The FIFA World Cup is over in Qatar and now attention turns back towards the Premier League, with action to get back underway next week.
There were a few breakout stars at the World Cup who could be pressing for new deals, led by one England sensation who is already in-demand.
Here are the latest transfer rumours in the wake of the World Cup, with a heavy dose of Manchester United news.
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UTD NOT GIVING UP HOPE OF $363M DREAM SCENARIO
Jude Bellingham was already expected to be a man in demand, even before his impressive World Cup campaign.
Manchester City, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United are among the parties interested in Bellingham, although reports suggest the latter is out of the race.
That is not stopping United from still pursuing Bellingham, with The Athleticreporting that the club remains interested and it is not the 19-year-old on its wishlist.
Rather, the report also claims that Frenkie de Jong is another target as United looks to bolster its midfield stocks.
Starting with Bellingham though, he arrived in Qatar as one of the more likely players to enjoy a breakout campaign, not that he needed it to bump up his already rising price tag.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder had a header in England’s 6-2 win against Iran and followed it up with a strong passing display in a 3-0 quarter-final victory over Senegal.
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Captain Harry Kane was full of praise for Bellingham, describing him as a “fantastic player”.
“He has everything with and without the ball, presses really well, gets around the pitch, tackles,” said Kane.
Unfortunately for United, reports earlier in the month claimed that the Premier League giants were likely not in the running for Bellingham’s signature.
“Borussia Dortmund are very happy with Jude Bellingham’s World Cup performance so far because he’s becoming even more valuable from the financial point of view,” transfer reporter Florian Plettenberg said on Sky Sports News.
“Bellingham is under contract until 2025 and he has no release clause unlike Erling Haaland did.
“They’re already planning for his summer exit in 2023, Dortmund would be fine with him leaving because they are confident in getting a transfer fee between €100m-€150m ($A157m-$A235m).
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“According to our sources, Liverpool, Man City and Real Madrid are his main options right now with Jurgen Klopp pushing for his move to the Reds.
“From what we are hearing, Bellingham is his number one transfer target next summer.
“Man Utd, on the other hand, they seem to be out of the race and don’t stand a chance at this point.”
Although the latest report from The Athletic suggests United has not given up hope just yet.
The Mirror, on the other hand, reported that Liverpool is “growing increasingly confident” it will win the race for Bellingham’s signature.
The report claims that the Reds believe that is the case for two reasons.
First, that Bellingham has now developed a strong relationship with fellow England teammate Jordan Henderson and two his father, who played a key role in his decision to join Dortmund, is leaning towards Liverpool as his preferred destination.
The Timesreported Bellingham is “likely to be at the centre of a bidding war” once the summer window rolls around and that Manchester City and Liverpool are “favourites”.
Should United miss out on Bellingham, which looks likely at this point, De Jong is another option, although the club has also missed out on his signature in the past.
Erik ten Hag has kept the Barcelona midfielder in his sights since taking over at United and The Sun reports the team is willing to put £200m ($A363m) into securing the duo’s services.
UNITED EYES NEW KEEPER
Meanwhile, in other United news, Sky Sports’ Plettenburg reported that ten Hag is also set to look for a new goalkeeper when the 2022-23 season wraps up.
“We’ve been told that #MUFC – at this stage – is not considering to pull his clause to extend for one more year,” Plettenburg tweeted.
“Ten Hag is open to get a new No. 1 but the player would like to stay beyond 2023.”
As for who ten Hag could be after as a replacement, TeamTalkreported that United has held talks with Switzerland international goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Working in United’s favour is the fact Sommer’s contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach expires at the end of the season, meaning he could join the Red Devils for free.
