Reports suggest Roberto De Zerbi is interested in the Manchester United job even as Tottenham Hotspur continue to hold talks with him. The situation has added pressure to an unsettled managerial picture at both clubs, where interim managers Michael Carrick and Igor Tudor are fighting for their futures.

Tudor is reported to be at risk of being sacked after just three games, with Spurs sitting one point clear of the relegation zone. While Carrick is believed to have done enough to remain in the running at United, the potential availability of De Zerbi will complicate summer planning for both sides.

Talks between Spurs and De Zerbi have been held, but the Italian is expected to hold out for more appealing offers this summer. His high octane soccer earned admirers during spells with Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk between 2018 and 2022, and it was at Brighton & Hove Albion that he established himself among the world’s elite.

It is widely accepted that De Zerbi overachieved with the Seagulls and he spoke with a handful of big names, including both Spurs and United, during the summer of 2024 before taking his talents to Marseille. The French side finished second in Ligue 1 during his first season in charge, playing a possession-heavy brand of soccer that was both aesthetically pleasing and effective on the field.

There is a sense that his approach would suit a team built to be favorites every week, but his style of management remains a concern for some suitors. De Zerbi is a fiery character who is not afraid to raise his voice and challenge anybody in his path, be that his own players or those above him in the hierarchy. His departure from Brighton stemmed from public disappointment towards his limited impact in the club’s transfer dealings, and that could be a major issue for both United and Spurs as they lean into the modern approach of appointing “head coaches” to lead the team and hand the transfer business to a recruitment department.

United, having shaken off the cobwebs of the Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim eras, have enjoyed enough on-field success to remind the world of their pedigree and reputation as the biggest brand in English soccer. With the promise of a hefty transfer budget this summer, the allure of the Red Devils is clear. Spurs, meanwhile, face the added complication that they cannot even offer assurances of Premier League status next season after two seasons at the wrong end of the standings, leaving them with an uphill battle to retain their place among England’s ‘Big Six.’

Manchester United and Manchester City have both been linked to Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha as each evaluates midfield options ahead of a period of change.

Nmecha, 25, is under contract in Germany until 2028, but his long-term future at Dortmund is described as uncertain. Clubs across Europe have taken note of a player who has enjoyed a career resurgence in recent seasons.

An English-educated talent, Nmecha joined City’s academy in 2007 and spent 14 years on the books at the Etihad. He made three senior appearances for Manchester City and provided an assist in five minutes of Champions League action. He left City on a free transfer to join Wolfsburg in 2021 and moved to Dortmund two years later.

At City he was primarily an attacking player, operating behind the striker and on the left wing. In Germany he has been converted into a more all-action midfielder, often deployed deeper in a midfield pivot or as a box-to-box presence. That tactical change produced some of the best performances of his career. Standing at 6’3, Nmecha combines physicality with a broad on-ball skillset, and his earlier attacking training remains evident alongside developed defensive discipline. Former Dortmund boss Nuri Şahin described the German international as a “dream” because of his versatility.

United view a versatile midfielder as a priority as they prepare to bid farewell to Casemiro and contemplate broader rebuild plans that could see Manuel Ugarte moved on and leave Kobbie Mainoo as the only natural midfielder in the squad. The profile of a player like Nmecha would give the next manager, whether Michael Carrick or somebody else, tactical options during reconstruction.

City are not in the same immediate need but Pep Guardiola accepts the need to rejuvenate a squad that has fallen short in the title race. With doubts over the futures of Mateo Kovačić, Bernardo Silva and Rodri, they may seek new faces. Some inside City will be familiar with Nmecha and may be regretting the decision not to extend his contract five years ago.

Both clubs are also linked to other targets. Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson sits high on both shortlists with a reported £100 million ($133.5 million) price tag. Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba are also under consideration.

Gareth Bale has reiterated that a transfer to Manchester United was never his intention in the summer of 2013, even though discussions took place with manager David Moyes. Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Bale confirmed that United’s interest was real and financially significant.

“I did talk to United , yeah. They actually bid more than Real Madrid,” he said. When asked whether he was ever going to join United that summer, Bale answered plainly: “No.”

The episode also recalled an episode from Jul. 17, 2013 when United’s executive Ed Woodward left the club’s preseason tour in Australia to conduct what was described as “urgent transfer business.” United were also pursuing Cesc Fàbregas at the time, but neither Fàbregas nor Bale arrived at Old Trafford that window.

Bale described his own discussions: “I spoke with David Moyes. I didn’t speak [with Ed Woodward], maybe my agent did. But my heart was set on Madrid anyway,” and he explained a contractual understanding with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy that affected any possible move. “I had something in place with Daniel Levy, more of a gentleman’s agreement, because he didn’t want to sell me to a rival—you don’t want to strengthen another team,” he said. “So if a team did come in [for me] from Spain, Italy, Germany, wherever, I could potentially go. If we didn’t qualify for the Champions League, which we didn’t, I was then able to go.”

United ultimately signed Marouane Fellaini from Everton at the end of the transfer window, paying $42.9 million (£27.5 million) after allowing a lower release clause to expire in the hope it might make negotiations easier. Fellaini was the only new arrival into a squad described as ageing and in need of wider rejuvenation; the campaign finished with a seventh-place Premier League position, the club’s worst in the Premier League era at that time.