Manchester United Transfer News: Marco Verratti Blow, Dries Mertens Rumours

Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Patrick Kluivert has said that rumoured Manchester United target Marco Verratti will not be going anywhere in the summer.

United have been heavily linked with a move for the 24-year-old midfielder as a long-term replacement for Michael Carrick, and Spanish outlet Sport recently suggested that PSG would be open to selling him if they received a bid of £70 million (via the Manchester Evening News' Alex Porter).

However, Kluivert has dealt the Red Devils a blow after making assurances that the Italian will remain at the Parc des Princes, per Le10 Sport (via the M.E.N.'s Ciaran Kelly): "Verratti is the cornerstone of our midfield and things will remain that way. He is not going anywhere this year."

United are in urgent need of a successor to Carrick. While the Englishman continues to perform at a high level, he is 35 and has recently hinted at retirement, per the M.E.N.'s Rob Dawson:

The former Tottenham Hotspur man brings a solidity and calmness to United's midfield that cannot be replicated by any other player in Jose Mourinho's squad.

He is a metronomic passer of the ball, astute defensively and is an intelligent reader of the game.

Though much less experienced and yet to reach his peak, Verratti boasts similar attributes.

Before PSG's humiliating UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona on Wednesday, the former Pescara man had performed admirably in Europe's elite club competition, per the tournament's Twitter account:

However, it seems he is not available for purchase and that United will either have to look elsewhere or wait for another opportunity to snap up Verratti.

Meanwhile, Napoli's Dries Mertens has reportedly met with United, as rumours linking the forward with a summer move to Old Trafford continue.

According to Italian newspaper Il Mattino (h/t CalcioNapoli1926.it, via Alex Richards in the Mirror), the Belgium international is stalling on penning a new deal with Napoli—his contract is set to expire in 2018—and he "is said to have met with United representatives for two hours in the lobby of a hotel in Naples...to discuss a potential move."

Mertens, 29, has enjoyed a fantastic season with Napoli in 2016-17, netting a combined 23 goals in 32 matches in Serie A and the Champions League, per WhoScored.com.

He scored the opener against Real Madrid on Tuesday as Napoli made a valiant effort to knock the holders out of the Champions League to continue his blistering recent run, per Squawka:

Mertens could be a fine signing for United given his goalscoring prowess, as Mourinho's Red Devils are overreliant on the 35-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic to find the back of the net.