INEOS to stun Chelsea with imminent bid for France int'l as fresh Rashford twist emerges

Manchester United are stepping up their pursuit of a third new midfielder with a formal bid for a key target now reportedly imminent, while Marcus Rashford’s future has taken a fresh twist.

The Red Devils have already brought in Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, but Michael Carrick wants a third new face in the middle of the park ahead of the new season.

Man Utd have now identified France and Roma star Manu Kone as their next big target, but they must move decisively to beat Chelsea in the race for his signature.

Man Utd to launch bid within days

TEAMtalk revealed on Thursday that Chelsea are big admirers of Kone and have spoken with Roma over a deal, as they hold talks over Alejandro Garnacho’s potential move to the Italian side.

However, Man Utd are not giving up on signing the Frenchman.

According to reports earlier today, Man Utd have approached Kone’s representatives and learnt his ‘total willingness’ to make a move to Old Trafford this summer.

The Red Devils have been buoyed by the feedback and are reportedly ‘expected to submit an offer in the coming days’.

However, Chelsea are also said to be set to bid imminently, so Michael Carrick’s side certainly won’t have it all their own way.

TEAMtalk transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, believes it will likely take around £51million to lure Kone from Roma.

“Kone is very much one of the more serious options for United’s last remaining midfield slot,” Bailey exclusively told us.

“The fact he is available for a fee of around £51m (€60m, $68.5m) fits in with their strategy nicely, allowing them to work their budget further for other signings.

“In fact, there will be a lot of satisfaction at United if they furnish Michael Carrick with three top new midfield signings for a combined fee of £135m, given the crazy prices floating around this summer.

“I am told United is a huge appeal to Kone, and his camp have made that known to Jason Wilcox et al.”

Rashford looks set to reignite Man Utd career

Meanwhile, reliable journalist, David Ornstein, has confirmed that the £40million exit clause in Marcus Rashford’s contract has expired, while Fabrizio Romano has revealed the type of offer it will take to convince the forward to leave Man Utd.

The England international was desperate to stay at Barcelona following his season-long loan, but that now looks highly unlikely.

Barca have spent £69m on his England team-mate Anthony Gordon, while also agreeing a €29m (£25m) deal for Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi.

Rashford has therefore been forced to consider alternative options.

Other clubs previously had the opportunity to sign the 28-year-old for £40m, but they will now have to negotiate a separate deal as Ornstein has provided the following update onX/Twitter: ‘Marcus Rashford £40m exit clause for all bar #LFC & #MCFC ended July 15.

‘Any #MUFC sale now must be negotiated. Returns to training after break; approaches will be considered (28yo already rejected more lucrative options), otherwise stays.’

Fenerbahce have been tipped to make an audacious move for Rashford, though Romano has played that down.

Romano makes clear it will take an offer from a ‘top club’ to convince him to leave Old Trafford.

‘Marcus Rashford has zero plans to move to Turkey this summer, zero talks with Fenerbahçe,’ Romano wrote.

‘He’s returning for pre-season at Man Utd as Carrick wants to work with him. Rashford can still leave #MUFC but only in case of top club bid.’

With this in mind, unless a bid from an elite side arrives, Rashford may well be playing a key role at Old Trafford in the coming season.

Man Utd keen on £25.5m-rated Rangers star

Despite prioritising a move for Kone as their next midfield signing, Man Utd are still doing their due diligence on alternatives.

According to reports, Rangers and Belgium maestro Nico Raskin is a player admired by the Red Devils’ director of football Jason Wilcox.

TEAMtalk has been reporting all summer that the 25-year-old has made it clear he wants to leave Ibrox this summer and take his career to the next level.

And while Atalanta had sounded him out as a potential replacement for Ederson, whom United recently had a deal agreed for, they are not alone in that chase, with Hull also having a £14m offer for him rejected early in the summer.

That figure is well short of Rangers’ valuation, which has now shot up to around the £25.5m (€30m, $34m) mark, a figure they feel is fair given the performances he had in North America under Rudi Garcia and given the current huge fees knocking around for the game’s top midfielders.

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