Man Utd ‘contacted’ over jaw-dropping Vinicius Junior transfer as Newcastle plot shock Red Devils raid | OneFootball

Manchester United have been alerted to a potential opportunity to sign Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior, while Newcastle eye a move for a Red Devils star who ‘wants to leave’ this summer.

Man Utd have enjoyed a fantastic upturn in form under interim manager Michael Carrick, and they now sit third in the Premier League table, on track for Champions League football next season.

Qualification for that competition will help Man Utd attract more big names in the summer transfer window, and there aren’t many bigger than Vinicius Jr, whose future at Real Madrid is increasingly in doubt.

Man Utd contacted over potential Vinicius Jr transfer

TEAMtalk insider, Graeme Bailey, revealed in a big update earlier today that intermediaries working on behalf of Vinicius have made contact with Man Utd.

As the Brazilian approaches the final year of his current deal, he is in line to move onto a similar basic salary to Kylian Mbappe – excluding signing-on fees, loyalty bonuses and performance-related incentives – which would take his earnings beyond £500,000 per week.

Real Madrid and Vinicius have been locked in contract talks for more than 18 months, and discussions are once again back on the agenda.

The Spanish giants have presented fresh terms in an effort to extend his stay, and while the 25-year-old is open to renewing, no agreement has yet been reached.

Real Madrid are not willing to increase their latest offer, and with Vinicius holding out for more lucrative terms, his camp have begun sounding out potential exit routes.

We understand that Man Utd, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have all been spoken to over a potential transfer, and so too have Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

Crucially, Madrid are unwilling to risk losing Vinicus on a free transfer in 2027, when his contract expires, meaning a sale would be sanctioned this summer if a new deal is not signed.

Saudi Pro League clubs are also huge admirers of Vinicius and would be in the race should the winger not pen fresh terms with Los Blancos.

Newcastle plot Manuel Ugarte move

Meanwhile, Newcastle are reportedly considering a move for Man Utd midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who has become frustrated by his lack of playing time and ‘wants to leave’ Old Trafford.

The Magpies, who were linked with a move for Ugarte in January, are ‘monitoring’ the Uruguayan international’s situation closely ahead of a potential summer move.

However, Aston Villa are also said to be keen on Ugarte, but Italian giants Juventus are ‘leading the race’ while Galatasaray, who failed with a move for the Man Utd man in January, are also in the mix.

The Red Devils, for their part, are reportedly ‘open to selling’ Ugarte this summer. They value Ugarte at €40million (£35m / $46m), roughly £15million less than what they paid to sign him in 2024.

Newcastle’s interest comes amid uncertainty surrounding the future of Sandro Tonali, who, interestingly, is on Man Utd’s shortlist for the summer.

Man Utd legend urges INEOS to keep Carrick

In other news, Man Utd legend Ryan Giggs has urged the club’s hierarchy to make his former teammate, Carrick, their permanent manager.

The Red Devils have been linked with the likes of Luis Enrique, Julian Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino recently, but Giggs believes it would be a mistake to bring anyone new in.

“The hardest thing in the world as a manager is to win games and he’s doing that, we’ve lost one game,” Giggs said in a recent interview.

“Not only that, just the feeling around the place, we were going to games and watching games not knowing what we were going to get. It’s all changed now, fans are coming to games now or watching TV thinking, ‘right, we’ve got a massive chance here.’

“We’re looking up now rather than down – can we catch City?