Having already missed out on one promising young Brazilian striker to their City rivals this summer, the Sun report that the Red Devils are preparing a £30 million bid to lure Gabriel Barbosa to Old Trafford. The box is expected to blow the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea out of the water in their approaches for the Santos forward, who is tipped as one of the biggest talents to come out of Brazil since Neymar.
Usually a left sided forward, who can also play centrally or on the right, Gabigol has been prolific in recent years in Brazil and is currently standing out as one of the top performers for his nation in the Olympics. He will definitely be a superb addition for the future for the club if signed, but it will leave question marks over how he will fit in, with other young strikers like Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford already competing with seasoned pros like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney for game time.
Such a signing would compensate for missing out on West Ham United starlet Reece Oxford as the Mirror report is likely to be the case. Oxford had been keen on a move to Manchester, with valuations between £15 million and £20 million suggested, but he now looks set to stay at the London Stadium in order to make the most of the first team football on offer from Slaven Bilic.
In reality, this is not something that Manchester United or Jose Mourinho would have been able to offer, with a number of other players filling the squad in central defence and more targeted this summer. Oxford would have been a strong addition with a lot of potential, particularly given he would qualify for home grown status in European competition, but the deal now looks unlikely to be completed as the England under 19s captain has opted to stay with the Hammers.
As many have expected and thought themselves, former United right back Paul Parker has cast doubt over Marcus Rashford’s future, claim the Metro. Parker has pointed out that if Rashford struggles to get much first team football this season under Jose Mourinho, who has struggled to trust young players like Rashford at previous clubs, then he may be forced to leave the club either on loan or permanently.
The England star shine in the second half of last season under Louis Van Gaal but with the arrival of Mourinho and Ibrahimovic, his game time prospects now look limited and with an emerging career, particularly on the international stage, he may not want to risk throwing that away. A substitute in the Community Shield victory and an unused sub against Bournemouth tin the Premier League opener, Rashford is likely to have patience, but does not have time to waste despite still only being 18-years-old and will be looking to prove himself at this level as soon as possible.
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