While Untied already have the attacking talents of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial available, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made no secret of his desire to increase his squad’s strength-in-depth, which would be the motivation behind the move for the 29-year-old Brazilian.

Wilfried Zaha is determined to leave Crystal Palace this summer with aspirations to play in the Champions League – and it seems he is not short of interested parties.

Sky Sports reports that the Ivory Coast international is wanted by Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco this summer, with all three having the funds to prise him away from Selhurst Park.

Arsenal attempted to buy Zaha last summer along with Everton, but could not meet Palace’s £80m valuation – a fee that Zaha felt priced him out of a move in the transfer market.

But the club are more resigned to losing Zaha this summer, and will allow him to leave if a club comes calling with the right transfer fee.

Manchester City have reignited their interest in Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, and will rival Premier League opponents Chelsea for the 29-year-old.

Koulibaly has long been rated as one of the best centre-backs in Europe, but Napoli have done well to fend off competition from other clubs who have been interested in his services over the years. 

But with the club missing out on European football this season, a move away looks to be in the pipeline, and Italian outlet La Repubblica reports that City have renewed their efforts to sign the Senegal defender.

Chelsea have been heavily linked with a move for Koulibaly, and a bidding war could develop if both clubs continue to press on with their interest.

David Silva confirmed his next club on Monday night following his Manchester City departure, with the Spaniard returning to his homeland to join Real Sociedad on a two-year deal.

The news was greeted with huge ovation in the Basque country, given everything Silva has achieved in his career, but the announcement did not go down quite so well with Lazio, who believed they were on course to sign the midfielder.

Silva was in talks with Lazio weeks ago over a move to Serie A, but it’s reported by Football Italia that the club are ‘furious’ with the news as they were never informed that he had rejected their approach for another offer.

Borussia Dortmund will continue to play hardball with Manchester United over negotiations for Jadon Sancho, despite the German club’s latest financial figures making rather worrying reading.

Dortmund announced a loss of €44m for the year ending 30 June 2020, with chief financial officer Thomas Tress putting the reduction down to the absence of any transfer business because “the market has collapsed due to Covid-19”.

However, when asked about whether that means the club needs to sell England international Sancho – who is currently valued at £108m – he had a firm answer.

“We weren’t in a situation where we had to sell at any cost. Clubs noticed that too.”

Liverpool are ready to press on with their interest in Thiago Alcantara and attempt to sign the Spain midfielder.

But the Premier League champions will not pay the current €30m asking price communicated by Bayern Munich, as they feel it is too much for a player who is out of contract next season, according to The Guardian.

The 29-year-old has informed the German club of his intention to leave for the Premier League this summer in an effort to give himself a new challenge, and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is keen on giving the 29-year-old that chance at Anfield, providing the clubs can reach an agreement on his transfer fee.

Bayern will not prevent him from leaving as long as their asking price is met, meaning Liverpool may have to cough up the cash or find another way of tempting Bayern into lowering their demands.

Lionel Messi’s decision may hinge on the future of one man: Josep Bartomeu.

The Barcelona president was part of the board meeting yesterday that elected to sack Setien, but he himself is under growing pressure to turn around the situation at the club – largely because of Messi’s apparent opposition towards him.

Messi has not forgiven Bartomeu for failing to bring Neymar back to the Nou Camp last summer, and ESPN reports that his future will depend largely on whether Bartomeu stands down at the next presidential election. Manchester City are monitoring Messi’s situation, as although they are interested in what would be a blockbuster signing, they are also aware of how the club could be used for his own contract benefits.

Where else to start than with the upheaval at Barcelona?

Last night saw head coach Quique Setien sacked after the club’s disappointing second half of the season, which culminated in their humiliating 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

The failures have led to Lionel Messi questioning his future at the club – more on that in a minute – and it means that the club need their third manager in the space of eight months ahead of the new La Liga season, which begins next month.

Former midfielder Ronald Koeman is the favourite to take the job and return to the Nou Camp, having enjoyed a successful career with Barcelona and coaching under Louis van Gaal’s reign as manager there.

Mauricio Pochettino and Xavi are also in the running, but it appears the club are set to negotiate a release fee with the Dutch Football Association to spring him from his current contract to enable him to become the new Barcelona manager.