Man Utd not as crazy as they look over Erling Haaland as Chelsea continue wishy-washy transfer efforts

The end of the Premier League season is now coming into sharp focus, and there is plenty to be decided, from the title to top four, from Europa League to relegation.

Plenty of drama awaits, and that’s all before we get into the summer and the chaos of the transfer window. Naturally, we are still seeing plenty of rumours popping up ahead of the window, and many of them include Manchester United, despite their lack of transfers over the last six months or so.

Erik ten Hag was forced to be very quiet in the January window, with United’s current owners looking for a sale. But that may not be the case this summer, with the Red Devils needing to add to a number of areas.

Though, United are dominating transfer headlines for the wrong reasons this weekend, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer dropping an Erling Haaland-related bomb. The Norwegian has said: “I called United about six months before I took over and told them that I’d got this striker that we had, but they didn’t listen. I asked for £4million for Haaland, but they didn’t sign him.”

An opportunity missed for United, but to their credit, Solskjaer has hardly proved himself an expert in personnel during his management career so far, not to mention there are likely 100 bad transfer tips United are right to decline for every one they miss. That’s not to say United have got it right with transfers over recent years - they haven’t - but this is hardly rejecting advice from Sir Alex Ferguson. Sorry Solskjaer.

On the topic of smarter transfer business, Fichajes are saying Aston Villa are interested in signing Atletico Madrid star Geoffrey Kondogbia for around £20million. The 30-year-old is the type of midfield general Unai Emery likes to anchor his midfield, having relied on a similar type of player in Etienne Capoue at Villarreal.

Last but not least, we need to tick off Chelsea, who seem to prefer transfers to actual points these days. According to the Daily Express, the Blues want to sign Brighton star Alexis Mac Allister this summer, adding to their signing of another World Cup winner in Enzo Fernandez in January.

It’s claimed Chelsea could send talented youngster Levi Colwill - and indeed a bag of cash - to the Amex Stadium in a bid to seal a deal amid reported interest from Liverpool and others. A risky move, especially for a club who are supposed to be prioritising their youth talent. It could be another example of Chelsea failing to stick to whatever plan they are supposed to have for their recruitment, even if Mac Allister is a real talent.