'United must respond fast after tough week'
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Daily Mirror
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd have obvious transfer staring them in the face as £17m offer made
Manchester United have been told to make signings in a key position, and one of the club's long-term targets has been the subject of a transfer bid Manchester United have been given a hint that Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa could be available for a cut-price fee. The Red Devils have a goalkeeping issue to address after Ruben Amorim dropped Andre Onana for Altay Bayindir in the team's opening defeat to Arsenal on Sunday. United showed signs of improvement against the Gunners at Old Trafford, with much of the home fans' excitement centred around seeing their new attacking signings make their league debuts. However, Amorim's side came away without a share of the points after a mistake from Bayindir gifted Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori the winning goal. United have been linked with moves for PSG 's Gianluigi Donnarumma and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez during the transfer window. However, Porto shot-stopper Costa could be the man to solve United's problem position after being the subject of a surprising transfer bid. Sky Germany reports that Galatasaray have submitted a £17million bid for Costa, which is expected to be rejected by Porto. It is claimed that the Turkish side view the Portugal number one as an alternative target as they continue to pursue a deal for Manchester City star Ederson. The club's focus on Costa and initial offer suggests they think they could sign the keeper for a relatively low fee. Costa, 25, has long been linked with a move to Old Trafford, having reportedly been among the options to succeed David De Gea at United before Onana joined the club in 2023. The goalkeeper is said to have a £63m buy-out clause in his contract, which has two years remaining. While Galatasaray's offer will likely not be accepted, it shows that Costa could be available at a bargain price - and much cheaper than what United have been previously quoted for him - considering his pedigree. This could also present a simple solution for United, given City are reportedly rivalling the Red Devils for Donnarumma's signature. It seems that Amorim does not have complete faith in Onana after leaving the former Ajax and Inter Milan star out of United's matchday squad at the weekend. When asked if Onana's omission was due to fitness concerns, Amorim said: "No (he is not injured), he's recovered but the other guys did so well during pre-season, so I need to balance that.' Bayindir took his place in goal for United but did little to stake his claim for being the team's long-term number one. The 27-year-old has made just 12 appearances for United since arriving from Fenerbahce two years ago. His actions leading up to Arsenal's winning goal were criticised by club icon Roy Keane. 'Credit to Arsenal – they vary the delivery; they're attacking it. But if you're the goalkeeper, take control of the six-yard box,' Keane said on Sky Sports. 'Keepers and defenders complain all the time about people getting in their face. 'You get in their face. Be aggressive. I've said it many times for a goalkeeper - come with violence. Take control of it. Far too easy. It's like schoolboy stuff. Man United - weak and soft." Keane's ex-team-mate, Gary Neville, echoed the thoughts of the former United captain. The pundit explained that he was in favour of United targeting either Donnarumma or Martinez due to their presence and personality, aspects he feels are lacking in the club's current goalkeeper options. "The reason I think they would be good goalkeepers for Man Utd is not necessarily because they are the best goalkeepers in Europe, but they are big personalities and characters,' he said on The Gary Neville Podcast. "You've seen Donnarumma in a European final save those penalties for Italy. He looked like a giant. He's played for PSG in huge games under pressure. Martinez has played in the World Cup final and won it for Argentina. "They have played under extreme pressure and they almost walk out with that arrogance and dominance of a goalkeeper - Man United need that.'
Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Rodgers says Celtic can take care of Kairat but admits they must strengthen for tougher challenges to come
Brendan Rodgers is confident Celtic will have enough to kill off Kairat Almaty but has warned that they'll need to seriously strengthen for another tilt at qualifying for the Champions League knockout stage. The Parkhead club face the men from Kazakhstan in the first leg of their play-off tomorrow evening hoping to qualify for the main competition for a record fourth successive year. A summer of slow transfer activity to date means Kieran Tierney and Benjamin Nygren are likely to be the only new signings who'll start the game. And while the manager believes the players he currently has at his disposal are good enough to get the first job done, he feels significant additions would then have to be made. Asked if the squad was currently good enough to win the tie, Rodgers replied: 'Yes. I've had no injuries and I believe that the quality of our game and the intensity that we want to work at can hopefully be enough to see us through. But like I said, these games will always be tough games.' Then, pressed on whether he believed the current group would be good enough to make an impact in the league phase, he added: 'Well, I think firstly, we want to qualify, of course. And if it's with this group of players, I'm confident that we can do that. Going forward, listen, it's clear we would have to improve the squad.' Eight years ago, under Rodgers, Celtic beat Kazakhstani side Astana 5-0 in Glasgow before a fraught night away from home saw them lose 4-3 to progress 8-4 on aggregate. With an even longer trip awaiting on Sunday, the manager will urge his players to do all they can to give themselves another healthy cushion. 'We set off in every game to go and attack the game and play our football in it. And this will be no different,' he said. 'Two of the three experiences I've had in qualification, having gone through qualification phases, has been based around a really, really good first leg. 'In both of those, we scored five goals. So, for us, it's really that attack and intent in the game and being really, really difficult to play against. And then, hopefully, we can then take an advantage then into the second leg.' Rodgers took a straight bat to reports linking him with a move for veteran striker Jamie Vardy. The 38-year-old is a free agent after leaving Leicester following a 13-season spell which coincided with the Northern Irishman's time at the club. Asked about the former England man, who's also been linked with Napoli, the manager said: 'Listen, I would not speak about any individual player. Of course, I've worked really well with Jamie. 'He was brilliant for me in my time at Leicester. But no, there's been so many names floated about. But I wouldn't disclose anyone.'
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Ian Wright pleads with Arsenal to 'pay anything' to keep hold of key duo
Ian Wright has pleaded with Arsenal to pay whatever it takes to keep two of Mikel Arteta's key players at the Emirates for their entire careers. Arteta got his sixth season in charge of the Gunners underway with a narrow 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. There is plenty of pressure on Arsenal this season having finished runners-up in the last three campaigns, and the addition of a recognised striker in Viktor Gyokeres has only heightened those expectations of silverware. But despite Gyokeres' arrival, Arsenal's potential title charge is still likely to be predicated upon their rock-solid defence, which has been the league's best in the last two seasons. At the heart of that defence is the partnership between William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes who, once again, played a vital role in Arsenal's clean sheet at the weekend. Metro's new weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. Gabriel has already committed his long-term future to the club by signing a new deal this summer, while there is hope that Saliba will follow suit despite interest from Real Madrid. But Wright urged the club to go even further and pay whatever it takes to ensure that both players don't leave the club until their playing days are over. 'You see how they celebrate tackles and finishing out games,'Wright said on the latest Arsecast podcast. 'We haven't got the best defensive record over the last few years, especially against Liverpool and City, for no reason. 'And this is where the 'One-nil to the Arsenal came from'. We talk about Tony (Adams) and (Steve) Bould as centre halves, but the only thing missing from these two is a Premier League win. 'I'm desperate for these two to win one because these two could go down as two of the best ever centre halves and I say that with all due respect. 'These two get into my team because they have everything, everything that we had back then. We've got 'One-nil to the Arsenal' back because of that defence and because of those two and what they are capable of doing; the personality, the way the boys look up to them in the dressing room, the fight. 'That's why you can go to United and play like we did and win – because of what those guys are doing at the back. 'And for me, I would pay them anything for them to stay for the rest of their careers here because they are two of the best defenders we have ever had at our club. More Trending 'And once they start winning things – which they will – then people will start saying, 'Yeah, I get it'.' Speaking after the win against United, Arteta was keen to praise his entire team for the effort in grinding out an important first win of the season. 'We showed it in a different way today, the Spaniard said. 'I think we did two things very well. One, to take the set-piece and then react to, especially, mistakes. Some of them are necessary, some of them unusual. 'But the way every single player reacted to that gives us the opportunity to win the game. If not, it's impossible. And that's about how we compete and how much we want it as a team.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Wayne Rooney urges Manchester United to sign two players before transfer deadline MORE: Man Utd lead race to sign former Arsenal target in £26m transfer MORE: When is the Champions League draw and when does the group stage start?
