Manchester United have reportedly re-emerged as genuine contenders to sign midfielder Ever Banega from Sevilla when his contract with the Liga club expires at the end of the season.

The Red Devils looked to have missed out on the Argentinian when it emerged late in the January transfer window that he was set to sign a three-year deal with Inter Milan, per Tuttosport (via Liam Corless in the Mirror).

However, Spanish outlet Superdeporte (via Calciomercato) now reports that, with Inter having failed to nail down the signing of Banega, United are back in the mix, as he looks unlikely to remain at Sevilla past the end of the current season.

Per ESPN FC’s David Amoyal, Banega, 27, wants a deal worth around €3 million (£2.3 million) per season net. It’s a significant demand, but he is “one of the best players available on the expiring contract market.”

Given that he will be available for free in the summer, United may be prepared to meet his demands, and they could certainly afford to if they felt he was worth it.

A hardworking box-to-box midfielder, the experienced Argentina international would provide competition for the likes of Ander Herrera and Juan Mata at Old Trafford.

He can operate in the No. 10 role or slightly deeper and is both an astute defensive operator and a high-quality creator—he has scored three goals and provided two assists in La Liga this season, per WhoScored.com.

Inter, though, seem fairly confident they can get their man, with sporting director Piero Ausilio having recently spoken on the subject, via Amoyal:

Meanwhile, United centre-back target Aymeric Laporte has said he is happy at Athletic Bilbao.

The 21-year-old has been widely touted as one of the best young defenders in Europe, and he has drawn interest from Barcelona and United, while Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe has suggested he could be a target for Pep Guardiola when he takes over at Manchester City in the summer:

The Frenchman, though, has insisted he would turn down any offer from Barca and indicated he is happy at the San Mames Stadium, per Sport: “FC Barcelona is one of the most important clubs in the world, but I would reject an offer from them. They have not talked to me to present an offer, not this season or last, but it wouldn’t interest me. All the future is ahead, playing these years at Athletic.”

Laporte is only going to improve as he gets more and more experience, and he clearly feels Athletic—for whom he made his debut back in 2012—is the best place for him to continue to advance.

United would undoubtedly like to sign him, though, as their defensive ranks have been hit hard by injury this season.

Though they have managed to maintain one of the best defensive records in the Premier League—conceding 22 goals in 25 games—an overreliance on Chris Smalling and Daley Blind has been noticeable.

Laporte would be the ideal signing to ease the pressure in the defensive ranks—especially as Phil Jones continues to be plagued by injury—but it seems he is currently settled at Athletic.  

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Manchester United reportedly had a £23.1 million offer for Mauro Icardi rejected in January by Inter Milan but are likely to renew their pursuit of him in the summer.

That’s according to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport (h/t Uche Amako of the Express), with Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News adding: “Expect United to return with an improved bid for the Argentinian in the summer.”

The 22-year-old, who was the joint top scorer in Serie A last season with 22 goals, has thus far hit 10 in 21 games this season.

Icardi is a ruthless and clinical finisher—a quality United undoubtedly have need of, as their attack has severely lacked a cutting edge for much of the current campaign—as his goalscoring record demonstrates, per Opta Paolo:

Though Wayne Rooney is currently back in form, as the Red Devils captain demonstrated for most of 2015, he can no longer always be relied upon for goals, while Anthony Martial alone—impressive though he may be—isn’t enough for a club of United’s ambition of winning league titles and challenging in Europe.

Last season, sports journalist Jonas Giaever believes Icardi has a big future ahead of him:

According to Mediaset Premium (h/t Amako), following a report from talkSPORT that the youngster had clashed with manager Roberto Mancini, Inter vice-president and former stalwart Javier Zanetti said the striker is happy to stay put.

“There is no Icardi problem, we have great faith in him. The decision to make him captain was shared by everyone,” Zanetti said. “He is very young, but in the locker room he is recognised as a positive leader.”

However, as Inter no longer have the pulling power they once enjoyed, it would hardly be a surprise if a bigger and wealthier club were able to snap him up in future.

At the other end of the pitch, United have largely been better, conceding just 22 goals in 25 Premier League games. Nevertheless, a top-quality centre-back option should be among their targets this summer as they seek to restore the fearsome reputation they once enjoyed.

One such target could be Athletic Bilbao’s Aymeric Laporte, who according to Telefoot (h/t Sport), has claimed he would reject an approach from Barcelona. 

“FC Barcelona is one of the most important clubs in the world, but I would reject an offer from them,” Laporte said. “They have not talked to me to present an offer, not this season or last, but it wouldn’t interest me.”

Sport note he has been linked with the Red Devils in the past. Indeed, the Manchester Evening News (h/t James Whaling of the Mirror) reported an approach from United is “imminent.”

La Liga writer Andrew Gaffney is a big fan of the youngster, who extended his stay in the Basque region last summer:

However, it would seem that rather than opening the door for United, Laporte is instead closing it to any and all interested clubs. He added, per Sport: “All the future is ahead, playing these years at Athletic.”

Indeed, the defender seems intent on staying put at Bilbao despite being much coveted around Europe.

Should he become available, United and a whole host of clubs would undoubtedly vie for his signature, but that might not be for quite some time as things stand.

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Joel Matip has reportedly agreed terms to join Liverpool as a free agent in the summer and will complete a transfer to Anfield when his deal with Schalke expires.

According to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport (h/t Jamie Sanderson of Metro,) the deal is “done and dusted,” after the defender decided he would not stay in the Bundesliga. Matip turned down interest from other teams in order to link up with Reds coach Jurgen Klopp and start a new challenge in the Premier League. 

Schalke had hoped the player would remain at the Veltins-Arena after Liverpool pursued Matip through January, and former team-mate Christoph Metzelder was quoted by the Telegraph (h/t the Independent‘s Sam Hall), urging his former defensive colleague to make the jump to England.

“Joel is free. If the interest is from England and he wants to have an experience abroad, then Liverpool is a super destination for him,” said Metzelder. “Jurgen [Klopp] knows he can work very well with him. For Joel it would be an easier entry into a new country and a new environment.”

According to Kaveh Solhekol of Sky Sports News, his colleagues in Germany reported Liverpool made a bid for the Cameroon international in January, attempting to grab him early for use this season:

As a free transfer, Matip will be a sensational addition to Klopp’s squad, bringing experience and knowledge to a Liverpool back line fraught with problems and frailties.

The centre-back has made 179 Bundesliga appearances over his seven campaigns in the Schalke first team, according to WhoScored.com and is built for life in the top division in England. 

His arrival will surely mean the end for one of Liverpool’s current centre-backs, as Matip claims one of the two central berths in the back four. 

In other news, Liverpool reportedly had a £22.7 million bid for Inter Milan attacker Mauro Icardi rejected on the final day of the January transfer window. 

Italian outlet Corriere della Serra (Liam Corless of the Mirror) said the Nerazzurri turned down the offer, as they could not find a suitable replacement in time, as the clock counted down to the window slamming shut. 

Icardi would have been a diverse and dangerous signing for Klopp, and the evaporation of his relationship with Inter boss Roberto Mancini might have pushed him into Liverpool’s arms, per Corless.

Klopp equally needs to find a balanced attack as much as he desires a reliable defence, and Icardi has been a regular goalscorer in Serie A. 

Matip is an excellent building block for the Reds to start a summer of reconstruction, allowing Klopp to bring in a host of faces that are more familiar to him.

The German is well aware of Matip’s talents and limitations, having faced him many times in the Bundesliga, and the 24-year-old will add an intelligence that is currently not present in the back four at Anfield.

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Arsenal have been linked with Bayer Leverkusen’s Javier Hernandez and Inter Milan man Mauro Icardi, with the club said to be on the lookout for a new centre-forward in the summer.

According to Fichajes (h/t Tom Matson of Goal), the Gunners will battle with Liverpool to sign Hernandez, who has been in exceptional form for the Bundesliga side this term. Fichajes (h/t Aaron Flanagan of the Daily Mirror) also suggest Icardi is on the club’s radar and could be available for £20 million.

Here’s a look at how both of these forwards compare statistically in league matches to Arsenal’s current starting centre-forward, Olivier Giroud:

It’s clear the Gunners do need to strengthen in this area of the pitch. Although the Frenchman has been in fine form for much of the campaign, he does tend to go through spells where he scores spades of goals, followed by dry patches.

The most recent run of games has fallen into the latter category and Arsenal have suffered as a result, with no goals in any of their last three league games. As we can see here, courtesy of OptaJoe, as a whole the team have not been particularly prolific throughout 2015-16:

Both Hernandez and Icardi may not be forwards who can contribute too much in general play, like a player in the mould of Giroud, but they each know where the back of the net is.

The former is well-acquainted with English football, too, having spent five years with Manchester United before his transfer this summer. During his time in the Premier League, Hernandez was a regular goalscorer, although he was often used as an impact substitute due to his poor hold-up play and lack of technical flair.

At Leverkusen, he’s been handed the regular football he craves, and as we can see here, courtesy of the UEFA Europa League Twitter feed, he is reaping the rewards of some exceptional form:

Icardi’s situation is a little more peculiar, as he’s not been at his best this season. Granted, Inter play a pragmatic style of football that makes being stationed at the point of the attack a particularly difficult job. However, the decisiveness that the youngster showed last term in front of goal, scoring 22 times in Serie A, has been lacking this time around.

Here is a look back at the tremendous 2014-15 enjoyed by the Inter man, in which he shared the Capocannoniere with Luca Toni:

Despite being handed the captain’s armband this season, Icardi has been left out of some big games by manager Roberto Mancini, including the most recent Milan derby. As noted by beIN Sports’ Matteo Bonetti, it’s going to be intriguing to see what kind of role he plays in the weeks to come after recent events:

From an Arsenal perspective, both players have their virtues. Hernandez is proven in the Premier League and is in tremendous form at the moment. Icardi, while he’s not in great touch, is still only 22 years old, has more room for improvement and is a lot more technically proficient than the Mexican, making him a more natural stylistic fit for the Gunners.

Nevertheless, either would represent a significant signing for Arsenal. It’s been a long time since they had a player capable of sniffing out chances in the penalty area likes these two can; it’s a missing quality that could well hinder the club in pursuit of domestic and European glory in the months to come.

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Manchester United are reportedly closing in on a deal to secure Jose Mourinho as their new manager in place of Louis van Gaal.

While two wins on the bounce has eased the pressure on the Dutchman slightly, Van Gaal’s position remains precarious, as United are far from guaranteed UEFA Champions League football next season, per James Ducker of the Times.

Following his sacking by Chelsea in December, Mourinho has long been considered the favourite to take over at Old Trafford should Van Gaal depart, and Sky Italia journalist Alessandro Alciato now reports a deal is “close” (via James Robson in the Manchester Evening News):

Van Gaal’s three-year contract with United does not run out until the end of the 2016-17 campaign, and the Old Trafford hierarchy would ideally like him to see it through to the end, per Robson.

They have kept faith with him through various rocky patches this season, including United’s late-2015 run of eight matches without a win, during which they were knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage.

Not only have results been poor this season, but Van Gaal has been widely maligned for the boring style of play he has introduced at Old Trafford, per the Guardian‘s Jonathan Wilson.

A 3-1 FA Cup win against Derby County and a 3-0 defeat of Stoke City have recently spawned some greater optimism among the United faithful, with the performance against the Potters particularly heartening in an attacking sense, per Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones:

However, the Red Devils remain five points off the ever-important fourth spot in the Premier League, leaving their Champions League ambitions for next season in grave danger. 

Should results not continue to improve and United’s top-four prospects become less and less likely, the Old Trafford top brass could yet pull the trigger on Van Gaal, paving the way for Mourinho’s instalment as manager.

Back in 2014, a defeat to Everton that made Champions League qualification a mathematical impossibility proved the end of the road for David Moyes after 10 months in the job.

Van Gaal could befall a similar fate if he is unable to force United into the top four, and the spectre of Mourinho will pile on the pressure.

Further calls for the former Porto, Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss’ instalment at Old Trafford were sparked by the recent confirmation that Pep Guardiola will take over at Manchester City in the summer, per BT Sport’s Ian Darke:

The pair have gone head to head in the past in Spain when Mourinho was at Real and Guardiola at Barcelona.

The prevailing wisdom now suggests that hiring Mourinho would be the ultimate response to City’s high-profile appointment, per MailOnline’s Joe Bernstein.

However, United have stuck with Van Gaal this far, and if he can engineer a strong end to the season and qualification for the Champions League, he could yet remain in the top job despite the looming presence of Mourinho.

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