Manchester United have reportedly made an offer for PSG full-back Nuno Mendes, while the agent of a £50m Barcelona star ‘arrived in Manchester on Boxing Day’ for talks over a possible free transfer in January.

Ruben Amorim has now lost more games than he’s won as Manchester United boss after their 2-0 defeat to Wolves on Boxing Day and he’s understandably keen to add to his squad in the January transfer window in an attempt to revert their slide into mediocrity.

That won’t be easy given the supposed proximity to the club flouting Premier League profit and sustainability rules, with the lack of interest as things stand in wantaway star Marcus Rashford not helping in their quest to raise funds for new additions.

In a bid to solve one particularly problematic position at the club, French outlet RMC claim the Red Devils have ‘made an offer’ for left-back Nuno Mendes.

Luke Shaw has only played 98 minutes so far this season after going into the campaign with a knee injury, with his consistent problems reportedly leading Amorim to ‘green light’ his transfer in January, with Antonio Conte interested in signing him for Napoli.

Alternative left-back option Tyrell Malacia has returned to fitness after a significant spell on the sidelines but has failed to convince.

The report claims that while ‘PSG absolutely want to keep Mendes’ negotiations over a contract extension have reached a ‘standstill’ and the Portugal international now ‘wants to leave the club’.

It’s claimed Mendes ‘believes that the salary offered does not correspond to his status as a starter’ and now ‘the contact is broken’.

He’s ‘in the sights of several major European clubs’ but Man Utd are the only side said to have ‘made an offer’, with the Red Devils’ ‘pressing’ to sign him ‘not leaving the 22-year-old indifferent’. In other words, he’s interested in a move to Old Trafford.

It’s thought another problem beyond the supposedly meagre salary is Mendes being used in a more defensive role under Luis Enrique, which means he ‘takes less pleasure’ in playing than he does while playing as a wing-back, as he would under Amorim at United.

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Another huge boost arrived for United on the day Bruno Fernandes embarrassed himself against Wolves, with the agent of Dani Olmo ‘arriving in Manchester on Boxing Day’ according to the Daily Mail.

Barcelona are battling to register the Spain international – who played such a huge role in his country’s Euro 2024 win – ahead of La Lisa’s January 1 deadline.

Olmo joined Barca from RB Leipzig in the summer but could only be registered on a temporary basis until the end of the calendar year owing to the Spanish league’s financial constraints which continue to hamper the Catalans.

It means the playmaker can leave as a free agent in January if the Spain football federation continue to block his registration, as they push Barcelona to make more cuts in order to comply with their financial guidelines.

Barcelona have started legal proceedings against La Liga and were hoping to reach a resolution before the end of the year, but with the clock ticking, Premier League sides have been alerted to his possible availability, with United supposedly chief among them.

Olmo wants to stay at Barcelona but his agent Andy Bar has been forced to explore alternative moves for the 26-year-old, with the Premier League an attractive landing spot should Barcelona fail to find a fix for their problem.

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has given one reason for head coach Ruben Amorim finding his first month in charge “really tough”.

39-year-old Amorim was appointed to replace Erik ten Hag, who was sacked last month following United‘s miserable start to the 2024/25 campaign.

Man Utd did not have a distinct style of play under Ten Hag, but this has been the case following Amorim’s arrival. There have been positives from his start to life at Old Trafford, but they have suffered three straight defeats across all competitions.

The Red Devils are only eight points clear of the relegation zone after their 2-0 loss on Boxing Day against Wolves as they sit 14th in the Premier League.

Former captain Maguire reckons it’s been “really tough” for Amorim because he’s not “come in with a similar style” to Ten Hag.

“I think it’s really tough for the manager and his team coming in because it’s not like he’s come in with a similar style to the old manager,” Maguire admitted.

READ: Premier League Boxing Day Winners and Losers: Liverpool cruise on; City, United, Spurs battle for banter supremacy

“They are the opposite in terms of what they demand and what they want, so it’s tough for them because they know they want to work with the team on the training pitch and improve things and the defending principles and the set piece principles.

“So it has been a tough month with games but again we don’t want to use it as an excuse. This club demands winning and at the moment we’re not. It’s not good enough for us and the fans.”

Maguire has also explained why he thinks rival Premier League clubs are “targeting” Man Utd at “set-plays”.

“When it keeps happening, you can’t really put it down to luck, but it’s tough to take that teams have scored twice from a corner,” Maguire added.

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“I think the Tottenham one’s a foul, that’s quite clear. I haven’t seen this one back.

“Sometimes, with set-plays you’ve got to hold your hands up and say you can’t do much about it, but there’s others where you’ve got to look at yourselves and improve on it. I think the Bournemouth one was tough – a great header, a great ball.

“Tonight, it’s disappointing to go down to 10 men, not really give them anything, look really solid in the second half, and to concede again [like that], especially the first of the game. Set-plays are so important in football matches and they decide games.

“A lot of the games when they are tight and 50-50 are decided with the first goal. The first goal has been a set-play far too many times against us, and it’s disappointing. How do we resolve it? Work more on the training pitch.

“I think teams now are maybe targeting our area of set-plays. The strange thing is that I don’t feel like we are conceding many chances from them. They’ve had a few set-plays tonight and we’ve dealt with them really well and then they’ve gone and scored from one.

“I think it’s about hard work, keep the belief and things will change. We have players who can defend the box well. They will change; we’ve just got to stick together.”

Ruben Amorim must “win games” now despite the excuse of Manchester United being in a period of “transition”, according to a Red Devils hero who’s offered his services to the new head coach.

Defeat to Wolves on Boxing Day means Amorim has now lost more games than he’s won in charge of Man Utd, with the mammoth task at hand now clear if it hadn’t been before.

Amorim brought a host of new coaching with him to United including assistant Emanuel Ferro, with many of predecessor Erik ten Hag’s backroom staff cast out, including Ruud van Nistelrooy, who’s since taken over at Leicester after a brief caretaker spell in charge at Old Trafford.

But another United legend has also offered up his services in a bid to get “the club back winning trophies”.

Former centre-back Jaap Stay told Sports Lens: “I’d love to coach at Manchester United but they haven’t picked up the phone,” he revealed.

“I think everyone who has been associated with the club would love to go back and help. Having been in management myself I have coached and helping them in any role would be great.

“I’m always open for talks because I’d love to see the club back winning trophies and maybe I could help coach the defence, but with the manager lots of new staff have come in so they have plenty of options. But you never know.”

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United are currently 14th in the Premier League, making this the first time they’ve been in the bottom half of the table on Christmas Day since 1989, and while Stam acknowledges they’re in a “transition period” under Amorim, he also insists they must to find a way to win.

The 52-year-old, who was last seen in English football as manager of Reading over six years ago, added: “Everyone is hoping that Manchester United can compete for the Premier League next season and the manager will as well, but in the meantime it’s very important to win matches and climb up the table.

“It’s a transition period and the players need time to adapt, but there is still pressure to win matches with his new style and to be in a decent position in the table. Ruben Amorim will be working hard to see which players best suit his system but until then there will be a lot of change.”

Ahead of the visit of in-form Newcastle on Monday, Amorim responded to suggestions his job may already be in danger.

“The manager of Manchester United can never, no matter what, be comfortable, and I know the reason that I’m that I’m in,” Amorim said.

“I know that if we don’t win, regardless, if they pay the buyout [for me] or not, I know that every manager is in danger and I like that I like that because that is the job, so I understand the question.

“You can argue that I have been here one month and I’ve had four training [sessions], but we are not winning. That is the reality and I’m quite comfortable with that.”

Manchester United are interested in signing Belgium Under-21 international Senne Lammens as a possible replacement for an Erik ten Hag addition that Ruben Amorim reportedly doesn’t fancy.

Lammens established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper at Royal Antwerp last season and his displays this term have caught the eye of some top European sides, with Borussia Dortmund said to view him as a player with ‘huge potential’.

That’s according to The Telegraph, who claim United ‘are looking at the 22-year-old as they assess their long-term options for goalkeepers’.

United scouts have watched him in the Belgian Pro League as they scour for goalkeepers ‘in case they need to make a replacement in the next windows’.

The report suggests interest in Lammens is more based on the possibility of Turkey international Altay Bayindir looking to leave the club in search of regular football, but a report earlier this month suggested Amorim wants a new goalkeeper to replace starting stopper Andre Onana.

The Cameroon international dropped a couple of clangers against Nottingham Forest and Viktoria Plzen shortly after Amorim took charge of the Red Devils, and was beaten directly from a corner against Wolves on Boxing Day to add to suggestions that Amorim doesn’t fancy him.

The report in Spain claimed Amorim ‘wants him out now’ and ‘asks for a top replacement for January’ after ‘losing patience’ with Onana.

It is understood that the Cameroonian ‘has not managed to convince the Portuguese coach, who is already planning his replacement for the winter transfer market’.

That report named Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka as Amorim’s preferred choice, who could be signed for around €20m and would be an ‘undisputed starter’.

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It’s not clear whether Amorim would also consider Lammens as a first-choice option but he would likely cost significantly less than Bulka.

Transfermarkt value the Belgian at just €4.5m, and with United’s spending set to be limited in the January transfer window as they need to comply with profit and sustainability rules, he would be an attractive addition, particularly if he’s ready to compete for a starting spot at Old Trafford

Despite the rumours, Amorim came out and defended Onana after criticism earlier this month.

The Man Utd boss said: “Yeah we have to take it like it is. He had already, in the past, a situation like that. So we have to work on this.

“If you see the play, we are trying to build up a lot with the goalkeeper making the balls with Matta [Matthijs de Ligt] a lot of times.

“This time, we have a disconnect a little bit during the play and, when we try this, we suffered a goal, a difficult goal for us in the start of the second half. But we managed today, not like against Nottingham [Forest]. We managed to help Onana, like he did in the past for us.”