With Casemiro’s exit now confirmed for the end of the season, Manchester United will need to strengthen their midfield in the summer.

The club have apparantly drawn up a shortlist of four players to replace him with summer moves the most likely.

Accordin to The Sun, the players United are looking at at Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott.

All four have previously been linked with Manchester United and if Michael Carrick can lead them to the Champions League this term then the Old Trafford higher ups will have a better chance of securing their services.

Julian Alvarez continues to be of interest to Arsenal and Gary Lineker believes he would be a fantastic signing for the club.

Alvarez had scored 40 goals in 86 games for the Spanish side and would bring more firepower to the Gunners forward line.

ESPN reports the Spanish club would reportedly demand a fee in excess of €100m to sell the player.

Alongside Arsenal, both Barcelona and Chelsea are said to be tracking the Argentina international.

“I saw they were linked with Julian Alvarez who I know is not entirely happy with life at Atletico,” Lineker said on the Rest is Football podcast.

“Now that is the sort of player you know can handle the big occasion – he’s a World Cup winner for crying out loud.

“Someone like that at Arsenal would be game over. But they do need one or two of these current forwards to start scoring on a reasonably regular basis.”

Alexander Isak will, once again, be conspicuous by his absence. The last time the Swede took the field as Liverpool faced Newcastle United, he ended the game in a conversation with Virgil van Dijk that kept the amateur lip-readers busy. He also won Newcastle their first major trophy since the 1960s with a Carabao Cup final decider that should have guaranteed him heroic status for life on Tyneside.

Man Utd are keeping tabs on young Rennes striker Mohamed Kader Meite, who is valued at around €30 million by the French club.

The centre-forward is regarded as a long-term option for United, and though it was originally not likely that the club decide to make a move this month, the injury to Patrick Dorgu might have changed things, with the Dane set to be out for 10 weeks at least.

Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee is being watched by Juventus and Roma.

Juve have their sights on Youssef En Nesyri – though talks have broken down – and Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Juve have Zirkzee on their list but may face competition from Roma.

Sky Sports say that United are aware of Roma’s interest but are not thought to be actively looking to sell the Dutchman this month.

They also report that Zirkzee prefers to stay depsite being left out of Michael Carrick’s first two matchday squads.

Scott Parker is backing set-piece specialist James Ward-Prowse to break Sir David Beckham’s Premier League record for goals scored directly from free-kicks after signing the midfielder on loan for the rest of the campaign.

“Let’s hope he breaks that!” Parker said when told of the record. “I think we’ve seen it over many, many years – in and around the edge of the box, his delivery from wide areas, corners as well, it’s an absolutely huge, huge threat.

“His quality in and around the edge of the box, to get a ball up and down at speed, to beat keepers, it’s probably world class really in terms of the set-piece. Hopefully he can break that record with us because it would mean one has gone in!”

Despite the recent noise, it looks like an audacious Manchester United move for Chelsea star Cole Palmer will not materialise.

Not this month, or this summer, according to the Mirror.

The England international is out of the club’s price range, adds the report, with Chelsea previously reported to have labelled the 23-year-old as “untouchable”.

Jean-Philippe Mateta is edging towards a move to Nottingham Forest from Crystal Palace, the Independent understands.

There is considerable interest in the French striker from Serie A, but Mateta could push to remain in the Premier League with the Tricky Trees thought to be offering a sizeable pay rise.

The gap is thought to be substantial between Forest and the other potential suitors.

Tyler Fredricson is set to stay at Manchester United after seeing a loan exit scuppered by a calf issue.

The 20-year-old academy graduate has made two first-team appearances this season and was lined up for a temporary switch for the rest of the season.

Several clubs from the Championship and Belgian Pro League registered interested with United, only for an injury to scotch Fredricson’s hopes of a loan switch.

The defender played the entirety of the under-21s’s 3-2 win against Sporting Lisbon last week but complained of a calf issue after the Premier League International Cup game.

Fredricson has now been ruled out for around four weeks with an issue that has delayed a potential loan exit until the summer.

Meanwhile, fellow defender Rhys Bennett is in talks over a temporary return to Fleetwood.

The prolific striker, whose current deal runs until summer 2027, is understood to be negotiating an extension that could see him remain at the Bundesliga champions until 2028 or 2029.

Bayern sporting director Max Eberl confirmed the talks on Monday, stating: “We are talking to Harry.”