Solskjaer 'pleas' for Maguire signing

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is in a hurry to sign Harry Maguire, Wilfried Zaha has the Blues, Napoli have trouble in their negotiations for Nicolas Pepe and Newcastle look set to continue their spending spree.

United in a hurry for Harry 

Manchester United are set to stump up the £80 million asking price for Harry Maguire, with the Daily Star reporting that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has "pleaded" with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to sign the England international. United have flirted with a move for Maguire since last summer's World Cup and their hand has finally been forced, after centre-half Eric Bailly suffered a knee injury in the International Champions Cup match against Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Solskjaer has allegedly prioritised a centre-back signing this summer and if they meet Leicester City's asking price for Maguire it would be a world-record transfer fee for a defender. 

Zaha has the Blues 

Everton and Chelsea are set to battle over the transfer of Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, according to the Telegraph. The report states that Everton are "prepared to pay £60 million plus striker Cenk Tosun", but still "fear" that Chelsea could move in for the Ivorian in a deal that would be completed after their current transfer ban. The Telegraph report that Palace could be tempted by the potential deal with the London club as they would prefer to keep their star man for another season and any deal with Chelsea could enhance their chances of signing Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi on loan again. 

Napoli's 'No Deal' for Pepe 

Napoli are struggling to get a deal over the line for Lille forward Nicolas Pepe, according to The Mirror. The Serie A side's manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed the Ivorian's representatives visited the club hotel to complete transfer negotiations, but it is reported that Napoli were far from coming to an agreement with Pepe and his agent. The Mirror state that there are two major stumbling blocks stopping the deal from being completed. Firstly, Pepe's wage demands haven't been met and, more importantly, he is unconvinced that Napoli is the right move for him. 

Nice week for Newcastle 

Newcastle are said to be preparing an increased bid for Nice winger Allan Saint-Maximin, according to The Sun. Things are starting to look up for the Tyneside club, who have hired a new manager and smashed their transfer record to pieces with a £40 million deal for Brazilian striker Joelinton this week. Newcastle reportedly had a £14 million bid for Saint-Maximin rejected by Nice, but are set to return with an improved £20 million offer. New boss Steve Bruce played it cool by saying "we'll see what happens" when asked about Newcastle's move for the Ligue 1 star.