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MANCHESTER: Manchester United have reportedly made a £127 million bid for Barcelona star Raphinha.

Manager Ruben Amorim and Man United’s new Director of Football Jason Wilcox are in the process of reshaping the squad after a disappointing season.

The focus is now on further sharpening the attacking line after Man United activated the 62.5 million pound release clause to acquire Matheus Cunha from Wolves.

Man United, who will only compete domestically next season, failed in the race to sign Liam Delap, Viktor Gyokeres and Bryan Mbeumo in this transfer window.

According to Spanish media reports, the Red Devils are now ready to spend a large sum for Raphinha, which is beyond the expectations of the Catalan club and the Brazilian player himself.

“The figure shocked Camp Nou. The lucrative offer was also unexpected by the Brazilian winger,” the report said.

United expect Raphinha to be able to make an impact from the first day he wears the Man United jersey based on his experience in the English Premier League with Leeds United.

“While it would not be easy for Barca to part ways with a player who has scored 34 goals and assisted 25 more in 57 games this season, financial factors may force them to accept United’s offer,” the report added.

LIVERPOOL: Luis Diaz is reportedly interested in joining Barcelona and the Spanish giant club is also ready to reach an agreement with Liverpool who wants to release the player in question.

According to Spanish media, the Colombian player has made his decision and believes now is the best time to finish his career at Anfield after three and a half seasons.

Liverpool have not yet offered Diaz a contract extension, which expires in 2027, and he could be left out of the squad with Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and several other players.

The Premier League champions are said to have told Diaz, 28, that he could move for 51 million pounds but Barcelona could not afford such a high fee.

Akhbar SPORT reports that Barca are confident of being able to sign the player in the next few weeks, even though Liverpool rejected their offer earlier this month.

Barca manager Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco gave the green light for a move dubbed ‘Operation Luis Diaz’.

Diaz helped Liverpool win their second Premier League title by scoring 17 goals and assisting another eight in all competitions.

Barcelona has become the destination of choice for players from the South American continent after creating a name with the English Premier League club.

Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho and Javier Mascherano created their own success at Barcelona after leaving Liverpool 15 years ago.

Diaz is one of Arne Slot’s main assets because of his ability to play on the wing or front.

Diaz recently said: “I am very happy at Liverpool. They have served me well since day one.

“We are in talks with other clubs. It’s a normal thing in the transfer window.

“If Liverpool renew my contract, or if I need to use up the remaining two years, I’m still happy. It’s up to them.”

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou is back in a gloomy mood after losing 2-1 at home to Nottingham Forest early this morning, their 18th defeat in the Premier League this season.

Tottenham found themselves 2-0 down after 16 minutes and although they dominated the game from then on and got a late lifeline through Richarlison, it proved to be another slump that could see Spurs’ worst points tally since 44 in the 1997-98 season.

With tough matches ahead, including a visit to eventual champions Liverpool next weekend, they have slipped to 16th place with 37 points. Only the bottom three clubs have lost more matches.

Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt that helped them reach the Europa League semi-finals last week revived their season and Postecoglou can live up to his claim that he often wins trophies in his second season at any club.

But another league defeat, his eighth at home this season, has increased the pressure on the 59-year-old former Celtic manager.

“It’s another game we shouldn’t have lost and it’s been a big part of our season where we’ve made it harder in the important moments,” the Australian told reporters.

“Conceding a terrible goal. It’s a shame because our football was excellent and we really dominated the game. Even with the two goals we conceded I still feel we deserved to win this game. At the same time it’s another defeat that is unacceptable.”

Tottenham were booed at half-time, but the mood was better in the second half as the hosts pushed back Champions League contenders Forest.

“I don’t have to say anything to the fans. The fans are disappointed and angry and so are we,” Postecoglou said.

BIRMINGHAM, England: Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Luis Enrique praised his squad as the best in the world early this morning after they qualified for the Champions League semi-finals with a 5-4 aggregate victory over Aston Villa.

The French champions, who have never won Europe’s elite club competition, will face either Arsenal or Real Madrid for their second semi-final appearance in two years.

Earlier this morning, they lost 3-2 to Aston Villa in the second quarter-final and the English club could have tied the aggregate score at 5-5 or even won it if not for the brilliant action of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the second half.

“I think we have the best squad in the world, not just the goalkeepers. When you are at a club like PSG, you have a lot of quality players,” Enrique told Amazon Prime TV.

“I think overall for the two games, we deserved to win… I’m very happy because I can offer our fans another qualification to the semi-finals.”

The PSG boss praised Villa’s quality and intensity, which saw them come back from 2-0 down early on Sunday – trailing 5-1 on aggregate – before scoring three goals.

“We started the game in a great way, scoring two impressive goals, trying to take advantage of the open spaces,” he said.

“We can’t forget, this is the Champions League and you have to accept the fact that the opposing team has a lot of quality. Aston Villa played with high intensity in the second half.

“They are not worried about losing because they lost the first game and were crushed in the first half (of the second match).”