Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ‘could land a £1m bonus if he guides Manchester United to a top-four spot’

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could have an extra incentive to secure Champions League football for the club, as he’s reportedly been promised a bonus worth more than £1million if he pulls it off.

Manchester United boss: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

The Red Devils are just three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea in the race for a final ticket to Europe with Leicester looking to have sewn up third-spot.

United suffered early in the season as they made their worst start to a campaign in 30 years, but have made a revival under the Norwegian boss – who came under severe pressure after a string of poor results.

Now the Old Trafford outfit have every chance of snatching a top-four berth, and according to the Sun, club officials will hand him a six-figure sum should he steer the team to Europe’s elite.

Solskjaer, who is said to earn less than half of the £15million a year Jose Mourinho was raking in at the club, has a number of bonuses in his United deal. One of those will reward him for returning the club to the Champions League after they finished sixth last season, the report adds.

The ex-Cardiff boss took over the reigns from Mourinho in December 2018 and managed to have a buoyant effect – winning his first six games in charge.

His impact at the club has since lessened, with some pundits and fans calling for a change in leadership – with the likes of former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino available after being sacked by Tottenham last year.

But despite a sticky spell at the start of this year, Solskjaer has stabilised the team, who have not lost a game since January, and secured five wins in six before the season was put on hold due to coronavirus.

United will have a tough first game when the resume their season on June 19 as they travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against former manager Mourinho. They will then welcome Sheffield United to Old Trafford on June 24 before a trip to Brighton on June 30.

Arsenal ‘to hold contract talks with Alexandre Lacazette amid interest from Atletico Madrid’

Arsenal are set to hold talks with Alexandre Lacazette over his future in the coming weeks amid interest from Atletico Madrid.

The 29-year-old striker is believed to be seeking assurances over his future under manager Mikel Arteta, amid the uncertainty over whether Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will remain at the club.

The Gunners do not want to lose both Aubameyang and Lacazette this summer, according to ESPN.

Aubameyang’s contract expires in 2021, while Lacazette has a deal until 2022.

Arsenal have been linked with a swap deal with Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Lemar, according to Spanish outlet AS.

The Gunners tried to sign Lemar, 24, from Monaco, but lost out when he joined the LaLiga side in 2018.

But two years on Lemar has fallen out of favour at the Wanda Metropolitano.

He has started just 11 games for Atletico this season, while Diego Simeone has even admitted that the midfielder ‘hasn’t been able to live up to expectations’ since his €70million (£62m) move from Monaco in 2018.

According to AS, Atletico Madrid are willing to use Lemar as a bargaining tool in order to land top target Lacazette.

At 28-years-old, Atletico boss Simeone believes that the France international would boost their attacking options.

Lacazette had a good start at the Emirates, netting 36 goals across his first two seasons in North London.  But its been a stop-start campaign this time out for the former Lyon star, as he has struggled for form since an ankle injury in September.