Manchester United ‘close in’ on big money transfer as Chelsea make big Cristiano Ronaldo ‘decision’

Manchester United are continuing with their pre-season preparations on the other side of the world.

Erik ten Hag already has his first pre-season victory after a 4-0 win over Liverpool earlier this week, and they will return to action on Friday, against Melbourne Victory.

Perfection is not the aim at this point of the summer, but Ten Hag will be looking to see progress as he and the club’s recruitment staff continue to work on new deals.

United need a number of new signings this summer, and they have been slow in pulling them off up to this point.

As the work continues behind the scenes, we have rounded up all the latest transfer news and rumours surrounding Old Trafford.

Martinez close

United are closing in on the signing of Ajax centre-back Lisandro Martinez.

The centre-back has been linked with United and Arsenal, but it is the Red Devils who have won the race, with Algemeen Dagblad reporting that a £46.3million deal has been agreed.

Only formalities remain, with Martinez almost certain to accept personal terms having already pushed for a move.

Chelsea and Ronaldo

Chelsea are said to have decided to avoid signing Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, it appears.

The Mirror report Chelsea’s interest has cooled after deciding to prioritising deals for at least one defender.

The Blues lost Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger this summer, and they will be looking to replace both players ahead of the new season.

Chelsea are said to have held talks with Ronaldo, but they won’t be signing him after all, it seems, with the club likely to spend the bulk of their availiable transfer and wage funds on bolstering their weakened defence.

More interest

That’s not the end of interest in Ronaldo, however, with fresh interest from Saudi Arabia. according to reports.

CNN Portugal say an unnamed Saudi club have approached Ronaldo with a huge offer of £2.4million per week and £250million over two years.

Whether the report holds any water remains to be seen, but it seems Ronaldo would still like European success, making a move to Saudi Arabia unlikely.