It’s the off-season for all club competition, almost all of the international play currently being staged are just meaningless friendlies, so you know what that means?
It is indeed the summer silly season, i.e. time to talk some transfer rumors. So with that in mind, let’s dive right in to the latest narratives surrounding Manchester United. It appears that they are throwing their hat in the ring for Robert Lewandowski.
We’ve covered the process of the Polish powerhouse’s potential next move previously, at this link and at this link.
FC Barcelona is the dream destination for the living legend striker, The Sun claims that United “will join the race” for the Bayern Munich icon “if his dream move to Barcelona falls flat.”
And while the Catalan Club are extremely interested, their dire financial situation could obstruct a deal from getting done. The Sun goes on to say that the 33-year-old’s “chances of signing look doomed, even though the fee would be a maximum of £20m.”
That fee makes sense, given the age of Lewandowski, but his salary demands will still be understandably sky high. Chelsea are also reportedly keen, as they were last summer when they knew Erling Haaland wasn’t coming over to Stamford Bridge.
United have made a habit of signing aging strikers in recent years: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Radamel Falcao (you can make an argument that the Ronaldo return falls into this category too). Lewandowski, however, is in his category.
Now we shift gears to Paul Pogba, who is officially gone (and most United fans would say good riddance) and likely headed back to Juventus. The Serie A giants remain confident a deal will get done, and probably soon, but it’s not official yet.
According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano: “Contacts will continue in the coming days to seal the agreement with French midfielder on a four-year contract. Work in progress. Juventus salary proposal is still around €8m net per season plus add-ons.”
Watch this space, as history doesn’t just rhyme. It also repeats.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.