The rebuild of Manchester United could definitely take some time, so get ready and dig your heels in for that. The upshot is that we’ll have a summer transfer window filled with many comings and goings.
And with Manchester United linked to approximately 97,324 players already, the time is right for some Red Devils transfer talk. In today’s edition we’ll cover defenders only, and we begin with the latest on rising Crystal Palace star Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
United have a very strong interest in the 21-year-old, with widespread reports that the London club has already turned down a £40 million bid.
Then it was reported Selhurst Park wanted £60 million, with United willing to go £50 million. The latest narrative says that Palace want £65m, and now the amount puts us into second most expensive defender in history territory. Virgil van Dijk, the reigning PFA Player of the Year, is the only defender who has ever commanded a transfer fee that exceeds this price point.
Arsenal legend Ray Parlour says that is just “crazy.”
“It is madness, absolute madness,” he said on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast.
“I really like him, I think he’s an excellent player and I’ve seen him on quite a few occasions. His defending is very good and he gets forward. But for £65million? It’s crazy.” Here’s more via TalkSPORT.
Next we return to a song that we’ve heard played on repeat for awhile. Leicester City central defender Harry Maguire is a long time United target, but the Foxes supposedly don’t want to sell. United have failed in their quest to land him in previous transfer windows, but Sky Sports reports that they’ll pursue again this window, and they’ll have competition -from across town.
Sky Sports News claims the Foxes believe he is worth in the region of £80 million, but both Manchester clubs are unwilling to go that high. The report also adds that his fee, especially if there is a bidding war between United and City, could exceed £50m.
Finally, Italian international Matteo Darmian has been linked with an Old Trafford exit for several transfer windows now, but yet the sparingly used full back still remains on the roster.
Most often he is linked with a return to his native country, and ESPN reports today that United are in talks with three different clubs that have expressed interest.
“Spanish side Valencia and two unnamed Italian clubs are leading the race,” ESPN FC claims.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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