Matteo Darmian makes Manchester United admission as bidder pulls out of takeover

Here are your Manchester United evening headlines on Friday, June 9.

Matteo Darmian admits the Champions League final is extra special for him because of his spell playing for Manchester United - and he's promised to give it his all to stop Manchester City winning the treble.

Darmian spent four years at Old Trafford before leaving for Parma in 2019, but he switched to Inter Milan a year later and is now set to start against City in the Champions League final in Istanbul.

The Italian made just 92 appearances for United and rarely looked like establishing himself as a long-term first-team starter, but he has bounced back at the San Siro for Inter.

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Darmian never quite became a fan favourite at Old Trafford, but he will carry the support of United fans in Saturday's final, with City one game away from matching their treble of 1999.

Read more from the former United full-back here.

Outside Manchester United bidder Thomas Zilliacus has withdrawn from the takeover race.

The Finnish businessman said the potential cost of a purchase “no longer makes sense” with his investment company XXI Century Football Capital now looking at other clubs.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly leading the takeover race, ahead of rival bidder Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani who submitted a fifth bid on Wednesday ahead of his self-imposed Friday deadline.

It is thought that neither offer has met the £6billion valuation the Glazers are after, with rumours that the latest are more around the £5bn mark.