Welcome to the heights (or depths) of the summer silly season, as the major international tournaments are now over. It’s all preseason friendlies and transfer window talk for the next month, until the season begins. Let’s take a look at the latest narratives churning in the United transfer rumor mill.
We start with United having identified their fallback option if they can’t land West Ham United and England superstar Declan Rice, and it’s Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves. (who’s also been linked with Arsenal this summer).
This is according to reports in The Daily Star. Rice has been heavily linked to both United and Chelsea in recent transfer windows, but West Ham are understood to want at £100 million+ for the 22-year-old, who was a major star for England at Euro 2020, as Three Lions went all the way to the tournament final, before eventually losing in a penalty shootout.
Since the Hammers would like to take on Jesse Lingard permanently, after the winger went on a purple patch for them this past season in a loan move from United, maybe Old Trafford can use him as a part of a player plus cash swap deal? Maybe that’s not too realistic, so perhaps Neves, 24, is a more viable option.
The Portugese international could reportedly be had for about £60 million, the article states, as United look to fill their need for a central, defensive midfield man.
Right now, Fred and Scott McTominay fill that middle of the park role, with Nemanja Matic coming in off the bench/starting in cup competitions, but they can’t seem to reach the same level that Assistant coach Michael Carrick did when he was in his prime during his playing days.
The other option for United could be Stade Rennes 18-year-old Eduardo Camavinga.
Sure that’s more of a developmental concept than just plug ‘n’ play, but with the potential fee said to be around €40m for the Angolan born French international, that’s a bargain to say the least.
CDM is United’s second biggest postional need, after centreback, so watch this space.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
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