Manchester United Transfer News: Red Devils Reportedly Want Marco Verratti

Manchester United have reportedly made Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti their top summer transfer target and are willing to spend £100 million to bring the Italy international to Old Trafford.

Manager Jose Mourinho is keen to create a new-look midfield and wants to partner Verratti with Shakhtar Donetsk's Fred, according to Tom Hopkinson of the Sunday Mirror.

The Red Devils are closing in on a deal for Fred. Football writer Ben Fairthorne offered an update on the move:

Manchester United have also been linked with a move for Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. However, the Red Devils have been put off by the Italian club's €100 million (£87.4 million) asking price, according to Fabrizio Romano and Ed Aarons at the Guardian.

Yet an even bigger fee may be needed if they are to prise away Verratti from PSG. Italian football writer Adam Digby offered his view on the two players:

Verratti was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona in summer 2017, and his agent at the time, Donato Di Campli, described him as being a "prisoner" at PSG, per Corriere dello Sport (h/t Sport).

The Italian subsequently apologised to his club for the comments and said he made "a big mistake," per Marca.

Verratti did not enjoy his best campaign for PSG last season even though he helped the team to secure a domestic treble.

The 25-year-old only made 20 starts in  Ligue 1 and also played a part in their UEFA Champions League elimination by Real Madrid. The midfielder was sent off in the second leg of their clash, which left his team with an even steeper mountain to climb.

Squawka Football's Muhammad Butt gave his view of Verratti:

There's no doubting Verratti is a quality player, but there is a sense he has stalled at PSG and that his temperament lets him down.

Meanwhile, Verratti has said he has no plans to leave PSG this summer, as Goal's Robin Bairner shared:

Manchester United look set to invest heavily once again this summer in a bid to close the gap to Premier League champions Manchester City. The Red Devils finished in second place in the table but a distant 19 points behind their city rivals in 2017/18.

Attempting to sign Verratti will be difficult and expensive business for United, and there's no guarantee he would be a better option than those already available to Mourinho.