MAN UNITED LAUNCH £26M BID FOR JUVENTUS MIDFIELDER CLAUDIO MARCHISIO

Old Trafford side set to make big money offer for Italian international.

Man United are said to be set to launch a big money bid for Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio according to Italian source Correre dello Sport.

David Moyes seems keen to bring in a fresh central midfield option and having seemingly failed in his efforts to bring in Thiago Alcantara and then Cesc Fabregas the Scot has now turned to Italian international Marchisio and is set to offer €30m (£26.2m) for the 27 year old but one wonders if Antonio Conte will entertain any offers for such a pivotal figure in his squad.

Marchisio made 36 starts in all competitions last term and was a key performer in Juventus’s back to back Serie A title triumphs and as such would presumably not be a player made available for sale this summer.

The box to box performer is an excellent distributor of the ball and has a tendency to be on hand to score regularly and often nets crucial goals, racking up 22 goals in the past three seasons and could be seen by Moyes as an ideal replacement for Paul Scholes, who has of course retired for a second time.

Conte has invested well to boost his attack, bringing in Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente and will surely see Marchisio as one of the most adept players to help link midfield and attack in his side next term
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CHELSEALAUNCH £40M BID FOR MAN UNITED STRIKER WAYNE ROONEY

Stamford Bridge side significantly raise offer for Old Trafford forward.

Chelsea are set to make a £40m offer for Man United striker Wayne Rooney according to theIndependent.

Having seen an earlier bid of £27m turned down Jose Mourinho is ready to make a sizable increase on his opening bid in the hope that this may persuade Man United to sell the England international to a Premier League rival, a move that may or may not prove successful.

It’s clear that the relationship between Man United and Wayne Rooney is strained and one wonders if the damage done is repairable and if not then it seems likely that the Old Trafford side would seek to cash-in on Rooney but with there bound to be interest from the continent it seems highly unlikely Man United would entertain the notion of selling to the Stamford Bridge side.

Jose Mourinho hopes to have Rooney leading the Stamford Bridge line next season, seemingly preferring this option to using the likes of Fernando Torres, Romelu Lukaku and Demba Ba.

Rooney was used in a withdrawn striking role last term to accommodate Robin Van Persie’s arrival and comments made by David Moyes suggest that the former Everton man may only be used in a back-up role and this could well fuel the Man United striker’s desire to leave as soon as possible.

Signing Wayne Rooney would be a major statement of intent from Chelsea and would ably assist Mourinho’s push for a more suitable striker to spearhead an attack that would, in theory, see creative talents Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar providing the ammunition for the England international.