Transfer Gossip: Man Utd handed perfect update as Prem rivals admit defeat and agree to sell Old Trafford-bound star; West Ham must smash record signing for Rice replacement

Manchester United have been given some great news as a report claims Everton are ready to sell one of their best players to the Red Devils and have already identified a successor, West Ham have found out they must pay an eye-watering sum to replace Declan Rice with a top midfielder, while Wednesday’s Transfer Gossip reveals a Manchester City player will reject all offers to leave the club this summer.

MAN UTD MOVE CLOSER TO ENGLAND CAPTURE

Erik ten Hag’s Man Utd are poised to bid for Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and a report has just given them major encouragement about completing a deal.

Man Utd are in need of a new keeper this summer. David de Gea looked like he was going to agree a new contract with the club in May, but that no longer appears likely. He was left off the club’s retained list as the two parties are still discussing the terms of the deal, and the Daily Mirror have reported that they will struggle to reach an agreement.

De Gea’s departure will mark the end of an era as the Spaniard has been at Old Trafford since July 2011. He was signed by legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson and has gone on to appear in 545 games for the side.

But Ten Hag has never fully trusted De Gea due to him occasionally making some bad mistakes, plus the fact he struggles to play out from the back with his feet.

And this has gotten the Dutchman searching for a potential replacement. Man Utd are admirers of Inter’s Andre Onana and Diogo Costa of Porto, but they have recently begun prioritising Pickford.

On Sunday, the Daily Star revealed how Ten Hag has landed on Pickford as his ideal keeper signing. He has been impressed by Pickford’s shot-stopping and distribution in the season just gone.

As such, Man Utd chiefs have drawn up a £45million offer which will be sent in the coming days. They are hoping Everton’s recent financial problems will force them to sell for this amount.

An update on the situation has now arrived via The Sun. They claim there is growing fear at Everton that the 29-year-old will move on.

Everton find Jordan Pickford replacement

Due to this, Toffees boss Sean Dyche is preparing for life without Pickford. And Dyche has begun targeting Sam Johnstone of Crystal Palace to replace him.

While Johnstone has three years left on his Palace contract, having only joined the Eagles last summer, he has a release clause which Everton can activate. It is worth £10m.

A transfer at this price would see Everton make £35m, should they sell Pickford for £45m. That money could be used to improve other parts of Dyche’s squad.

And Everton are hopeful of convincing Johnstone to move back up north. He is settled in London but was born in Preston and is thought to still have family there, which would make a transfer back to the north west enticing.

Man Utd signing Pickford would be a clever move. He has been Everton’s best performer during their struggles in the last two years, picking up two consecutive Player of the Season Awards at Goodison Park. He regularly gets the team out of trouble by pulling off great saves and then going on to criticise his defenders.

Everton signing Johnstone as Pickford’s successor would also make sense. Like Pickford, Johnstone has international experience, having played three times for England so far.

He initially arrived at Palace as Vicente Guaita’s backup but managed to play in the last nine Premier League matches of the season under Roy Hodgson, keeping three clean sheets as Palace picked up four wins in that time.

WEST HAM QUOTED INCREDIBLE PRICE FOR PREM STAR

Fulham have told West Ham they will have to almost double their transfer record by spending a huge £90m to sign Joao Palhinha, as per a report.

West Ham will be in the market for a new midfielder this summer if Declan Rice departs. West Ham chairman David Sullivan has promised Rice he can leave if a suitable offer comes in after the player rejected several offers to extend his contract.

Arsenal are trying to beat Manchester City to Rice’s signing. They have submitted two offers for the England ace so far, worth £80m and £90m respectively. However, West Ham are standing firm and have told Arsenal Rice will only move if they receive £100m.

Mikel Arteta’s side are now planning to come back with a third proposal which is expected to get close to the £100m mark.

The Irons have landed on Palhinha as a great potential successor to Rice. The Portuguese excelled in his debut season at Fulham and is in contention to win their Player of the Season Award.

talkSPORT have claimed there is a release clause in the contract Palhinha signed when joining Fulham. But Cottagers owner Tony Khan has publicly rejected this, showing how eager he is to keep the 27-year-old.

And according to the Daily Mail, Fulham have given the star a colossal £90m valuation in an attempt to ward off West Ham.

Fulham can demand this much as they are in a strong position, with Palhinha’s contract not expiring until June 2027.

West Ham will be frustrated that Fulham are demanding almost as much for Palhinha as they are asking for with Rice. The East London side will point out Rice’s age, superior quality and the fact he has been starring in the Prem longer as reasons why Rice should be valued far higher than Palhinha.

However, Fulham view Palhinha as being integral to them building on their 10th-placed finish last season and potentially getting into the top eight next term. They will use this as justification for their astonishing demands.

West Ham signing Palhinha for £90m would use up almost all of their money from Rice’s sale and would shatter their transfer record. West Ham’s record signing is currently midfielder Lucas Paqueta, who joined from Lyon in a £51m deal last August.

Luckily for West Ham fans, it does not look like they will be spending £90m on Palhinha. The report suggests they will instead bid around £50m for him to try and tempt Fulham into a reasonable sale.

MAN CITY MAN TO REFUSE ALL OFFERS

One option for West Ham in case they miss out on Palhinha is Man City’s Kalvin Phillips, although it does not look like he will be going anywhere following his latest comments.

Phillips joined City from boyhood club Leeds United in July last year. Pep Guardiola’s side paid £45m to sign him on a six-year contract.

When arriving at the Etihad, Phillips was hoping to help City win some major silverware and also displace Rodri in the defensive midfield position.

Phillips is now a treble winner, but he has not managed to achieve his second aim. He played 21 times in the 2022-23 season, but only eight of those appearances lasted longer than half an hour.

Phillips’ struggle for game time has led to rumours he might quit City early. There have been shock rumours about a return to Leeds, while West Ham are understood to be keeping tabs on his situation.

But the 27-year-old has attempted to quash all talk about a summer move. In an interview with BBC Radio Manchester reporter Mike Minay, Phillips said: “My intention is to stay. We’ve just won the treble, so there is no reason for me to leave… I cannot give it 12 months and say I am not playing so I am going to leave. With many players at City, it can take quite a while to cement yourself into the team.

“I spoke to quite a few of the players: Nathan Ake being one, Jack [Grealish]. They all said the first 12 months were the hardest of their City careers but after that it doesn’t become easy, but easier. I’m just going to go away for the off-season, enjoy myself and then come back fighting.

“Just know how difficult it is to understand the way Pep wants to play and how quickly you need to adapt to play in his system. I am on the brink of almost getting it. Obviously there is a little bit of work in pre-season and hopefully be alright.”