Man United

Manchester United have made contact with Juventus about signing midfielder Adrien Rabiot, sources have told ESPN.

The 27-year-old, who joined Juventus from Paris Saint-Germain in 2019, has a year left on his contract and sources have told ESPN he is available for a cut-price fee. Sources have told ESPN that United have made contact with a number of other midfielders in the event that a deal for De Jong does not materialise, of which Rabiot is one. Rabiot views United as one of the biggest clubs in the world, sources added, and would relish the challenge of bringing the club back to the top under Erik Ten Hag.

Sunday was a sobering experience for all Manchester United supporters, and Monday morning does not feel much better. Erik ten Hag will have awoke early, ...

But the point is that Ten Hag's United have time on their side; that they can play much better. And a few decent ones will soon produce an upturn in squad confidence. The 2007/08 league-and-European-Cup double season opened with two draws and a derby defeat. And that more players are needed. But, let's be honest: the Dutchman knew that from day one. Now is the time to remember that, stay patient, and give Ten Hag and his players the time and support they need to get on with the required work.

Manchester United are keen on Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as Erik ten Hag looks to acquire a centre midfielder. Transfer talk has the latest.

He spent the last two seasons on loan -- firstly at Atletico Madrid, helping them to their 2020-21 LaLiga title, and then with a return to Serie A by joining Fiorentina. The Turkish side have also completed the signing of Dries Mertens from Napoli, on a deal through 2023. It is reported that he is confident of earning starting minutes next season, and hopes to convince manager Xavi Hernandez of his place after he began to see less time on the pitch in the upcoming campaign. - Juventus are considering moving on Moise Kean before the transfer window closes, according to Calciomercato. He made 32 Serie A appearances last season, but he is understood to have upset Massimiliano Allegri after he missed a team meeting. Romero spent last season in Serie A with Venezia, where he made 16 league appearances for the since relegated side. He joins for a fee in excess of €20m, though it is reported that he will remain at Udinese until 2023 It is expected that he will receive an increase after his impressive performances since joining from Rennes in 2020.

We take a look at the weekend's big VAR talking points in the Premier League, with a host of penalty decisions taking centre stage.

A goalkeeper doesn't have license to crash into an opponent after the ball has gone, but this incident shows just how much freedom they have, and it just falls on the side of no intervention. If the VAR had given a penalty for something like this, it would have caused far more controversy. But there was without doubt knee-on-knee contact between the two players, and as such there's no case for a VAR intervention. Contact when a goalkeeper challenges for the ball aerially is rarely penalised, unless it is judged to be with excessive force. Maguire was in an offside position when the ball came off Dalot, but this was not deemed to have had a material impact on the outcome. When a decision is this tight, a single line is shown to the defensive player. So for the VAR to intervene and upgrade from a yellow, they have to be absolutely certain that the level of force and intensity is worthy of a red card. What happened: Leeds United were trailing 1-0 in the 14th minute when they were awarded a free kick just outside the area. So had the ball gone directly in, or had Sanchez failed to keep it out rather than palming it onto Mac Allister, the goal would have been ruled out for a handball. Finally from Old Trafford, Brighton's first goal was onside due to the benefit of the doubt afforded to the striker, which was added to the technology at the start of the 2021-22 season. When you have such a high bar, the VAR is effectively looking for reasons to support the referee, rather than assessing an incident on its merits. Rather than having such a high bar, they have instructed the VAR to tell the referee to "have another look" at situations where they may change their mind if they watch it again.

Manchester United are considering a move to finally sign Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as they attempt to rescue what has become a frustrating transfer window ...

Celtic and Rangers could finally be handed the opportunity to move to a new cross-border league as a result of an upcoming court case in Luxembourg. Barcelona still cannot register their summer signings after La Liga rejected an attempt to use the club's own funds to inflate the value of two of the asset sales they had resorted to in order to balance the books and strengthen their team. Barcelona are facing a huge wage crisis over contract renewals agreed with four players - including Frenkie de Jong - in 2020 that were designed to save the club money at that time and are now facing questions of legality. Nottingham Forest are going back to the drawing board in their search for a full-back after Alex Moreno rejected a £9m move from Real Betis. Chelsea could find out this week if they have a realistic chance of signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona. The club have been prioritising their interest in defender Wesley Fofana, who they remain in dialogue with Leicester City over, and midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who is yet to inform Barcelona that he wants to leave. Lancashire members aim to force through a vote at a special general meeting to block the club from supporting a reduction in the County Championship programme - unless they give their consent - as resistance to any shrinking of fixtures intensifies.

Poor management, on and off the field, and middling signings have left the club far behind Manchester City and Liverpool.

There are three weeks left of the transfer window and United desperately need to act in the market. And if Luke Shaw is of the requisite ability to be a starter for United, Marcus Rashford is very much in the last‑chance saloon in that regard. When the Scot left the decline began: the capitulation to Brighton was the club in microcosm. When Ten Hag was appointed on 21 April, the gun was fired on a fresh recruitment drive. The evidence is searing: nothing much has changed since the dog days of last term. Of course it does, but this is the glaring truth that faces the new manager.