Manchester United Transfer Rumours: Samir Nasri, Phil Jones and the Latest News
Manchester United may have won a record 19th Premier League title last season, but they've also lost three club legends: Gary Neville, Edwin van der Sar and Paul Scholes.
Sir Alex Ferguson has plenty of work to do this summer just replacing those three, and he also has to deal with Dimitar Berbatov, who may be more trouble to the Red Devils than he's worth.
Will United poach one of Arsenal's brightest stars in Samir Nasri, and do they have a new goalkeeper or not?
Let's find out.
David de Gea
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Atletico Madrid's 20-year-old shot-stopper is one of the best young keepers in the world and will in all likelihood be between the sticks for Spain in the future (distant future given Spain's extreme wealth at the position).
Shortly before Manchester United's Champions League Final with Barcelona, Sir Alex said the deal for de Gea was all but confirmed, with some Spanish papers reporting a fee of about £18 million had been agreed. However, Atletico simply claimed negotiations were ongoing.
The keeper himself is unsure over the move and is completely focused on the U-21 European Championships this summer rather than where he'll be playing his club football next season.
De Gea has performed very well for Atletico, particularly in the Europa League Final in 2010, but Manchester United is a whole different animal. Would he be able to handle the pressures of one of the world's biggest clubs at such a young age? It won't help him get into the national team any sooner, that's for sure.
Sir Alex Ferguson will have to work to get de Gea to United, and with Germany's young keeper Manuel Neuer signing with Bayern Munich, the Scot may have to start shopping around.
Phil Jones
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Manchester United's defense was constantly changing last season, and Rio Ferdinand can't be expected to continue for much longer, but it looks like Sir Alex Ferguson has found a center back of the future in Blackburn's young English defender Phil Jones.
A £16 million deal for the 19-year-old Jones is all but done, and even Wayne Rooney tweeted a welcome to the defender who will play in the U-21 Euros this summer.
The Red Devils apparently beat out Arsenal and Liverpool in securing Jones' signature, and he will likely see time in the squad next season due to injuries or suspension and will get to learn from one of the best defenders in the world today, Nemanja Vidic.
Ashley Young
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Now that the Phil Jones deal is set, Sir Alex turns his attention to Aston Villa's unhappy winger, Ashley Young.
Young has one season left with the Villains and has been all but gone all season long, with Liverpool one of his top suitors. However, it seems that late in the game, United have usurped their old foes.
The 25-year-old had an impressive season with Villa and an even better one with England and has claimed his desires to play at the highest level.
Given the fact that United just paid £16 million for a 19-year-old with limited experience, Villa may want to renegotiate a higher fee for Young than the £15 million reported earlier. And who can blame them? Losing Young would be a huge blow, and they need to recoup some money after the £24 million they paid Sunderland for Darren Bent in January.
Samir Nasri
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Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has said Spurs will absolutely not be selling Luka Modric, so Manchester United have turned their attentions to Arsenal's Samir Nasri, who is rejecting contract talks and growing frustrated at the Emirates.
Nasri apparently wants more money and more signings from the Gunners, and United could certainly give him more assurances.
Arsene Wenger has said he will "definitely" not be selling his 23-year-old star to the Red Devils, and Nasri himself, via Twitter, told his fans not to listen to the rumors.
Wesley Sneijder
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Inter Milan's Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder had a somewhat quiet season after leading his club to the Treble in 2009-2010 and the Netherlands to the World Cup Final last summer, but he's still one of the best midfielders in the world.
He signed a five-year deal with the Serie A giants this year, but he's still on Manchester United's radar. A swap deal for United's player of the season last year, Nani, is reportedly on the table, but Chelsea are also hot on Sneijder's tail.
Inter put a £30 million price tag on Sneijder's head, tipping the scales in favor of Chelsea, but with Samir Nasri and Luka Modric pretty much off the table, United need to be ruthless in securing a world-class midfielder to replace Paul Scholes.
Dimitar Berbatov
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Manchester United's top scorer from last season, Dimitar Berbatov, wants to stay and fight for his place with the Red Devils, but Sir Alex Ferguson may decide to sell his 30-year-old striker, whose transfer fee is likely at the highest it will be for the rest of his career.
He's a brilliant scorer, but with Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez young and in great form and transfer fees rising everywhere, it may be a smart decision to sell the Bulgarian striker.
Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly offering £12 million for Berbatov, who cost United £30 million in 2008, but if the French club and their new Qatari owners up their bid by a few million, it could very well be done.
