Manchester United have moved into pole position to sign Newcastle United left-back Lewis Hall, with the defender reportedly rejecting a return to Chelsea. Hall, a product of the Stamford Bridge academy, is expected to leave Newcastle this summer amid the fallout from Eddie Howe's departure and the imminent arrival of Matthias Jaissle as his successor.
United lead the chase
According to The Sun, United are now the leading contenders to land Hall after he turned down a move back to London. Journalist Simon Phillips claims new Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso had shown interest, while further reports suggest it is 'likely' Hall ends up at Old Trafford. The 21-year-old is said to be open to joining United as Michael Carrick continues shaping his squad for the new campaign.
Hall featured 46 times for Newcastle last season across all competitions and narrowly missed out on Thomas Tuchel's England World Cup squad. Newcastle are expected to demand around £60 million, with Hall still under contract for another three years in the North East.
Rashford's future unresolved
Meanwhile, Aston Villa are reportedly set to launch a £30m bid for Marc Bernal, a player United have reportedly scouted. Bernal had been linked with the Reds in the Spanish press, with reports suggesting he could be included in a potential swap deal for Marcus Rashford.
The situation surrounding Rashford remains unresolved. Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has admitted the club will miss the England forward after opting not to sign the United loanee on a permanent basis at the end of last season.
Rashford is due back for pre-season this month once his extended post-World Cup break finishes. After Barca's friendly against Birmingham City at St Andrew's last week, Flick said: "What I can say about Marcus is I appreciate a lot to work with him. Sometimes it's not always that you do know what happens with players who are on loan.
"I think our situation is not easy for that. But I appreciate working with him a lot; he's a fantastic player and a fantastic person. I think also the team miss him, I will miss him, but it's life, this is what we have to accept."
The Spanish giants opted to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle in a £60m deal instead. Flick added: "At the end, Anthony Gordon comes and from the first call with him when I spoke with him, he's on fire for Barcelona and he wants to go there and I'm really happy that he is now in our team."
Bayindir set for loan exit
Out-of-favour goalkeeper Altay Bayindir is set for a loan move to Celta Vigo, with Metropolitano reporting that the Spanish club are on the verge of finalising the deal. The La Liga side are hopeful of announcing the transfer next week, and Bayindir is expected to join up with his new teammates at their training camp in Italy once the move is confirmed.
United have so far added Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans, Karl Darlow, Tynan Thompson and Kit Margetson to their squad.
