Despite the signing of Paul Pogba to rejuvenate the United midfield under Jose Mourinho, the Manchester Evening News claim that the Red Devils could be about to launch a bid for another French midfielder, Blaise Matuidi. It is believed that the 29-year-old is considering handing in a transfer request to PSG, who would demand at least £35 million for the player, but are open to the idea of selling.
United may face a battle to secure his signature though, with Chelsea also said to be monitoring the situation of the central midfielder. With doubts over Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic’s future, Matuidi may be brought in, and having already spent around £150 million this summer, United will want to avoid any kind of bidding war. It could also be argued that there is no real need for Matuidi, given the presence of Ander Herrera, Morgan Schniederlin, and many more options in the position to play alongside Paul Pogba.
Brazilian reports also suggest that the Red Devils are set for another transfer battle for the services of Brazilian forward Luan Vieira. The 23-year old, who usually plays as a central shadow striker, has scored five goals in 22 games this season and is currently in action for his nation at the Olympics as they seek a gold medal. Reports claim that Liverpool and Barcelona are also in the hunt for the Gremio star and a bid of at least £39 million may be required to lure him to Old Trafford.
With rumours linking Gabigol to Old Trafford as well, and both players fitting similar profiles, it seems unlikely that moves for both would take place. At such a large fee, it also seems unlikely that Ed Woodward would want to gamble so much money on a player with only two years of first team experience and never having played outside of Brazil. Therefore, such a move seems unlikely at best, particularly given the wealth of attacking talent already in the squad at present and the emergence of Marcus Rashford which the club will be keen to continue without stunting his development by bringing in a number of other competitors for minutes.
Luan could be a replacement for 20-year-old forward James Wilson, with Derby and Fulham fighting to secure his signature according to BBC Sport. Jose Mourinho has told the striker that he can leave the club on loan, haging spent the tail end of last season on loan at promotion hopefuls Brighton & Hove Albion as they crashed out of the play-offs.
This time, Wilson be hoping to secure promotion with either of his prospective sides as both hope to mount promotion challenges and return to the Premier League. Wilson needs to prove himself though, as the likes of Marcus Rashford skip ahead of him in the queue to be United’s next home grown talent, and his long term future is in doubt, with a permanent move away from Old Trafford likely in the next few years.
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