Paper Round: Manchester United close in on new goalkeeper Lee Grant

Manchester United want Lee Grant, Manchester City will bring in Jorginho instead of Aaron Mooy, and Everton are considering a bid for Ante Rebic. 

Manchester United close in on new goalkeeper 

Manchester United are set to make their third signing of the summer. They are close to bringing in Stoke City goalkeeper Lee Grant. The 35-year-old will leave on a free transfer, and has previously represented England at Under-21 level. He will provide competition for Sergio Romero, while Joel Pereira will be allowed to go out on loan to gain first-team experience. 

City unlikely to bring Mooy back 

Across Manchester, United’s rivals and current Premier League champions Manchester City are not likely to make a move for Aaron Mooy, the Huddersfield Town midfielder. Mooy joined City from Melbourne City, their sister club, in 2016, and was loaned to the Yorkshire side immediately before making the move permanent. A host of Premier League clubs such as Everton and Southampton are rumoured to be interested and could offer £18m, but City will not step in to activate their buyback clause. 

Everton consider Rebic bid 

Everton continue their plan to give new boss Marco Silva an improved squad for the upcoming season. They are looking at Eintracht Frankfurt’s Ante Rebic. The 24-year-old Croatia international has had an impressive World Cup and that may lead the German side to activate a clause to turn a loan move from Fiorentina into a permanent one. Regardless of whether they do or not, Everton could step in to then off £26m for the striker. 

Jorginho on the verge of City move 

One of the reasons that Manchester City may not be in the market for Mooy is that they have already identified their replacement for Toure. They are expected to sign Jorginho in the coming days. Jorginho is an Italy international, but the 26-year-old is a Brazilian native and is back there for the summer, and his agent is just waiting for the call: “The player is in Brazil. I’m in my house in England, waiting for a call from Giuntoli or De Laurentiis. When it arrives, I will go to meet the leadership of Manchester City.”

Eurosport