Man Utd make Champions League-winning manager their ‘top’ target as INEOS quoted £100m for ‘special’ signing | OneFootball

Thomas Tuchel has overtaken two other coaches in the race to become the next Man Utd manager, a journalist has claimed, while the Red Devils will need to pay £100million or more to sign a new winger.

Man Utd appointed Darren Fletcher as their interim manager after sacking Ruben Amorim on Monday. INEOS chiefs are currently in discussions with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick as they eye a caretaker manager to see them through to the end of the season.

Solskjaer appears to be in pole position, and his return would give United more time to find the perfect head coach long term…

Thomas Tuchel moves up Man Utd wish list

United could choose to appoint Tuchel over Oliver Glasner and Roberto De Zerbi, according to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook.

“The name I keep hearing come the summer is Thomas Tuchel, the England manager, very much at the top of Manchester United’s list,” Crook said.

“Now, he turned down the opportunity before becoming England manager, but I don’t think that means necessarily that he wouldn’t entertain the idea.

“I would be fascinated to see how he operates alongside Jason Wilcox, Omar Berrada and Christopher Vivell, and if we’ll get the the same sort of frustrations that clearly Ruben Amorim did towards the end.”

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Tuchel and Marseille’s De Zerbi are both firmly in contention for the permanent manager’s job.

Romano added: “The decision is going to be on several factors. They want to play beautiful football. That’s obviously a crucial part of the story.

“But remember this point, Premier League experience. Man Utd also want a manager who can have some kind of Premier League experience in order to make an instant impact.

“They know that they don’t have so much time because the fans have been waiting for a long time to see United successful again. So in this case, timing is going to be important, and I think Premier League experience is going to be one of the key factors.”

Tuchel previously managed Chelsea in the Premier League, while he also guided the Blues to success in the Champions League in 2021. But whether the German can provide the ‘beautiful football’ Sir Jim Ratcliffe craves remains to be seen.

Sources have confirmed to us that Crystal Palace’s Glasner is among the frontrunners to take charge at Old Trafford, though he would likely have big transfer demands.

Returning to De Zerbi, our transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher revealed on Tuesday that the Italian ‘wants the job’ and has ‘huge admiration’ from INEOS officials.

Winger target to cost £100m

United are among the top clubs vying to sign RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, but it will take a stunning bid worth £100m or more to land him, our sources have revealed.

It was claimed on Wednesday that United have launched a €90m (£78m) bid for Diomande. While such rumours appear wide of the mark, we can confirm that United are indeed keen on the winger, who has been labelled a ‘special’ talent by sources.

We understand Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are all in the race, too.

Sky Sports previously suggested Diomande could be available for €60m (£52m) in January, but our sources insist Leipzig will not sell for less than €120m (£104m). Indeed, those close to Leipzig have laughed off suggestions a €60m deal might be struck.

Leipzig are also determined to keep Diomande this month and will not even consider a parting of ways until the summer.

The writing seems to be on the wall for Ugarte’s United career, as he could not even get Amorim – his former boss at Sporting CP – to believe in him.

And with Amorim now gone, Ajax sense an opportunity to snare Ugarte on a six-month loan. The report explains how regular game time in Amsterdam could increase the midfielder’s chances of starting for Uruguay at the World Cup.

But money is one major stumbling block. Ugarte earns a reported £120,000 a week, so Ajax would need United to continue paying a significant portion of his salary.

Given how hard INEOS have worked to bring down United’s expenditure, loaning a player out while still paying a big chunk of his wages appears unlikely.