Manchester United have reportedly joined the race to sign a Croatia and Como star who scored a stunning strike against England in their World Cup opener and has already had a £43million offer for his services rejected this summer.
It’s no secret that the Red Devils are looking to revamp their midfield under new permanent boss Michael Carrick, with a deal to sign Atalanta star Ederson close to being officially announced.
However, with Casemiro’s departure already confirmed and Manuel Ugarte poised for a reunion with Ruben Amorim at his new club AC Milan, Man Utd are looking to add at least one more additional signing to their engine room.
Latest reports suggest Man Utd are not prepared to go head-to-head with Man City for Elliot Anderson, while Sandro Tonali now looks bound for either City, Arsenal or, more surprisingly, Tottenham this summer.
Firm interest also remains in West Ham and Portugal star Mateus Fernandes, despite reports Spurs are also considering hijacking that deal too.
However, a fresh report states that United have now switched their focus to Como star Martin Baturina, who is capable of playing multiple different roles.
The 23-year-old stunned England when he unleashed a thunderous curling effort past Jordan Pickford to score Croatia’s first equaliser against England on Wednesday evening, before the Three Lions eventually ran away with the contest in the second half.
The former Dinamo Zagreb star, who joined Como for £22million last summer, is said to have caught the eye of a number of elite European clubs, with United and Aston Villa among that group, according to Sky Sports Italy.
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Como already batting off Baturina bids
The Italian side are said to have already knocked back a £43m offer for Baturina, while Bayern Munich also reportedly enquired over his availability.
For the moment, Cesc Fabregas’ side are keen to retain the services of a player who is capable of playing in midfield or out wide and would be a tremendous addition to Carrick’s squad.
Indeed, Baturina notched eight goals and four assists for a Como side who have qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history.
The talented Croatian split the majority of appearances this season between operating as an attacking midfielder or on the left wing, a position United have also been actively looking to strengthen as they prepare for Marcus Rashford’s likely exit.
United are reported to have slashed the England forward’s asking price in order to speed up an exit, that’s despite Old Trafford legend Rio Ferdinand calling on the club to make a U-turn over their decision to sell.
Meanwhile, United and Liverpool have been put on alert after Aurelien Tchouameni was informed there are no guarantees over his long-term future at Real Madrid and with TEAMtalk revealing the price required to trigger a deal.
