Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool-linked Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies is ‘close’ to signing a new contract with the German club, says David Ornstein.

Davies’ current contract expires at the end of the season and he is attracting interest from the Premier League trio, though Real Madrid have always looked the most likely destination if he was to move.

Bayern have been working relentlessly to agree new terms with the Canadian international and appear to have made a breakthrough in their negotiations.

According to The Athletic journalist Ornstein, Davies is ‘close to an agreement’ with Bayern over a new contract.

Ornstein says there is ‘only a small gap’ between the terms Bayern are willing to offer and Davies’ demands, with the player keen to pen a four-year deal.

It is added that Real Madrid and other interested clubs ‘are still waiting in the wings’ but the 24-year-old is expected to stay in Munich with ‘a compromise likely to be struck’.

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Davies has made 218 appearances for the Bundesliga giants since joining from MLS outfit Vancouver Whitecaps for €14million in January 2019.

He has won 13 trophies in Germany and is also a four-time Canadian footballer of the year.

Davies was the perfect Man Utd signing for Ruben Amorim, who is searching for a new left-wing-back.

Amorim will now likely turn his attention to Paris Saint-Germain’s Nuno Mendes, who he previously managed at Sporting.

It has gone a little quiet on the Mendes front as the Red Devils concentrate on player sales.

They are actively looking to move Marcus Rashford on and several clubs are interested in signing him on loan.

Man Utd have set an asking price of £50m for the 27-year-old but are open to a loan this month amidst interest from Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Barcelona.

Another Man Utd player being linked with a departure is Alejandro Garnacho, who is a Napoli target following the sale of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to PSG.

Incomings appear to be off the table until the Old Trafford club make a sale and Garnacho can be offloaded for “pure profit” – a godsend for clubs trying to avoid breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

MORE: Manchester United news | Every Premier League transfer in January 2025 | 20 biggest transfers in the world in January 2025

Alan Shearer has worked out where Manchester United are going wrong under Ruben Amorim and it is very similar to their biggest problem with Erik ten Hag in charge.

The Red Devils are currently 12th in the Premier League after 21 matches, winning seven, drawing five and losing a ridiculous nine.

They are, at least, above Tottenham, who have lost 11 of their 21 league matches in 2024/25.

Man Utd replaced Ten Hag with Amorim in November but their form has hardly improved with the Portuguese at the helm.

Amorim’s first match was a 1-1 draw away to relegation-threatened Ipswich Town and since that game, his side have been the 14th best team in the Premier League. They were 13th going into his first matchweek.

Man Utd have shown promise against the better teams, however, beating Manchester City at the Etihad and earning a deserved point away to Liverpool before knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup after a penalty shoot-out victory in London.

They are backing these performances up with poor showings against the lesser teams, like on Thursday at home to bottom-placed Southampton.

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Amorim’s men were trailing from the 43rd to 82nd minute and had Amad Diallo to thank for the eventual 3-1 win, with the Ivorian netting a sensational 12-minute hat-trick.

Their overall performance was abysmal and quite surprising, even for their standards, after their success at Arsenal.

This is something Man Utd also did under Ten Hag, beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final after recording their worst finish in Premier League history, for example.

Man Utd are showing the same signs under Amorim and Newcastle United legend Shearer thinks their form against weaker opposition is a big concern.

The Match of the Day pundit says performances against teams like Southampton and Wolves have “got to improve” and reckons Amorim should sign an elite striker.

“When they went to Arsenal, and went down to 10 men, Man United put in a really impressive, hard, tough performance, they had to stick in there with 10 men, and they had to suffer,” he said.

“The thing is though, I know they won late on, but the match against Southampton showed this, they can play that way against the bigger clubs, like against Arsenal and Liverpool, because sitting and soaking up pressure suits their style of play and suits some of their players, but they aren’t able to play like that at home against Southampton, Wolves, Ipswich, Everton for example – and that’s what he’s got to improve.

“I mean there’s no doubt that he’s probably got his 11 players now that he can say: ‘OK, I know you’re going to give me it all.’

“It might not be pretty, but at least he knows he’s got half a chance with those players and they are another club that need a striker, whether they wait for summer or try and bring some in this month, they have to go and invest in a top class centre forward.”

Shearer did praise defender Harry Maguire for taking his chance under Amorim.

“I think Amorim has gone in there and looked at Harry and probably admired his attitude and who and what he is.

“That’s why they’ve given him a new deal because he’s up for the fight, he gives everything that he’s got, he’s been a very good professional.

“I think that system (3-4-2-1) suits him, when he’s got two centre halves in and around him, and he’s got the two wingbacks there to make it a five when they’re defending.”

READ NOW: Man Utd player ‘temperament’ causes transfer ‘doubt’ as Napoli ‘make offer’ for €40m winger

Many assumed there was no way back for Joshua Zirkzee after that substitution but he has responded impeccably for Manchester United, who can see the light.

Send your thoughts to theeditor@football365.com.

The new St Totteringham’s Day
As a United fan, it’s been a rough season. So, looking at the table after tonight’s result I’d like to take this opportunity, during what may well be a very brief window where we can look down at them, to finally join in with taking the p*ss out of Spurs – they’re a bit rubbish, aren’t they!
Andy (MUFC)

It’s a kind of magic
Only 14 more needed for Man Utd to get to 40 points…
Chris, NUFC

A short story
It’s half time and United are one nil down to a rubbish team. Again. Conceded from a set piece. Again. And we don’t look like scoring.

Get the pint glasses ready, here comes Fat Sam with his Merlot.
Ashmundo

Bugger me. We did a win.
Ashmundo

Imagine how Big Ange feels
Just watching the Man Utd v Southampton game. It’s obviously not the thing that’s been our downfall so far, but it really is farcical that in this age of VAR, they can’t intervene with such a clear and obvious error when the ball goes out for a corner by two feet. Ridiculous.

Ooooh, just typing this and Amad has scored, which I just missed. Serves me right I suppose.
Phil, Manchester

Build on it
Oh Boy, Southampton!!! Even if they had gotten a point it would have hurt them but to end up 3-1 is absolutely shattering to say the least. Special shout out to their front 3 – Dibling, Sulemana and Mateus Fernandes. Especially Sulemana who always had half a yard over Yoro. Only if they could finish better it would have been an entirely different result. Even in the reverse fixture up until the penalty miss they were actually the better team. If they finish below the all time lowest points tally of Derby County it will definitely be a shame given their performances across most matches.

Now to United. Garnacho’s miss in the 1st half and Antony’s – missing it was more difficult than scoring, combined with struggling to break the Southampton lines, it is still a great result all thanks to Amad’s work rate and composure and out substitutes. Let’s forget the performance, not saying we shouldn’t learn from it but just from a positive perspective. We got the 3 points, scored 3 goals and the Old Trafford curse has ended. At least until the next match, which is against Brighton who are 4 points above us. Getting a result against Brighton next and Fulham the following week is crucial given that there are a lot of matches between teams above us.

If we win our next 3 and results go certain ways, we could see ourselves in the top 8 come the first weekend of February. We definitely need to build on this result. It is as if Old Trafford is where all the pressure is for this team and this result should give us much needed boost to break the OT hoodoo.

Our starting striker curse is still haunting us but Zirkzee’s performance yesterday was much better than any of the recent strikers’ performances. In a short span he has had a massive turnaround in his performances and fortunes. Hope he can improve on that steadily.

Brighton and Fulham won’t be easy but I’m pretty sure that we can give both the games a good go. Let’s hope the team and the entire club can build on this.

Regards
Vasanthan

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What to do about Ange?
Speaking to my fellow Spurs supporters (and I am talking about people who go to the games), none of us want to sack Ange now.  The view is that he should be given the rest of the season and if there are obvious signs of a plan that has come together then we should stick with him but sack him then if not.  It is at this point where there is disagreement.  There are increasing numbers who think that there will be no evidence of real progress and he will have to go then.

However, the future is bright.  It is 58 years since my first trip to White Hart Lane and, barring two years, I have attended games in person every season since.  I have seen many false dawns, always one or two players short blah, blah blah.  So I am not saying this as a deluded, blinkered fan but as someone who has supported, understands and loves this crazy club.

Jonathan Liew’s comment in his excellent analysis in the Guardian today does concur with my feelings.  “There is a really good side in here. Maybe lacking in passing sophistication, but exciting and youthful and aggressive and reared in a common style and with a devastatingly high ceiling.”

I am coming round to the view that there won’t be enough evidence of progress for it to be Ange (which is sad because amongst all the crap it’s been a lot of fun) but someone else (and for me Iraola) who will inherit a brilliant position.

Up the Spurs
Sean, East Finchley

READ MORE: Who will be the next manager of Tottenham after Ange Postecoglou?

Good luck, Dave
Spoons LFC, where ya been? VAR and the officiating has been bringing the game into disrepute for years now.  Glad you’re on board though.

As for Maupay returning to Everton, never gonna happen (although if it somehow does, I’ll need a few wet wipes as well.)  He’s burned his bridges and did nothing for Everton other than run around and try to wind up his opponents rather than do what he was supposed to do, you know, score a goal or two.

I know we’re desperate, I know it’s darkest before the dawn.  But it’s not bad enough that we need to bring a non-scoring striker back to Goodison Park.

As for Wednesday’s match, I don’t know how Villa weren’t out of sight by halftime.  We were lucky on so many occasions that Villa had to be wondering what they had to do to score.  No worries, Everton is good for a few match changing mistakes and this was no exception.  Branthwaite was nowhere to be found as Watkins just waltzed through middle, latching on to a pass, and putting it past an excellent Pickford.

Our defense has been decent for the most part and Pickford has especially kept us in games but when you can’t put the ball in the opponent’s net, it just doesn’t matter how good you are in back.  Moyes and Thelwell have their work cut out for them and it’s clear that we have too many passengers (Doucoure, Harrison, etc…) that just don’t add anything to the team.  Ndiaye is the only player we have who can make things happen, but he can’t do it all on his own.  Reinforcements needed and I never thought I’d say this, but the sooner Dwight McNeil and James Garner come back, the better.
TX Bill (it just sucks going 1-0 down knowing you’re not going to comeback) EFC

MOTD
I agree with Dave Tickner’s take on MoTD. The BBC f**ked it. But they f**k everything. Perhaps only the FA can rival our national broadcaster in its unerring ability to make the wrong decision about pretty much everything.

But that’s not the point of my letter. I just wanted to question two assumptions in Dave’s otherwise well considered piece. Firstly, that Gary Lineker is/was a good presenter. He isn’t. He’s awful. Forever mugging at the camera, throwing his arms around and laughing at his own dad jokes. I’m told he writes his own scripts, which seems entirely plausible. Any one of Cates, Logan or Chapman (or all three) will be a marked improvement. More poise, more intelligence, less egotism.

The second assumption is that Boris Johnson would ruin the show. What nonsense. I wouldn’t want him running the country again (although I suspect for different reasons than Dave) but he was a hilarious chair on HIGNFY. Like him or loathe him, he is actually quite funny, unlike Gary bloody Lineker.
Matt Pitt

Is Tickers a bit down in the dumps just because Spurs manage to keep getting sillier and sillier? That’s the only way I can explain his rather grumpy response to the Match of the Day presenter news. For what it’s worth, I totally disagree with him. To me, it seems like the Beeb have absolutely made a “decision” – that decision being a clear declaration that they don’t think this issue matters even nearly as much as a very small minority of the population would seem to suggest.

Depending on the ‘source’ (which I haven’t bothered to research extensively) MotD viewing figures land in the 2.5m-4m range each week – figures varying somewhat depending on whether or not iPlayer streams are included. If even half of those viewers give a rat’s arse about the identity of the man or woman, paid to be sat in a chair, reading an autocue to tell the viewers the names of the teams coming up in the next highlights package, then that represents between 2% and 3% of the population with a true vested interest.

And I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that a large chunk of the stronger opinions held the subject are of the more ‘traditional’ (often unsavoury) kind of “wOmEn PrEsEnTeRs ShUd Be oN WoMenS fOoTbAL. wOkE rUbBiSh”, many of whom won’t be viewers of the programme anyway. The same kind of people who sh*t the bed every time the Goal-of-the-Month music changes. Irrespective of that, these polarising opinions are of course seized on by those who stand to benefit from a culture war and blown up out of all proportion when, deep down, most people really, honestly don’t care.

The fact that Leicester’s finest, jug-eared crisp salesman gets so many headlines for the headspinning amount he is paid, speaks volumes about just how out of kilter the rewards and recognition earned from his role are, compared to the value ascribed to it by vast swathes of people. I watch MotD2 and there is no noticeable drop off in quality despite Chappers generally being in the hotseat.

I could draw parallels with some other areas where a hardcore minority justify their niche obsessions by making a huge fuss over the changes to lead-actors that 98% of the population couldn’t give a sh*ny shit about. I’ve too often stumbled into the darker corners of the internet where sweaty keyboard warriors publicly melt down over the “wrong” casting either in kid’s sci-fi pantomime “Doctor Who”; or the dated, paint-by-numbers James Bond action franchise. I reckon you could interchange the key-players across most of those and get almost the same output. Who wouldn’t want to see the Doctor regenerate as Alex Scott; or David Tennant as 007; or Piers Brosnan in a tux introducing our Premier League highlights? Still wouldn’t be as smooth as Des Lynam, though, would he?

It’s worth remembering the bizarre situation in 2023 when Lineker was suspended and the resultant solidarity ‘strikes’ of fellow pundits and commentators led to a 20 minute episode of MotD with not a single spoken word from anyone… and the viewing audience actually increased from the previous week. The senior bods at the Beeb know that live TV is a dying medium. Most committed football viewers will have seen the key highlights on Youtube or watched entire matches on illegal streams long before the opening blast of that famous theme tune on a Saturday evening. Their analysis coming from 427 expert TikTokers or bloggers ranting at them from the warm comfort-blanket of the club-biased echo-chambers across the web. Maybe rather than having “f****d” Match of the Day, the BBC management just realise that now is the time to quash the faux-prestige around a TV show that might not even have another decade’s worth of relevancy.

Clearly I’m deliberately being a bit contrarian and I do understand why one of Auntie’s weekly flagship programmes, covering (one division of) our national game, holds a place in people’s hearts and needs a suitable team involved. And to give all due credit to Gary Lineker – one of my absolute sporting heroes and the main reason I’m a Spurs fan of 34 years – is actually very good at it. I’m just suggesting that perhaps the post-Lineker coronation of a single, worthy ‘heir’ isn’t as important as just maintaining decent professional presentational standards and maybe a bit of variety (in the literal sense; not Morecambe and Wise or Bernie Clifton) on the show. At the risk of undermining my own points by giving an ‘opinion’ on the choices; I think the triumvirate lined up to share the role are all more than capable and I look forward to watching on iPlayer and fast-forwarding through their bits to get to the proper football highlights, just as much as I do now with Lineker.
Chris Bridgeman, Kingston upon Thames (PS. I think I might be on to something with David Tennant as Bond.)

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford may soon have Erik ten Hag as his manager again as consecutive defeats for Borussia Dortmund could lead to their reunion.

Rashford wants out of Old Trafford having announced his desire for a “new challenge” last month, and several top European sides have been credited with interest in the United forward.

Premier League trio West Ham, Tottenham and Arsenal have all been linked with Rashford, but a move to a Premier League rival has reportedly been blocked by Red Devils co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, while Juventus, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona are also thought to be keen on the England international.

Reports on Thursday claimed German giants Dortmund have stepped up their interest in Rashford and could make a bid to sign him on loan in the coming days.

Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg says Die Schwarzgelben sporting director Sebastian Kehl and head coach Nuri Sahin are ‘pushing’ to land the 27-year-old.

Plettenberg says ‘new talks have taken place’ but Italian giants Milan ‘are also very concrete in their interest’.

The transfer expert wrote on X: ‘Sebastian Kehl and Nuri Sahin are now pushing to sign Marcus Rashford!

‘New talks have taken place, with Borussia Dortmund aiming to secure him on loan.

‘The decision to pursue Rashford was made after Friday’s defeat, as exclusively revealed.

‘However, AC Milan are also very concrete in their interest and are actively trying to secure a deal themselves.’

German outlet BILD claimed on Thursday that Dortmund are considering signing Rashford from Man Utd permanently.

It is said that the Bundesliga side ‘urgently’ need to sign players in the winter transfer window having lost their last two matches, most recently falling 4-2 to relegation-threatened Holsten Kiel.

MORE MANCHESTER UNITED COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Scholes says Man Utd can ‘do better’ than ‘scruffy’ academy star as second exit branded ‘offensive’
👉 Amorim hits out at ‘late’ Mainoo as Man Utd quartet shamed for ‘lacking enthusiasm’ in Saints win
👉 Amad Diallo rescues Man United from themselves again with absurd hat-trick rescue act against Southampton

Dortmund could do with forward reinforcements after selling Donnell Malen to Aston Villa for €30m, while Plettenberg also reports that young Englishman Jamie Gittens is a ‘top target’ for Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich in the summer.

Their ‘secret transfer plans’ are revealed by BILD, who claim ‘there is a Rashford turnaround’, with ‘the coming transfer days at BVB’ expected to be ‘hot’.

The move may well be appealing to Rashford on the back of Jadon Sancho leaving United for Dortmund and rediscovering his form, though we’re not sure how he’ll feel about the prospect of working under Ten Hag again.

The former United boss – sacked by the Red Devils under three months ago – is currently working as a ‘shadow coach’ at Dortmund, and as head coach Nuri Sahin comes under increasing pressure, there are suggestions that Ten Hag may soon take the reins.

Sky Germany claim Ten Hag has a ‘very good’ relationship with Dortmund advisor and former captain Matthias Sammer, adding fuel to speculation that he could end up being Sahin’s replacement with the team currently tenth in the Bundesliga, 17 points adrift of league leaders Bayern.

Rashford enjoyed his best ever season under Ten Hag, scoring 30 goals in the Dutchman’s first campaign in charge, but has struggled since.

Man Utd forward Marcus Rashford has “hoodwinked” the Premier League club into “giving him a lot of money” and has been “disrespectful” to the fans, according to former Red Devils defender Paul Parker.

Rashford was left out of Ruben Amorim’s squad for their 2-1 win over Man City last month and has only been in one matchday squad since.

The England international was interviewed by Henry Winter shortly after the match against Man City with Rashford revealing that he is ready for a “new challenge” away from Man Utd.

Rashford has since been linked with moves to a number of clubs on loan but there is little sign of any concrete offers that are close to completion.

And now former Man Utd defender Parker insists Rashford hasn’t been “honest to the club and fans” with the Red Devils forward “selfish and disrespectful to his town”.

Parker told bettingexpert.com: “Given Amorim has only been here ten minutes I don’t think he’ll be worried about losing Rashford to another Premier League side. He’ll have seen that Rashford wasn’t showing enough effort or delivering.

“Does he fit in what I want to do? Not really because he wants to play out wide left. Does he fit into one of the two number ten roles? I don’t think he does. He wants to sit on the touchline on the left, cut inside and shoot, quite basic really. It’s like park football with him. Players just want to play one position.”

“If he did it at another club, people that love and see the game would be disappointed with him because it’s him being selfish and disrespectful to his town, to the fans, to the team he played for.

MORE MANCHESTER UNITED COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Scholes says Man Utd can ‘do better’ than ‘scruffy’ academy star as second exit branded ‘offensive’
👉 Amorim hits out at ‘late’ Mainoo as Man Utd quartet shamed for ‘lacking enthusiasm’ in Saints win
👉 Amad Diallo rescues Man United from themselves again with absurd hat-trick rescue act against Southampton

“Rashford hasn’t been honest with himself and the club he’s supposed to love. People want to act like he’s been treated badly but if your kid is continually behaving badly you’ve got to tell them off.

“Manchester United have decided to let him go because they got hoodwinked into giving him a lot of money. They paid well over the going rate with him. Eric Cantona didn’t get the sort of money Rashford has earned.

“The club have tried their best to get the best out of him. It’s okay to have a bad game but be honest to the club and fans and he hasn’t done that.”

Harry Maguire has put in much-improved performances in the centre of a back three under Amorim and Parker hopes the Man Utd defender can keep up his form.

Parker added: “We’ve seen Maguire be an issue against teams that are quicker and more direct like in the Newcastle game because he was being asked to squeeze up. The three at the back need to be closer to the midfield players in the manager’s new system.

“No one has talked about the issue of what the manager really wants.

“Amorim knows how he wants to play and the players he needs and you can’t question him until he’s got his players in. There’s massive improvements to be made in the squad.”

Joshua Zirkzee has faced a lot of criticism since his summer move to Man Utd from Bologna and Parker hopes the Netherlands international’s performance against Arsenal was a “turning point” for his Red Devils career.

Parker continued: “He’s impressed when he’s come on as a sub against Southampton and the Arsenal game was his best performance. He showed some foresight and he had a little bit of drive about him. He got into areas, driving forward and lets be honest his impact was better than anything Hojlund did throughout his time on the pitch.

“He took the penalty as well which might come off the back of the fans singing his name in the Liverpool game. I wasn’t fazed when he took the pen because of what he did in the game.

“I don’t know if it’’s a turning point because things change in football quickly but I wouldn’t be surprised if he started the next game. I don’t think anyone wants to see Hojlund start either. United have to look at someone to come in to play the number nine role.

“United have winnable games in name at least coming up so it’s an opportunity to get a European spot. United must be in Europe every season.”

Erling Haaland is the fifth Manchester City player to be the highest-paid star in the Premier League at any time. He might not be dethroned until he leaves.

It is difficult to pinpoint exact figures and specific times in some instances, while outliers such as Alen Boksic supposedly being on £63,000 at Middlesbrough in 2000 will be ignored wherever possible. This is as accurate a timeline as we could nail down.

John Barnes (£10,000) – August 1992 to April 1995
“When I signed for Liverpool, I became the first £10,000-a-week player in the country and the newspaper headlines were ‘Football’s gone mad’,” John Barnes recalled in 2017, 30 years after he signed the Liverpool contract in question, which itself came shortly before this. He entered the Premier League as its highest-paid player but missed the real gravy train that was to come.

Chris Sutton (£10,000) – July 1994 to April 1995
A Premier League title challenge at Norwich in 1993 and 25 goals with a UEFA Cup win over Bayern Munich a year later prepared Chris Sutton wonderfully for his £5m move to Blackburn in summer 1994. As well as the British record fee, the striker was given a five-figure weekly wage for his troubles.

Eric Cantona (£18,000) – April 1995 to June 1995
‘I suppose we should turn a blind eye to the fact that Eric Cantona has earned himself a £10,000-a-week rise by kung-fu kicking his way into court and costing Manchester United the title,’ wrote the Daily Mirror when the King extended his Manchester United contract in 1995. ‘Out of shame and scandal has come profit.’

Dennis Bergkamp (£25,000) – June 1995 to July 1996
After finishing second and third in the Ballon d’Or vote for two years running in 1992 and 1993, Dennis Bergkamp’s streak was snapped by a regrettable time with Inter. Arsenal came to his rescue in 1995, with chairman Peter Hill-Wood admitting himself that the money involved was “absolutely mad”. The fee was three times Arsenal’s previous record; the wage was the biggest seen in the Premier League at the time.

Fabrizio Ravanelli (£42,000) – July 1996 to May 1997
With more than twice as many goals as any teammate in his solitary season on Teesside, few would argue that Fabrizio Ravanelli did not earn his coin despite Middlesbrough’s relegation.

Alan Shearer (£34,000) – May 1997 to December 1999
The baton made the short trip down the A19 for a reduction in money but an increase in excellence at the start of Alan Shearer’s second season at Newcastle. It was unfortunately also his worst; injury restricted him to just two goals in 15 starts.

Roy Keane (£52,000) – December 1999 to July 2001
With the glow of the Treble still shining through, Manchester United sought to extend Roy Keane’s contract throughout 1999. A £38,500-a-week deal was rejected amid purported interest from Italy, before United finally stumped up that December. But it was not without controversy: Keane rather understandably demanded an apology after United sent a letter to fans using his new contract to explain why season ticket prices had increased.

Sol Campbell (£60,000) – July 2001 to July 2001
“I want to sign big players,” Arsene Wenger began in May 2001, “but that does not necessarily mean they have to be big names. You can create a big team without bankrupting the club and we would not pay a player £100,000 a week.” That was the reported pay packet Campbell was demanding to leave behind his boyhood club, but the manager won out in the end.

Juan Sebastian Veron (£80,000) – July 2001 to March 2002
But Campbell would vacate the throne within a week or so. British record signing – and Manchester United’s real most expensive player ever – Juan Sebastian Veron penned a five-year contract upon his arrival, won the September Player of the Month award within his first few weeks, became the first Argentinean Premier League champion and was a roaring success throughout.

Roy Keane (£90,000) – March 2002 to August 2003
Rio Ferdinand was right all along.

Hernan Crespo (£94,000) – August 2003 to July 2005
Is history a little harsh on Hernan Crespo? He was certainly not a sensation at Chelsea, nor did he perform quite as well as his levels of remuneration would suggest, but he recorded as many double-digit Premier League seasons for goals as Gianfranco Zola despite completing five fewer campaigns.

Steven Gerrard (£100,000) – July 2005 to May 2006
“How can I think of leaving Liverpool after a night like this?” asked Steven Gerrard after his heroics in the 2005 Champions League final. Little over five weeks later, he instructed agent Struan Marshall to reject an offer of £100,000 a week to stay at Liverpool, with Chelsea circling. A day later, the U-turn was complete, the ashes of those burned shirts were swept away and a four-year deal was signed.

Andriy Shevchenko (£118,000) – May 2006 to July 2007
Is history a little harsh on Andriy Shevchenko? Not at Chelsea, no. Jerzy Dudek broke him.

John Terry (£131,000) – July 2007 to August 2008
“I’m really happy this has now been concluded,” said John Terry, master of understatement. Considering his previous £67,000-a-week contract had been almost doubled, you really would hope so.

Frank Lampard (£140,000) – August 2008 to September 2008
Chelsea had been in simultaneous negotiations with Frank Lampard, but it was not until the dawn of the following season that the midfielder committed his future to Stamford Bridge. It was quite the statement of support at the time for a player who had just turned 30, but a rejected £10m bid from Inter Milan almost forced the hand of the Premier League and Champions League runners-up.

Robinho (£160,000) – September 2008 to July 2009
The funniest part about Robinho becoming the highest-paid Premier League player in September 2008 is not that he almost joined Chelsea, nor that he seemed to be unaware of the fact there were two sides in Manchester. Rather, it was that he replaced Shaun Wright-Phillips as City’s biggest earner. And that’s just weird.

Carlos Tevez (£250,000) – July 2009 to June 2013
When Carlos Tevez refused to come on as a substitute in a Champions League game against Bayern Munich, Manchester City were understandably furious. They fined him four weeks’ wages, equivalent to £1m. Another month or so and that would cover the cost of one Michu.

Yaya Toure (£220,000) – June 2013 to February 2014
Insert joke about expensive birthday cake here.

Wayne Rooney (£300,000) – February 2014 to January 2018
A reminder that Wayne Rooney once requested a transfer from Manchester United and was rewarded with a £70,000-a-week pay rise. That was in October 2010. By the time that contract was within 18 months of expiration, he was being flanked by Ed Woodward and David Moyes while signing another for almost twice as much.

Alexis Sanchez (£350,000) – January 2018 to September 2019
Five goals at a cost of £70,000 each. Nine assists at a cost of £38,888 each. Almost two years of schadenfreudian banter? Priceless.

David de Gea (£375,000) – September 2019 to April 2021
Have you ever known a knackered fax machine to cost quite so much?

Kevin de Bruyne (£385,000) – April 2021 to August 2021
“The amounts are what they are,” said Herwig de Bruyne when son Kevin extended his Manchester City contract with an £85,000-a-week raise. “If your boss offers you double tomorrow, for example, you are not going to refuse that. You shouldn’t sell yourself below your price either.” His boy certainly did no such thing; the younger De Bruyne negotiated the lucrative deal himself over six months after parting company with his agent.

Cristiano Ronaldo (£480,000) – August 2021 to December 2022
The antithesis of that was the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United, instigated and overseen by the influential Jorge Mendes. The one thing all reports agreed on is that the Portuguese was earning less at Old Trafford than he had been at Juventus, with some outlets settling for the safer ‘more than £400,000’ and others declaring the figure to be £480,000.

How fortunate Manchester United were that an entire league needed a new face for their ludicrous financial incontinence; Ronaldo will earn something close to that in a day in Saudi Arabia with his latest contract extension.

Kevin de Bruyne (£385,000) – December 2022 to January 2025
The ginger prince regained his crown for a while until…

Erling Haaland (£500,000) – January 2025 to now
“I am really happy to have signed my new contract and to be able to look forward to spending even more time at this great club,” said Haaland when his staggering new terms emerged. It’s not the only thing he’ll be spending on half a million a week for the next decade.

Poor Alan Shearer. It’s either his all-time Premier League record or that of the highest ever North West Counties Football League scorer that is in grave jeopardy. Manchester City must be awful confident over those charges.

Manchester United are reportedly ‘playing hardball’ over the sale of Alejandro Garnacho, who is wanted by Serie A club Napoli.

Garnacho is one of the wingers being targeted by Napoli, who are in need of a replacement for Paris Saint-Germain-bound Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Georgian winger Kvaratskhelia will reportedly sign a four-and-a-half-year contract in Paris after the clubs agreed a €70million (£59.1million) fee plus bonuses.

Garnacho is one of the most promising young wingers in the world but he has not been on form this season for Man Utd.

He has missed 10 big chances in the Premier League and only has four goal involvements in 20 matches.

Red Devils co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe initially viewed the Argentine international as ‘untouchable’ when he took over football operations last year but is now open to listening to offers.

Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford can all be sold for “pure profit”, which can massively help clubs avoid breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

Mainoo has been linked with a move to Chelsea but that is unlikely, while Rashford is up for sale but more likely to leave on loan than permanently.

This makes Man Utd open to negotiation for the sale of Garnacho and it is believed they want £60m for the 20-year-old winger.

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Napoli are understandably eager to negotiate a lower fee considering Kvaratskhelia is being sold for the same and has been such an important player for them, while Garnacho is still very raw and yet to reach that level or prove he can reach that level in the future.

The Premier League giants are unlikely to sell their young star for less though, with Telegraph Sport reporting they are ‘ready to play hardball’ with Napoli.

Chelsea have also been linked with Garnacho this week and it is claimed that both clubs are ‘seeking reassurances about the winger’s temperament’.

There are doubts over the player’s character and Napoli and Chelsea are having ‘doubts’ about paying £50m for him as a result.

Both clubs ‘have attempted to get reassurances over Garnacho’s attitude’ after Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes called it into question earlier this season, claiming the Argentine did not celebrate a goal against Leicester City because he felt he had lost the faith of supporters.

There is no chance of a ‘cut-price deal’ in the January transfer window as the Red Devils are ‘adamant’ that won’t happen, while it is also stated they ‘are not currently in talks with clubs about the sale of Garnacho and are not actively attempting to create a market for the player’.

Man Utd are also uninterested in accepting players in exchange for Garnacho.

Napoli are also looking at Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel and Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi, the report adds.

German journalist Patrick Berger reported on Friday night that Napoli have turned their attention to Adeyemi, lodging a £40m bid.

Dortmund insist the forward is not for sale, however, as Berger says Garnacho and Lille playmaker Edon Zhegrova are alternative options.

The transfer expert wrote on X: ‘Napoli have made a verbal approach for Karim Adeyemi – around €40m. However, the winger does not want to leave the club in the winter, and Borussia Dortmund are not willing to sell the player at this time.

‘The situation could become interesting again in the summer. Garnacho and Zhegrova remain candidates for Napoli.’

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