Manchester United have been dealt a potential blow as Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Mason Greenwood’s future at Marseille.

Greenwood left Man Utd permanently during the 2024 summer transfer window, as he joined Marseille in a deal worth around £26m.

The Red Devils decided to move Greenwood on after he faced charges relating to attempted rape and assault. This case was discontinued following the withdrawal of key witnesses, but he was sent to Getafe on loan after the Premier League giants conducted an internal investigation.

Greenwood attracted interest from across Europe after he grabbed eight goals and six assists for Getafe and Marseille fended off competition to sign him.

The 23-year-old has 16 goals and three assists in his 28 Marseille appearances, but he started their last two Ligue Un matches on the bench.

Explaining this decision, Marseille boss Robert De Zerbi insisted Greenwood needs to “sacrifice more”.

“No one can have more respect for him than I do,” De Zerbi said.

READ: Manchester United to shatter world transfer record if they find £25m buyer for Casemiro

“But that doesn’t change anything: I expect more from him. He has to do more, because what he is currently showing is not enough.

“If he wants to achieve his ambition of becoming a champion, he has to be more consistent, sacrifice more and be more determined.”

Man Utd need to raise funds for a huge summer rebuild, and recent developments regarding Greenwood provided a potential boost as they have a 50% sell-on clause. They could earn around £31m amid interest from PSG. 

However, De Zerbi has since poured cold water on exit speculation, insisting he “really adores” Greenwood.

“He’s someone I really adore, just as I adore his father,” De Zerbi said.

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“He had a bit of a difficult time with the birth of a daughter. He’s not used to playing intense seasons as a main player. He didn’t push 100% and his physical condition declined. My project is to create something.

“Luis Enrique in Paris, he created a soul, a way of thinking, for example. He agreed to train before the group. He trained very well this week.

“When he pushes and feels good, in my team, he’s the one who plays with 10 other players. If he doesn’t, not because he’s a bad boy, well he has to stay on the bench. Tomorrow, he’ll play.”

Meanwhile, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims there’s not been any talks regarding a summer transfer.

“Many rumours but nothing decided at this stage for Greenwood,” Romano revealed.

“There are not even negotiations with other clubs.”

According to reports, Arsenal and Manchester United are among the clubs in the race to sign Benjamin Sesko, who will ‘move to England’ this summer.

Sesko has emerged as one of the best young strikers in Europe and has been linked with several elite clubs over the past year.

The 21-year-old has 17 goals and six assists in his 36 appearances across all competitions this season and it’s been widely reported that he will leave Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig this summer.

The Slovenia international came close to departing RB Leipzig last summer as he was Arsenal’s leading target, but he eventually opted to extend his contract with the German side until 2029.

Sesko will not see out this deal, though. RB Leipzig have purely acted to maintain the forward’s value and it’s been widely reported that they will let him leave this summer.

READ: Alexander-Arnold next? Every Premier League club’s biggest free transfer exit

As mentioned, Arsenal were keen to sign Sesko during last year’s summer transfer window and they opted against signing an alternative after he penned a new deal.

Arsenal also didn’t recruit a striker in January, so they are crying out for at least one new forward heading into this summer’s window.

A new report from German outlet BILD has revealed the ‘truth’ on what Sessko ‘thinks about his future’ with his ‘handshake agreement’ with Leipzig ‘stipulating that the club is willing to discuss offers starting at €70 million’ (around £58m).

Unsurprisingly, Arsenal are not alone in targeting Sesko as the report claims Man Utd, Bayern Munich and AC Milan also have him ‘on their shortlist’.

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The report states Sesko ‘feels ready for the next step’ and the chances of him staying at Leipzig beyond this summer are ‘very slim’.

Despite interest from Bayern Munich, Sesko has reportedly decided to ‘move to England because of Harry Kane’.

‘The Bayern bosses are said to assume that Sesko would initially be content with a backup role behind established superstar Harry Kane.

However, according to BILD, learning alongside Kane as a substitute is out of the question for Sesko.

‘If he does move, he wants the greatest possible guarantee of playing time to continue his development. For that to happen, Bayern would have to change their one-striker system, or Kane would have to leave in the summer.

‘Of course, and this is another characteristic of the down-to-earth Sesko: He wants to wait until the end of the season to make a decision about his future and doesn’t want to hear about any other offers until then.

‘Instead, his focus is entirely on the final stretch of the season and the fight for the Champions League.’

Manchester United will have to pay way over the odds to sign ‘perfect’ Ruben Amorim signing Francisco Trincao, thanks to Barcelona.

Amorim wants to put his stamp on the squad this summer after a difficult first season at the helm and is eyeing players from former club Sporting.

Geovany Quenda was mooted as a top target for Man Utd before Chelsea beat them to the punch, while Viktor Gyokeres has also been mentioned with the Red Devils requiring a new striker.

Trincao is another Sporting Lisbon standout linked with Man Utd, as he shone under Amorim for the Portuguese outfit.

The 25-year-old has nine goals and 15 assists in all competitions this season, and the versatile attacking midfielder has proven that he fits into Amorim’s system in a supporting role.

A report on Wednesday claimed Amorim is keen to reunite with Trincao, who has been deemed a ‘perfect fit for United’s new project’.

It was stated that Man Utd are ‘willing to pay’ 40 million euros (around £33m) to sign Trincao in a ‘gift’ for Barcelona, who have a 50% sell-on clause.

‘When Barcelona sold Trincao to Sporting in 2023, they kept 50% of the player’s future sale. This means that if Manchester United pays the €40 million the Lisbon club is demanding, the Catalans will automatically receive €20 million.

‘For FC Barcelona, ​​this unexpected income would be a real gift at a time when the club needs to improve its financial fair play to make summer signings.

‘Manchester United’s interest in Trincão is no coincidence. Rúben Amorim has been key to his development at Sporting and believes he can perform at a high level in the Premier League.

‘The Portuguese coach favors players who understand his system, and Trincão has proven he can be an important part of his scheme. With his ability to balance, speed, and excellent ball-striking , the winger would fit perfectly into United’s new project.

‘Sporting are open to selling Trincao if an offer close to €40 million arrives. The Lisbon club wants to raise cash to strengthen its squad and believes this is the ideal time to sell the winger.’

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But now The Sun claim Sporting in fact want far more than that report indicates with Barcelona’s sell-on clause in mind.

Sporting are ‘determined not to let Trincao go’ as they are ‘braced for the departure of Viktor Gyokeres’ and are looking to ward off suitors by demanding a fee ‘in excess of his £50m release clause’.

It’s claimed the Portuguese side ‘want to recoup at least £35m’ for the player they signed from Barcelona for just £6m, meaning United will need to spend £70m to get him to Old Trafford.

The report confirms that ‘Amorim is convinced Trincao, with the benefit of that season at Molineux in 2021-22, will be able to make a swift adaptation to the Prem’.

But under Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s penny-pinching rule he’s unlikely to be handed the funds to pay over the odds for Trincao given how badly the club has been burned making similar moves in the recent past.

There will be a mass exodus of players and staff at Manchester City if a guilty verdict in their 115 charges case results in something as severe as Premier League expulsion.

Fantasising about something so dramatic has carried us through the international break and we do love striking while the iron is hot.

We have reassigned trophies, decided which players will leave and looked at where Pep Guardiola goes next, but what about incoming signings for Man City if they are chucked down to League Two?

Well, here are 11 players – the majority of which are lower-league gems – the Premier League champions should sign up if they have the financial capacity to do so and are not under a transfer embargo.

Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough)
The first sign that this list will not contain unknown quantity after unknown quantity, it is worth remembering that when Rangers, for example, were booted down to the fourth tier of Scotland, they poached Premiership players like Francisco Sandaza, David Templeton, Ian Black and Dean Shiels.

Premier League players coming down with City is very unlikely but the Championship feels like a fair gap when you consider the wages on offer, on top of the potential of an up-and-coming Abu Dhabi-owned Citizens.

If City do indeed get punted down the divisions, there will surely be a promising youngster who comes along for the ride and we can see it being Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney.

Arsenal and Liverpool have been linked with the 22-year-old in the past, being impressed by his form under Boro boss Michael Carrick. He is pretty versatile, capable of taking on any role in the middle of the pitch. With only seven goal involvements in 36 matches this season, Hackney has probably not kicked on as much as expected but remains one of the most promising players in the Championship and is surely a player City would want to spearhead their push for back-to-back-to-back promotions.

Luke Garbutt (Salford)
Carlo Ancelotti might not have a clue who Luke Garbutt is but we do.

After terrorising Manchester United with several drubbings over the years, City could immediately endear themselves to their more relevant neighbours by nabbing their starting left-back.

Salford have been battling to get out of League Two for six years now and in truth, have never really come close. It will sting for the Class of ’92 when City earn promotion at the first time of asking.

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Antoni Sarcevic (Bradford)
Speaking of endearing themselves to their new League Two counterparts, City would do just that by signing Bradford City hero Antoni Sarcevic.

February’s League Two Player of the Month is thriving under Bantams boss Graham Alexander, with promotion to League One very much in their hands. Sarcevic has been absolutely huge this season, inspiring a run of 12 wins, two draws and two defeats in 16 games after only four wins from 15 in his absence.

His impact would be huge for a City team dealt the hammer blow of Premier League expulsion. He was actually at Man City v Plymouth in the FA Cup this season and is a Manchester lad and boyhood fan, being released by the Cityzens in 2008 after eight years as a youth player. It’s written in the stars, people.

Paudie O’Connor (Lincoln)
City can try and run rings around teams with a tiki-taka approach but the fact of the matter is, they need some right s**thouses and getting a rough central defender to get them through tricky trips to Salford and Newport should be a priority. This is where Paudie O’Connor comes into the equation.

Not only is O’Connor a bit of a hard case, but he is a very good and successful lower-league centre-back.

Louie Barry (Aston Villa)
Louie Barry might represent a Premier League club, but he has been passed around the lower divisions and is currently playing for Hull City in the Championship after spending 18 successful months on loan at Stockport County. Barry helped the Hatters earn promotion from the fourth tier last term and in the first half of 24/25, he scored an impressive 15 goals in 23 League One matches.

He probably wishes he was still at Stockport, having failed to register a goal or assist in four Championship appearances for Hull.

Barry is a name you likely first heard in 2019 when he earned an unusual transfer to Barcelona from West Brom, 20 days after his 16th birthday. It did not work out for him and he was snapped up by Villa six months later. Clearly, he has not lived up to those early career expectations and doesn’t seem like ever becoming a Premier League starter.

Only 21 years young, Barry can prove us wrong and make it at Aston Villa, though we definitely see him as a Man City player if they are on the wrong end of an unprecedented expulsion.

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Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu (Luton)
Here’s a man who knows a thing or two about rising up the English pyramid with one club. He can be a good luck omen if nothing else.

Ollie Pearce (York City)
You are always learning in this job. Ollie Pearce was unknown to me a few minutes before writing this but after a simple Google search, it turns out he is the National League’s top scorer. Just like us mere mortals do on Football Manager, City would potentially target the most potent scorer in the division below.

It turns out this guy is a goal machine, though he has never played in the Football League. Pearce has 23 in 37 for York this season after scoring 43 in 46 for Worthing in the National League South in 2023/24. Surrounded by players like Hackney, Mpanzu and James McAtee, we reckon the step up would be seamless enough for Pearce to be a success.

Jodi Jones (Notts County)
Robbed of so much football due to injuries, Jodi Jones is a fantastic player who deserves more than nine career Championship appearances for Coventry.

For the first time in his senior career, Jones played 20+ league games in a campaign for County in 2023/24, registering an outrageous 23 assists. He only has 14 appearances this term thanks to more injury troubles, suffering a long-term shin problem after four goals and one assist in his first six League Two matches.

Tom Heaton (Manchester United)
Like Wrexham did with Ben Foster, we can see City going out and getting an experienced ex-England goalkeeper, perhaps coaxing them out of retirement but whose standard is definitely above League Two. And no, it is not going to be Scott Carson; he is a cheerleader and nothing more.

Former Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton is currently third-choice at Manchester United and would surely be a roaring success in League Two. He is still a pretty decent goalkeeper and probably more trustworthy than Ruben Amorim’s current No. 2, Altay Bayindir.

James McClean (Wrexham)
Would be quite funny, wouldn’t it?

Will Grigg (Chesterfield)
Take your pick out of Paddy Madden, David McGoldrick, Scott Hogan, Andy Cook, Steven Fletcher, Jonson Clarke-Harris and Will Grigg.

Manchester United have never made more than £100m on player sales in a single season but will break the world record for transfer income this summer.

I SPY
Mediawatch does not intend to spend a great deal of time on this story. We would much prefer to ignore Harry Redknapp being Harry Redknapp. But when the MailOnline is the MailOnline about Harry Redknapp being Harry Redknapp we do not have a choice.

‘Harry Redknapp filmed making crude joke about England boss Thomas Tuchel being ‘a German SPY’ who has been ‘sent over to f*** us up”

You sure you’re happy with the word you’ve chosen to capitalise there, guys? Absolutely positive? Or have we finally got over the fact Tuchel is GERMAN?

‘The decision to appoint the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss met with a mixed response due to his nationality, despite his proven record of winning silverware at club level.’

Indeed it was. You might say it was A DARK DAY FOR ENGLAND. You only might say that if you are absurdly childish, but still. You might.

‘He did however make a comfortable, winning start to his tenure last week, with a 2-0 win over Albania and a 3-0 victory against Latvia to kickstart the Tuchel era.’

Tuchel’s start was so ‘comfortable’ that one prominent Mail journalist was left wondering how long he had to wait before being able to dig out the players again for being rubbish. It was so very comfortable.

Close contact
This is the last bit on Redknapp, promise. But Mediawatch just wanted to highlight Jacob Steinberg’s closing paragraph in his exclusive story for The Guardian:

‘The Guardian has attempted to contact Redknapp for a response.’

Hopefully not via fax, email or text.

Desperate times call for desperate transfers
The only problem with moving on is that there is little to move on to on an international break Friday ahead of an FA Cup weekend in which none of the clickiest clubs feature.

But while Manchester United exist, so will daft stories like this from the Daily Mirror website:

‘Man Utd desperately bid to raise £310m this summer by selling eight players’

Can you ‘desperately’ generate £310m through player sales? No club has ever generated as much through player sales in a single transfer window in the history of the sport, ‘desperately’ or otherwise. It isn’t something a team just does.

The term itself and indeed the reality of Manchester United’s specific situation suggests they are not in a position of particular negotiating strength.

But let’s have it. How will famously atrocious selling club Manchester United, 13th in the Premier League table, whose biggest entire season in terms of sales was 2009/10 when they happened to possess the best player in world football to help them make about £100m, and who have made just over £300m through player sales in 15 transfer windows since January 2018, generate £310m through player sales in summer 2025 alone?

It’s a very easy start: Marcus Rashford. They’ll probably find a buyer if not Aston Villa themselves. That’s £40m ticked off. £270m and seven players to go.

Next is Antony and an immediate stumbling block. Manchester United could indeed ‘choose to sell him permanently for a fee of around £40m,’ but someone would have to ‘choose’ to sign him for as much. And as relatively decent as he has been at Real Betis, that really is rather a lot of money to chuck around, especially when he’s not really been linked with anyone.

Jadon Sancho and £25m you can have, even if transfer-obsessed Chelsea seem to be contemplating spending money specifically not to sign players now.

That still leaves five players and £105m to account for if we are being incredibly generous and assuming Antony can be shuffled out of the door for £40m. Which he can’t, but still.

Kobbie Mainoo. That’s a bit better. Again, Manchester United ‘could choose to sell’ but any deal would depend on another club also choosing to spend £70m, which feels less likely than it did a few months ago.

Andre Onana. £40m. How? Where from? Doesn’t matter. Shut up. Bank it.

Alejandro Garnacho. £60m. Maybe? It’s more likely than Antony for £40m, certainly. But still quite improbable in the grand scheme of things. Manchester United simply putting valuations on players doesn’t mean they will automatically be met; they cannot just this player is worth this much and then count it towards their PSR.

But look, we’ve come this far. We have six players being sold for £275m to incredibly generous buyers, and can envisage absolutely no problems in Manchester United, also notoriously excellent at signing players as they are, reinvesting that money on a new starting keeper, central midfielder and wide forward at the absolute bare minimum before strengthening the rest of the squad.

There is still £35m to account for across two players in what remains of this butchered squad. What are we missing?

‘United could earn a decent cash injection from selling two of their older stars. Casemiro and Harry Maguire…’

Nope. If Manchester United are able to sell Casemiro for £25m to a real actual football club that exists in 2025 then Mediawatch will transfer the other £285m to Sir Jim personally.

Just give me a reason
Mediawatch understands where Liverpool fan Andy Dunn is coming from when he explains in the Daily Mirror that ‘there is little room for logic, common sense or reason’ when it comes to the wider reaction at Trent Alexander-Arnold’s expected departure.

But this is a wonderful paragraph:

‘Of course, the lifestyle and the challenge in the Spanish capital is very alluring. He will be playing alongside brilliant team-mates in a great stadium and great city. But, essentially, Alexander-Arnold – if the move is confirmed – will be saying he would rather, for whatever the reasons, be playing for Real Madrid than for Liverpool.’

Yes. Yes he would. That is indeed the essence of a transfer. And ‘whatever the reasons’ is brilliant: how about a) the fact he has won every possible trophy at Liverpool, and b) it’s Real sodding Madrid?

Public property No.1
In the middle of an otherwise excellent piece by Dominic King in the Daily Mail comes this paragraph:

‘Liverpool is a city with its own views on how things should be done, especially so when it comes to football. If you are a local boy who gets to do what the millions dreamed of doing, you become public property. There simply wouldn’t be the same level of hysteria anywhere else in the country.’

This Means More. Every other club pats their best academy graduates on the back and wishes them all the best when they leave for free.

Pressure, pushing down on me
There is sympathy for the headline writer tasked with making John Cross’s latest piece on Arsenal more appealing.

Cross has essentially just noticed Arsenal play two Premier League games before Liverpool next play one. Why he has felt compelled to point this out ahead of a weekend in which neither play is unknown, and the pretence that this is the ‘last chance’ for the Gunners in the league collapses almost immediately.

‘Arsenal have one more chance to pressure Liverpool in title race – they can’t waste it’ is the chosen headline but by the second paragraph Arsenal’s Premier League aim is reduced to them needing to ‘apply some pressure on Liverpool at the top’, and by the fifth they must ‘at least make the Premier League table look respectable even if they cannot close the gap’.

‘It is hard to imagine that Arsenal could win all their games between now and the rest of the season and even harder to think that Liverpool – having lost one Premier League game all season – could suddenly lose four.’

Well, yes. It’s almost like the title race is over and the media steadfastly refuses to acknowledge that.

‘But equally, Arsenal have to apply some pressure because losing the title by double figures would have to go down as a major disappointment for Gunners boss Arteta.’

‘Not losing the title by double figures’ sounds exactly like Arsenal’s dream, best-case scenario actually.