Man Utd eye swoop to sign £45m star after Tottenham try to hijack deal for key target

We’re now at the business end of the summer transfer window and managers are working hard trying to strengthen their squads so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the world. Here, Man Utd are eyeing Ivan Rakitic…

Manchester United are eyeing a move for £45m-rated Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic in-case they miss out on Bruno Fernandes to Tottenham, according to reports in Spain via the Mirror.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is on the verge of signing Harry Maguire from Leicester City in a mega £80m deal but the United boss is also desperately trying to bring in another midfielder before the transfer window closes on August 8th.

Man Utd have been strongly linked with a move for Fernandes throughout the summer after Solskjaer identified the Sporting Lisbon star as a key target following a stunning campaign that saw him provide 32 goals and 18 assist last season.

A deal was reportedly inching closer to completion, however, Portuguese outlet O Jogo claimed on Thursday that Tottenham are attempting to hijack United’s proposed move after opening talks with Sporting Lisbon.

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is also in the market for a creative midfielder and has seemingly identified Fernandes as an alternative to Giovani Lo Celso after struggling to agree terms with Real Betis for the Argentinean star.

No doubt United will do all they can to fend off Tottenham’s interest to land Fernandes but it looks like Solskjaer isn’t prepared to risk missing out entirely and has lined-up a ‘plan B’ if the Sporting ace opts for a move to north London.

The Mirror are citing a report from the newspaper version of Mundo Deportivo that claims Man Utd will turn their attention to Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic if their move for Fernandes falls through.

The Croatian international has been linked with a move to Old Trafford several times in the past and the rumours have resurfaced this summer as Rakitic’s future at the Nou Camp is in doubt following the arrival of Frenkie de Jong from Ajax.

It’s claimed in the report that the 31-year-old is valued at around £45m and follow Spanish publication Sport reported recently that United have already held preliminary talks with Barcelona about a potential deal this summer.

Rakitic has been a superb servant for the Catalans since arriving from Sevilla in 2014 as he’s won a whole host of trophies including four La Liga titles and a Champions League so he’d bring a lot of experience and quality to the United midfield if he moved to Old Trafford.

Read –> Man Utd transfer news | Spurs transfer news

We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming days as United and Tottenham battle it out over Fernandes but Rakitic would be an excellent fall-back plan if the Red Devils miss out on their first choice target.