Newcastle United plot bold £19m offer for Serie A star as Man United dealt brutal manager blow
The 3AM take on the latest news from across the Premier League.
France legend Zinedine Zidane has hinted he would turn down the opportunity to manage Manchester United because he is ‘not completely fluent’ in English and feels he couldn’t manage effectively as a result.
The 52-year-old has enjoyed two highly successful spells in charge of La Liga giants Real Madrid, leading his former club to two La Liga titles, three Champions League Final wins, two Supercopa de Espanas, two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA World Club Cups. However, he has been out of work since his second spell at the Bernabeu came to an end in 2021 - although he has been linked with a move to Old Trafford during that time.
Speaking in a recent interview with L’Equipe, Zidane suggested that he would not accept an offer from the Red Devils and cited his lack of knowledge of English as they key reason behind his stance.
He told L’Equipe: “Would I want to go to Manchester [United]? I understand English, but I'm not completely fluent in it. I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work in a different way. Many elements come into play in order to win, it is a global context. I know what I need to win.”
The 3AM Verdict: Zidane would be a wonderful addition to the Premier League’s already talented group of managers - but you can understand why he may feel his inability to speak English fluently seems to be putting him off.
Magpies ‘most interested’ in Dutch defender
Newcastle United are reportedly showing a keen interest in Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries as he enters the final year of his current deal with the Serie A giants.
The 58-times capped Dutch international joined Inter from PSV in 2021 and became a Serie A title winner last season after winning the Coppa Italia during his first two seasons at the San Siro. With 11 goals and 20 assists in 134 appearances in all competitions during his time in Italy, Dumfries has caught the attention of a number of clubs across Europe - and Inter Live have claimed Newcastle are ‘most interested’ in the attacking full-back and have come forward with an offer of a four-year deal totalling around €22million (£18.5m), which would be more than the reported €4million-per-year offer from his current employers.
The report claims Manchester United are also keen on the full-back - but ‘don’t seem to be the favourites’ to secure his signing. Intriguingly, the report also states Inter have considered whether to sell Dumfries in the recent past but an injury to Tajon Buchanan and the lack of possible replacements meant they kept the former PSV Eindhoven defender at the club - and that has left them at risk of losing him on a free transfer at the end of the current season.
The 3AM Verdict: Newcastle’s big name signings in recent years have tended to be in their early-to-mid twenties and Dumfries will turn 29 by the end of the current season. Although he would unquestionably be a positive signing, it feels highly unlikely this will happen.