Pressure mounts on Erik ten Hag at Manchester United as Dan Ashworth meets with Graham Potter - Paper Round

Manchester United’s prospective sporting director Dan Ashworth has reportedly met with former Chelsea boss Graham Potter as pressure grows on Erik ten Hag.

The Sun reports that Ten Hag could be replaced by Potter in the summer, with new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe a fan.

The paper writes: “Manchester United’s incoming sporting director Dan Ashworth has met with Graham Potter as pressure grows on Erik ten Hag.

“Ex-Chelsea boss Potter is the favourite of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his assistant Sir David Brailsford to become Old Trafford boss if the new Red Devils part-owner fires Ten Hag.

“Ashworth and Potter worked closely at Brighton and it is understood the pair got together last weekend.

“SunSport revealed in December Potter was lined up to replace Ten Hag after Ratcliffe met with the 48-year-old.

“Ratcliffe is a big fan of the ex-Brighton boss and tried to get him to manage his French side Nice.”

Aston Villa duo Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz are attracting attention from Premier League clubs, and they could be vulnerable to bids for the players, it has been claimed.

The Daily Mail notes that with Ramsey a youth team product, any sale banked for the 22-year-old would go to the bottom line entirely as profit.

The paper reports: “Aston Villa are braced for interest in their star players this summer as the impact of spending rules bites across the league.

“Unai Emery’s men are fighting for a place in next season’s Champions League but like a number of Premier League clubs, must manage their finances carefully to stay within the competition’s spending rules.

“The points deduction for Everton and possible further penalties for the Goodison Park club and Nottingham Forest have left the division on high alert.

“Homegrown midfielder Jacob Ramsey, valued at about £50million, was a target for Newcastle during January and any fee received could be banked as pure profit for PSR (profit and sustainability) purposes as the 22-year-old is a product of the Villa academy.

“Brazil international Douglas Luiz has long been admired by Arsenal while Boubacar Kamara would have been certain to attract attention had he not sustained a serious knee injury last month, which will sideline him until the autumn.”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has reportedly instructed former club Barcelona to appoint Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi as their next coach.

The Catalans need a new manager after the announcement that incumbent Xavi would be departing the summer.

The Mirror explains: “Pep Guardiola has told Barcelona they should look to appoint Roberto De Zerbi as their next boss.

“The Nou Camp hierarchy are considering their next move after Xavi announced he would be leaving the club this summer. Barcelona look set to relinquish their La Liga crown with Real Madrid eight points clear at the top.

“De Zerbi arrived in England as an unknown quantity with Brighton seeking a replacement for Graham Potter. Quickly though their new manager began highlighting his value and he's taken the south coast outfit into Europe for the first time.

“Barcelona are by no means the force of old, despite spending big in recent years to become a major European force once again. They've only won La Liga once in the past four years but do have a host of talented players, including academy graduates Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal.”

Gent defender Archie Brown is on Chelsea’s radar, but the 21-year-old left-back is a target for a number of other clubs.

The Evening Standard names Juventus, Nice, West Ham and more clubs as potential suitors for the player this summer.

The paper reports: “Chelsea and West Ham are among the clubs monitoring £15million-rated Gent defender Archie Brown.

“The 21-year-old is considered an option as the two London clubs look to sign a left-back in the summer.

"Juventus, AC Milan, Nice and Lyon are also weighing up a move for Brown, who is set to be the subject of plenty of interest at the end of the season.

“Chelsea want cover for Ben Chilwell, as Marc Cucurella is potentially up for sale after being offered to clubs last summer.

"Ian Maatsen is available for the £35million release clause agreed in a new extended contract until 2026, when moving on loan to Dortmund in January. Lewis Hall is also expected to make his loan move to Newcastle permanent for £28m if all add-ons are met.”

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