Manchester United Transfer News: Marquinhos Fuels Rumours, Bojan Krkic Boost

Manchester United have received a boost in their bid to secure the services of Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos, as the player has admitted he wants to be a regular starter.

French outlet Le 10 Sport (h/t James Cambridge of the Daily Express) previously reported the Red Devils were ready to battle Chelsea for his signature, and the Brazilian has now given the two Premier League sides a time frame in an interview with Journal du Dimanche (h/t Bleacher Report's Jonathan Johnson):

Per WhoScored.com, the 21-year-old has made seven starts and five substitute appearances in Ligue 1 so far, and he's part of a rotation that also includes compatriots Thiago Silva and David Luiz. The former is widely considered one of the best defenders in the world, and Luis is also ahead in the pecking order due to his experience and versatility.

The rotation has allowed manager Laurent Blanc to keep his players fresh and build a huge lead in the Ligue 1 standings. For for obvious reasons, though, the talented Marquinhos isn't satisfied not being an automatic starter. Per Andrew Gibney of Bleacher Report UK, the message is clear:

United's defence has performed remarkably well in the 2015-16 campaign, with Chris Smalling emerging as one of the Premier League's top defenders. He's mainly been paired with Daley Blind, who has looked solid but is still a better fit out on the left wing.

Marcos Rojo was also having a strong season before suffering a serious injury, and while the Argentina international figures to play a big role next season, it's easy to see why the club would be enamoured with Marquinhos.

The youngster is a sensational prospect who can already hold his own on the highest level, and he's versatile enough to split out wide if he has to, boosting his value even more. Here's a look at some of his highlights:

Marquinhos' comments are sure to put pressure on PSG, but Les Parisiens are under no obligation to sell, and that won't change in the summer.

Marquinhos is under contract, and while clubs never want to keep unhappy players around, PSG won't budge unless a truly spectacular offer comes along.

The Ligue 1 giants know what a talent he is, and they'll be keen to keep him at the club for as long as possible.

Bojan Krkic Release Clause Revealed

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Bojan Krkic's strong form has unsurprisingly led to plenty of transfer speculation, and the Red Devils are reportedly among a host of Premier League clubs looking to strike a deal, per Martin Lipton of the Sun.

According to Neil Moxley of the Daily Mirror, a deal for the former Barcelona man may actually turn out to be rather simple, as his contract contains a £10 million release clause.

The 25-year-old seems to have finally rediscovered the form that made him such a highly touted prospect, and he has already scored five goals in 15 Premier League starts this season, per WhoScored.com.

Bojan made his Barcelona debut at the age of 17 in 2007 and was then regarded as one of the top talents to emerge from La Masia in years, setting all kinds of scoring records with Barcelona's famed youth academy.

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He flashed superb potential at the Camp Nou but never really developed, resulting in a transfer to Serie A side AS Roma, a loan to Milan, a move back to Barcelona, a loan to Ajax and finally a transfer to Stoke.

His first season in the Premier League was hardly impressive, but after taking the time to adapt to a new competition, he has formed a fantastic bond with Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri at the Britannia Stadium.

If Krkic's contract does contain a buyout clause of just £10 million, one has to assume United would be interested. Creativity in attack has been an issue for the side, and the tricky midfielder would certainly add that, along with his vision and scoring ability.

He finally seems to be enjoying his football again, though, and staying with Stoke for now would be the smart move for Krkic.

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