’s really difficult to play that badly’

Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, the former Man Utd defender said he was in disbelief at the ‘dismal’ performance.
The result leaves Man Utd eight points adrift of Tottenham and 11 behind Aston Villa, with their hopes of Champions League qualification now practically gone.
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And we've got Liverpool in the red who,

“I watched them last night and couldn’t believe really what I was watching. I thought they would put a bit of pressure on Tottenham and Villa in the run-in. It’s actually really difficult to play that badly,” Neville said.
“Really, it is you know. I can’t think of any point in that game, maybe the first few minutes, where they did anything well at all.
“It was a horrible performance to the point where when Mason Mount scored, I think we may have had to start a petition to give Brentford two points back.
“It was absolute robbery. But then Brentford score. I can’t explain that performance, I’ve no idea where it comes from. Very worrying that you can go to that level of low. You know you can play badly in football, you know you sometimes don’t feel quite right.
“But that was a dismal, dismal effort in an attempt to play football, in an attempt to work as hard as you possibly can. When you give the ball away, their reaction is non-existent. They really are one of the worst teams out of possession.”

Neville predicts Man Utd thrashing by Liverpool

Things don’t get any easier for Man Utd as they face league-topping rivals Liverpool next weekend at Old Trafford and another victory against them seems almost impossible based on their draw to Brentford.
Neville predictably thinks that the hosts will be “in a lot of trouble” if Jurgen Klopp’s players “do their jobs” properly.
“What we’ve seen from Arsenal today, the levels of defending compactness, the work ethic of all the front players to be a cohesive unit and defend together, there’s none of that,” Neville added.
“I’m not saying the defenders or midfield players are blameless because they could do a lot better themselves. But there’s just not a unity at all. There’s no idea of how to defend or how to play without the ball.
“Just worrying signs really that you can get to that level of low in a performance. You think back to before the international break and where Manchester United were at. They had one of the most incredible moments [beating Liverpool] and should be absolutely bouncing into Brentford.


“But then we saw what we saw. They won’t be that bad next week, they can’t be that bad. But if Liverpool do their jobs next week then Manchester United are going to be in a lot of trouble. There will be something different, it can’t get any worse.”
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Chelsea ponder cashing in on £35m star as AC Milan interest refuses to go away

Chelsea are yet to make a final decision on the future of Benoit Badiashile as the Frenchman continues to garner interest from AC Milan.
With Chelsea growing increasingly concerned that they could face punishment for breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, they could look to sell a number of assets this summer.

Among the players they could sell is Badiashile, who only arrived at the club in January last year. Chelsea prized the defender away from Monaco in a deal worth around £35m.
While the 23-year-old enjoyed a steady-enough debut season, he has had a frustrating time of late. Injuries have hampered his progression since joining Chelsea as he’s missed a total of 26 games through various knocks.
His contract with the club runs until 20230, although with AC Milan reportedly sniffing around, Chelsea could be tempted to cash in on the defender at the first time of asking.
Fabrizio Romano has provided some more clarity on the situation as Chelsea are yet to make a definitive decision on what to do with Badiashile this summer.
“We’re again seeing reports of AC Milan targeting Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile. AC Milan were interested in January, but there’s no decision yet on what they will do in the summer, it’s still early for AC Milan summer plans apart from decision already made to bring in a new important strike,” Romano told Caught Offside.
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“Also Chelsea have not made any decision on Badiashile so far. We have to see in the summer for this, nothing is really happening now.”
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Two other Chelsea stars tipped to leave

Given the complex financial situation facing Chelsea, the club have been tipped to offload a couple of other key assets in the upcoming window.
Along with Badiashile, the likes of Reece James and Conor Gallagher could leave the club this summer. That’s according to the Sunday Times who claim the homegrown pair could be sold in a last-ditch attempt to avoid punishment for breaching Profit and Sustainability rules.
Gallagher has been attracting interest from Tottenham in recent weeks and they will have been boosted by these latest developments.
According to TEAMtalk sources, Chelsea value Gallagher at around £50m. With his current deal set to expire in 2025, the 24-year-old midfielder faces a big decision this summer.


Letting James leave would also be a bold decision from Chelsea. While the 24-year-old has struggled with injuries in recent years, he is considered one of the best full-backs in Europe when fully fit.
In regards to James, his contract with the club runs until 2028 and it’s no secret that Real Madrid have been big admirers of his in the past.
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