Transfer news LIVE: Manchester United confirm agreement for Cristiano Ronaldo deal

Here’s our story on Manchester United’s sensational swoop for Cristiano Ronaldo and Man City’s withdrawal from a potential deal.

Our Senior Football Correspondent, Melissa Reddy, writes:

“Juventus have found dealing with United far smoother and would be interested in a swap for former midfielder Paul Pogba. However, a straight cash deal around £25-30m is far likelier.

“Shortly after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke [this afternoon], Pep Guardiola seemed unconvinced that City were still in pole position to recruit Cristiano, saying he ‘will decide where he wants to play, not Manchester City. There are many things that are far away.’

“United are increasingly confident of securing Ronaldo’s return, but there remains a fear that Paris Saint-Germain could still cause chaos in the final days of the window given Kylian Mbappe’s impending move to Real, which would see them plump for a headline replacement.”

Full story here:

A major update in the race to sign Cristiano Ronaldo.

Our Senior Football Correspondent, Melissa Reddy, has the latest on Cristiano Ronaldo.

Manchester City are out of the race to sign the forward, with his old club Man United closing in.

More from Melissa soon.

“We have some ideas, we are trying, not all decisions are taken, there are some negotiations going on,” Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel said this afternoon, ahead of facing Liverpool at Anfield tomorrow.

“Hoping in the meaning that we need something to make the coach happy, absolutely not, I’m happy with the squad like it is. I have a lot of confidence that we are absolutely competitive on a high level.

“Still all eyes are open, we are aware of all situations, you never know in football, but we’re focused on the game tomorrow. All good so far.”

More here:

Per The Athletic, Manchester United have a very real interest in signing Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gushed about the former United player this afternoon, and there might be more to the coach’s comments than it first seemed...

That said, Man City seemingly still lead the race to land the departing Juventus forward.

Tuchel: “I don’t know if it’s good if he plays for any of our rivals.

“If he ends up in the Premier, it’s good for the league, it shows how competitive the league is, but it’ll make life harder for us.

“I hear it from you for the first time. Off the pitch, let’s wait and see.”

Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that negotiations between Blues defender Kurt Zouma and West Ham have taken place, saying the centre-back’s future is up in the air:

“Kurt has some personal, family issues to solve and we allowed him to travel to France,” the German said.

“There are negotiations [with West Ham], but to be very honest I don’t know where it leads right now.

“We have to wait. Both things can happen – that he stays or leaves.”

More here on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s comments about a potential Manchester United approach for Cristiano Ronaldo:

Guardiola: “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not even one offer, because they didn’t want to negotiate. Tottenham didn’t want to talk, so we didn’t talk.

“Maybe they say they want £200m. We are not going to pay £200m, because we don’t have it.

“The big master of the negotiation is [Spurs chairman] Daniel Levy.

“He [Kane] is a Tottenham Hotspur player and I wish him all the best in his last years, doing well in London.”