Manchester United transfer news LIVE Marcel Sabitzer blow confirmed and takeover latest

United manager Erik ten Hag did not include Casemiro on his list of absentees for tomorrow night’s clash with Real Betis.

There had been growing reports that the Brazilian international would miss out because of a minor injury problem. However, Ten Hag did not namecheck the former Real Madrid man when issuing an injury update on Wednesday lunchtime in his pre-match press conference.

Click here for the latest team news.

According to a report by 90min, Borussia Dortmund will demand a ‘club-record sale’ to consider the idea of selling midfielder Jude Bellingham.

The England international is being linked with a plethora of big-name clubs ahead of the summer transfer window, including United, and is widely expected to leave the German giants.

However, it is claimed that Dortmund will demand more €144million to let him go, with Ousmane Dembele’s move to Barcelona in 2017 remaining their record sale.

Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Marcel Sabitzer will not be available for Thursday’s game against Real Betis.

United welcome the Spanish side to Old Trafford for the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie, having beaten Barcelona in the playoff round last month.

But speaking ahead of the game, Ten Hag confirmed he will be without Sabizter and long-term absentee Anthony Martial:

“We have a strong programme. But I think we are quite good. The only disappointment is Marcel Sabitzer is not available, as well as Anthony Martial.

“Anthony Martial is back on the pitch, so we will see. For the rest, everyone is available and we are ready for the game.”

Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Bruno Fernandes will keep his role as United captain, despite coming in for criticism for his second-half performance in the 7-0 thrashing at Anfield.

Fernandes appeared to lose control of his emotions as Liverpool ran riot on Sunday, pushing the linesman out of the way at one stage, holding his face after being pushed in the chest by Ibrahima Konate and giving up after failing to trip Stefan Bajcetic.

Gary Neville slammed Fernandes’ conduct as “embarrassing” and there have been calls to strip the captaincy from the Portuguese midfielder.

Read what Ten Hag said here >>>

Speaking in his pre-match press conference this lunchtime, Erik ten Hag, reflecting on Sunday’s defeat to Liverpool, said:

“We have to set conclusions and we talked about [it]. We have seen the game, we have to reset and bounce back.”

Click here to read more.

Former United loanee Odion Ighalo believes Victor Osimhen would be a sensible signing for the Reds this forthcoming summer.

United are interested in bolstering their attacking ranks with the Napoli striker, who has netted 21 goals in 26 matches for the Italian outfit this season.

Ighalo has waxed lyrical about his fellow countryman, detailing why he has the potential to form a first-class partnership with Marcus Rashford.

Click here to read what Ighalo has had to say.

United manager Erik ten Hag will be speaking to the media ahead of tomorrow night’s Europa League clash with Real Betis shortly.

Follow what he has to say by clicking here.

“No player escaped criticism at Anfield on Sunday, but Ten Hag, of course, cannot make 11 changes for a game of such significance, especially when one bad half cannot undo all of the progress that has been made in recent months. Nevertheless, some players are at higher risk of losing their places than others.”

Click here to read more.

Barcelona will have to sell before they can buy in this forthcoming summer’s transfer window, according to president Joan Laporta.

The Spanish giants invested heavily in their first-team squad last summer and want to continue adding to their ranks ahead of next season. But for that to be sustainable, they are going to have to cut their cloth first, meaning they could be forced into offloading some of their prized assets, including United target Frenkie de Jong.

Click here to see what Laporta has had to say.

“Erik ten Hag had his players in to run 13.8kms on the day after the defeat to Brentford, making a point about their work rate and helping to solve it by dropping a striker who refused to press. He questioned a “lack of belief” after the way they played at the Etihad, so brought in a player who had won the Champions League five times. In the bowels of Anfield on Sunday he said his players had been “unprofessional”. It felt like he had chosen his words carefully, having been asked initially if it was embarrassing. He chose his response to make sure he was using the phrase he wanted to cut through.”

Click here to read more.

A quick glance at United’s next six matches in all competitions:

• Real Betis (H) – Europa League – March 9
• Southampton (H) – Premier League – March 12
• Real Betis (A) – Europa League – March 16
• Fulham (H) – FA Cup – March 19
• Newcastle United (A) – Premier League – April 2
• Brentford (H) – Premier League – April 5

Real Betis have announced their squad for tomorrow night’s clash with United at Old Trafford in the Europa League.

“Christian Eriksen, despite being renowned as a seasoned attacking-midfielder, slotted into a deeper role with ease during the first half of the campaign, working hand-in-hand with Casemiro to form a perfectly balanced midfield pairing. Operating as conductor-in-chief, the Dane was at the heart of much of the Reds’ good fortune, instigating attacks and operating as the shuttle between the defensive line and the forwards. He oozed class on the ball and his ability to dictate and control games has been sorely missed in recent weeks. The three aforementioned Premier League games that Casemiro was absent for, as well as last week’s FA Cup win over West Ham United, are just some of the examples where his skillset would have been useful, enabling United to wrestle back control a lot easier. “

Click here to read more.

United are reportedly readying a massive €130 million offer for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.

Fichajes suggest United remain huge admirers of the French international and could look to tempt Madrid to sell him this summer.

Erik ten Hag is eager to add another midfielder to his side, but it seems hugely unlikely they would sanction such a large amount for one when the priority is to add a new striker at the end of the season.

Real Betis will be boosted by the return of Sergio Canales for their Europa League clash with United.

Spanish outlet Marca suggest Betis will be boosted by the return of veteran attacking midfielder tomorrow night.

The 32-year-old had missed the last two games, with Pellegrini opting not to risk him in Sunday’s game against Madrid, but a return to full training at the start of this week will be sufficient to book his place on the flight to Manchester.

Canales had been a near ever-present in the Betis side up until his injury, with six goals and two assists in 28 matches across all competitions – his 2,143 minutes is the most of any player for the club.

Casemiro is one booking away from being handed a one-match ban in the Europa League. The Brazilian has already sat out four games due to suspension this season.

Uefa rules state that players who pick up three yellow cards from the group stages of any of its competitions onwarsd will be suspended for the next European match. Casemiro is currently on two, having been cautioned in both play-off legs against Barcelona.

Betis have four players walking the same tightrope, most notably goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, as well as defenders German Pezzella, Luiz Filipe and Aitar Ruibal.

All yellow cards are wiped after the quarter-final stage with all getting a clean slate for the semi-finals onwards.

However, should Casemiro or any other player pick up a third booking in the second leg of the quarter-final, they would miss the semi-final first leg with all pending suspensions carried over.

Erik ten Hag will hold a press conference at Carrington from 12pm GMT and will be joined by a player for it.

United will then hold an open training session from 1:30pm GMT which should give some early team news ahead of the first leg.

Real Betis manager and former Man City boss Manuel Pellegrini will hold a press conference at Old Trafford at 6:15pm GMT and will also be joined by a player.

Betis will then train at Old Trafford afterwards with a 15 minute open section.

United’s takeover process is reportedly set to reach the next stage later this week.

The Daily Mail reports on the talks and says that those who have made it through to the second step of the process are to meet officials at Old Trafford imminently.

They claim representatives from the Qatar-based bid will jet in shortly for talks, and those from the Sir Jim Ratcliffe team are also due to visit Manchester.

While only two have gone public, they suggest there are at least two others also in the running.

United could have signed Adrien Rabiot last summer, and it seems like they could try again this time around.

90 Min say that Tottenham, Liverpool and United have all asked to be kept informed of Rabiot’s contract situation at Juventus.

The French midfielder’s deal is due to expire in the summer, though Juventus are believed to be keen on agreeing new terms.

United are one of the sides that retain an interest in Moises Caicedo after he signed a new Brighton deal last week.

Football Insider claim that the 21-year-old’s new deal will not deter any potential suitors – who also include Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

They say sources close to the midfielder have revealed he is still keen on moving to a top-tier club this summer as he wants to play at the highest possible level.

Wout Weghorst has released a statement explaining why he appeared to touch the ‘This is Anfield’ sign as he made his way onto the pitch on Sunday.

Footage emerged on Tuesday of Weghorst reaching up to touch the sign as the players make their way from the tunnel out onto the Anfield pitch.

The sign is an iconic part of Anfield but opposition players rarely touch it and Weghorst has been criticised for doing so ahead of Manchester United’s 7-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday. He was the only player in Erik ten Hag’s team to do so.

But Weghorst has now explained his actions and said it was an attempt to stop Virgil van Dijk, an international teammate of the United striker, from touching the sign to try and ‘wind him up’ before kick-off.

See what the Dutchman had to say here >>>

Real Betis will be boosted by the return of Sergio Canales for their Europa League clash at Manchester United, according to Spanish outlet Marca.

Betis travel to Manchester for the first-leg of their last-16 tie with United on Thursday and will be boosted by the return of veteran attacking midfielder Canales.

The 32-year-old had missed the last two games, with Pellegrini opting not to risk him in Sunday’s game against Madrid, but a return to full training at the start of this week will be sufficient in booking his place on the flight to Manchester.

Canales had been a near ever-present in the Betis side up until his injury, with six goals and two assists in 28 matches across all competitions – his 2,143 minutes is the most of any player in green and white.

Read the full story here >>>

Victor Osimhen has admitted it is his ‘dream’ to play in the Premier League amid United’s interest.

The Nigeria international, who joined the Italian club back in July 2020, is just one of the names that United are considering as an option to strengthen their frontline ahead of next season.

The Reds, as revealed by the Manchester Evening News last week, are planning to make two significant signings this coming summer and the addition of a striker is their top priority.

Here’s what he told The Athletic:

“I think playing in one of the top five leagues in the world (Serie A) is an amazing feeling for me. A lot of people worldwide consider the Premier League as the best and the strongest league but now I’m in one of the best leagues in the world which is the Italian Serie A.

“I’m working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League some day but, like I said, it’s a process and I just want to keep on this momentum and continue to do well.”

Good morning all and welcome to our LIVE United blog this Wednesday.

Stay tuned throughout the day to keep up with all the latest news!