SIr Jim Ratcliffe ready to open doors to sign £110m superstar duo as he sends scouts to watch them as they look to take down Liverpool in the Europa League Quarter finals

SIr Jim Ratcliffe ready to open doors to sign £110m superstar duo as he sends scouts to watch them as they look to take down Liverpool in the Europa League Quarter finals

Manchester United are stepping up their summer transfer plans after it was revealed they had deployed a scout to draw up a detailed report on Atalanta pair Giorgio Scalvini and Teun Koopmeiners ahead of a possible summer swoop – but their possible arrival will likely spell the end for a big-name Red Devils duo.

The Red Devils are preparing for what looks a busy and potentially transformative summer window as new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks to make his mark and get Manchester United firing on all cylinders once again and back among the English and European elite.

To get their house in order behind the scenes first, the British billionaire wants to assemble some of the game’s leading power-brokers to help set those wheels in motion.

Omar Berrada and Jean-Claude Blanc have both taken on senior director’s roles, while Dan Ashworth is set to be brought in as the club’s first-ever sporting director.

And between the four of them, they will leave no stone unturned to try and help restore United to greatness – starting of course with a thorough overhaul of their playing staff.

By widespread accounts, United want to make four signings this summer with the team’s spine reportedly Ratcliffe’s main priority.

And to complement a new centre-half, midfielder and striker, it’s reported the Red Devils will also look to bring in a new right-sided attacker too.

With that in mind, a report earlier this week seemingly cleared the path for one £60m-rated Premier League star to sign for United, with another move for a Portuguese flyer off the table.

However, United are finalising their list of potential options, with reports in Italy claiming they have stepped up the chase for two of those in the form of Atalanta duo Scalvini and Koopmeiners.

Ratcliffe ready to bankroll enormous double Man Utd swoop
That’s according to FC Inter News, who claim to have been informed by sources thsat United deployed one of their top scouts to take in a recent Atalanta match against Bologna to check on the duo’s progress.

The pair are both enjoying excellent seasons and proving not only major cogs in Gian Piero Gasperini’s side but also two players of enormous interest to several big-spending clubs.

However, it is United whose interest is described as the most serious, with the scout furiously scribbling down notes on the duo and will have noted the pair’s influence on the Bergamo-based side.

As a result, it’s claimed Ratcliffe is giving serious thought to meeting Atalanta’s valuation for the pair, with Italy defender Scalvini seen as one of world football’s best young centre-halves and rated in the €50m (£42.8m) bracket.

Midfielder Koopmeiners, meanwhile, is rated a chunk higher at €60m (£51.3m) with the double deal potentially costing up to €110m (£94m).

The Dutchman has also come under Liverpool’s watchful eye in recent months, with the former AZ Alkmaar man set to serve notice of his talents in his side’s upcoming Europa League quarter-final battle against Liverpool.

The Reds are pushing to end the Jurgen Klopp reign on a high but an on-song Koopmeiners arguably poses the biggest threat to that dream of Liverpool progressing through to the semi-finals and ultimately, the Dublin-staged final on Wednesday May 22 too.

The report claims United will continue to monitor both players and will likely have a keen eye on how they perform against Liverpool in that two-legged last-eight tie.

Double exit can help bankroll double Man Utd swoop

To help fund moves for the pair, it’s reported United will show costly pair Raphael Varane and Casemiro the exit door.

The duo moved to Old Trafford from Real Madrid, with Varane signing up in a £41m deal in summer 2021 and Casemiro arriving the following year in a transfer that will ultimately top £70m.

Behind the scenes, Ratcliffe is thought to have been critical of both those deals, feeling they are indicative of United’s transfer failings in recent years.