January transfer window deals are typically for teams with major holes to fill and doing so with options that can come off as desperation. Mario Mandzukic, 33, leaving Juventus for Manchester United could be another deal that kind of fits this bill.
United are a total mess in the final third, and although the Croatian doesn’t represent a major upgrade over the personnel available in attack, he would provide depth for the Red Devils, who made whiffed on some recent forward acquisitions, let them go and then never replaced them.
According to Football Italia a ‘verbal agreement’ to join Manchester United in January is in place, but Juventus still want €10 million for the Croatian.
Mandzukic is surplus to requirements at Juve, as he has yet to feature for Maurizio Sarri’s men this season. Realizing that he’s expendable/not part of the plan, the Serie A side has cut their asking price for him. Naturally, Mandzukic wants out, and he’s been linked to clubs in Major League Soccer, as well as a move to Qatar.
However, he’d prefer a chance to play at United, and that could work, given how: Marcus Rashford’s form has been off, Anthony Martial has been hurt for awhile, the promising kids don’t seem ready yet, and they never replaced Romelu Lukaku. So maybe this could be a stop gap solution for both Mandzukic and United.
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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