Man Utd have increased their offer for ex-Leeds United winger Raphinha as they look to reach Barcelona’s valuation, according to reports.
The Red Devils have made a poor start to the new Premier League season with Erik ten Hag’s side currently 12th in the standings after eight matches.
Man Utd bounced back from a five-match winless run last weekend by beating Brentford 2-1 in the Premier League with their third win of the season.
Ten Hag is under serious pressure after the Red Devils’ start to the season and there are rumours that Man Utd have been speaking to other managers.
INEOS backed Ten Hag in the summer transfer window with five new signings in the form of Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte and Noussair Mazraoui.
Man Utd have struggled to score goals so far this season with young strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee struggling to become prolific so far.
The Red Devils need more goals from all areas and could definitely do a lot worse than former Leeds winger Raphinha, who has contributed nine goals and six assists for Barcelona this term.
Raphinha is one of the most in-form players in world football right now and reports in Spain have claimed that Man Utd have made an ‘offer’ of €80m (£67m) to land the Brazil international, up from the €50m (£42m) that they, Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle bid in the summer.
Barcelona wanted €60m at the time but they have now made it clear he is ‘not for sale’ despite Man Utd upping their summer offer by £25m.
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When asked whether he was surprised Ten Hag hadn’t been sacked at Man Utd yet, former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson told Betfred: “I’m surprised by how slow things are going at Manchester United.
“It’s a fantastic club with fantastic players, but it’s a very strange job at the moment for a manager. If they sack Ten Hag, then what would they do? People will still want the job, but it’s a very difficult one to do.
“With that being said, I’m not surprised that Erik ten Hag is still there. I think they should stick with him, give him more time and see what happens with the team over the next few months. If things don’t turn around soon, then I doubt he will be there next season.”
When asked if Man Utd and Tottenham are already out of the running for fourth, Johnson added: “I wouldn’t say that they don’t have a chance because they’re two fantastic sides with fantastic players, but they’re both just waiting for the penny to drop.
“They’re both capable of anything. If both of them won 3-0 next week, I wouldn’t be surprised, and if they both lost 3-0 next week, I wouldn’t be surprised. If the penny drops with both of them, then they’ll both be in the race to finish in the top four.”
