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 on this Saturday. Yesterday, we saw United announce the first signing of this summer transfer window- Swansea City winger Daniel James. So there you go- the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makeover is now underway.
According to an official list distributed by the Premier League, Juan Mata has not been officially released by the club because he still has an offer on the table. His contract is still set to expire on June 30, and his future remains very much uncertain.
The list revealed which players are now officially no longer of MUFC, and it includes Antonio Valencia and Ander Herrera, who we covered in the previous edition of United transfer talk. The list also includes striker James Wilson, who scored twice in his senior team debut, while still a teenager in the late days of the 2013-2014 season.
Unfortunately, Wilson saw his time at Old Trafford peak right there. He never really found a place on the team, went out on loan a few times, and now his time with United is up.
Also on the list of players released are the following more obscure footballers:
Millen Baars, Joshua Bohui, Zachary Dearnley, Callum Gribbin, DJ Buffonge, Regan Poole, Tom Sang, Tyrell Warren, Callum Whelan and Matty Willock have also been released along with United States international Matthew Olosunde.
Next we turn to the transfer saga of the summer, Paul Pogba. There are conflicting narratives on the status and future of Pogba, but conventional wisdom says the midfielder wants out, United don’t want to sell him, but they may come to the realization that they really should, given how the money we would command in the transfer market would really help to get the needed rebuild going.
Maybe it’s safe to say that no one actually really knows what’s going on Pogba at United and what’s going to become of him this transfer window.
Given his worth on the market, the potential destinations for the Frenchman are limited. A move back to Juventus could be possible, but in order to afford Pogba, Juve may need to send some key pieces the other way.
According to Metro, they would be willing to part ways with three players, including the stellar Paulo Dybala.
Another potential destination for Pogba is Real Madrid, who are simply not messing around this summer transfer window. They’ve acquired three players already and they’re not showing any signs of slowing down. If they do acquire Pogba, they may send Gareth Bale the other way.
Bale is a long LONG time United target, but with Eden Hazard now in the Spanish capital, the time could be right for the Welshman to move on.
And Wales legend Neville Southall believes a Bale-Pogba swap would be a good thing.
The Manchester Evening News has more on that over at this link.
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.
Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, also contributes to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.