Erik ten Hag gets chance to scout Manchester United transfer target Evan Ferguson – Paper Round

Erik ten Hag is likely to get the chance to watch striking target Evan Ferguson up close and personal, with the Mirror reporting how Manchester United could move for the teenage striker.

“Ferguson spent time trialling with Manchester United as a youngster but still ended up signing for Brighton. The Red Devils would now have to pay a premium price to bring Ferguson to the club, with former academy director Nick Cox recently admitting that missing out on the youngster was a “£50m-plus mistake”.

“Manchester United spent £72m to bring striker Rasmus Hojlund to Old Trafford from Atalanta, but Ferguson is still of interest as Ten Hag would like to bring another No. 9 to the club in the future.”

Another Manchester United player could follow Eric Bailly to Turkey as Hannibal Mejbri is wanted on loan by Besiktas, according to The Sun.

“The 20-year-old who was once involved in a training ground bust-up with former team-mate Alex Telles is wanted in a last-gasp transfer swoop.

“Besikitas and United have recently been in negotiations after the Instanbul-based side signed centre-back Eric Bailly.

“They are now looking to strengthen their ranks further by eyeing a move for midfielder Mejbri with the Turkish transfer window still open.”

The paper states: ”Barcelona’s ongoing battle against their financial crisis has seen another twist, with La Liga informing the Catalan side that their new wage cap will be reduced to €270 million (£232m).

“The La Liga champions have been struggling against Javier Tebas’ financial restrictions for some time following a number of huge transfer deals and several years of mismanagement at the Nou Camp.

“As a result, a number of the club’s heftier salaries have since been taken off the bill, with the likes of club legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba departing for MLS outfit Inter Miami where they have reunited with Lionel Messi.

“Now, though, Barca are facing a season in which they have had their salary cap cut by almost 50 per cent, having been told in February they could spend approximately £558m.

“Worse still, their current squad and staff costs are reportedly around £347m, leaving the club over budget by approximately £115m, which means at the end of the season they will enter a deficit amounting to the same amount.

“The most straight-forward solution would be to sell players in the medium-term in January in order to raise £115m and break even.”

Arsenal’s chief executive Vinai Venkatesham will leave the club after rebuilding the squad under Edu and Mikel Arteta.

“Venkatesham has worked in a variety of senior positions at Arsenal and was appointed chief executive in September 2020, following a time of huge change at executive level.

“He played a major role in helping Arsenal to navigate the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and, alongside sporting director Edu, has overseen the rebuild of the first-team squad following the appointment of Mikel Arteta as manager.

“Venkatesham was made managing director of Arsenal following the departure of chief executive Ivan Gazidis in 2018. He then worked alongside Raul Sanllehi, the club’s then-head of football, before Sanllehi’s sudden departure in August 2020.”