Manchester United are in the off-season, so that means it’s silly season time, and that consists of transfer talk. The club’s official Twitter account has been trolled pretty hard lately, by numerous supporters upset about the lack of activity in the summer transfer window.
At least one Twitter user actually tweeted @ManUtd, “are you aware the summer transfer window is actually open?” And it was met with a lot of retweets and likes. So here’s to hoping that Old Trafford finally wakes up from their moribund transfer window, and starts doing something.
For today’s MUFC news and notes round-up go here. So let’s start at the top and get messy, uhm I mean Messi.
Yes, Lionel Messi is demanding a free transfer out of FC Barcelona, as he does not want to play for the new manager Ronaldo Koeman, and he’s unhappy with the current state of the club and their leadership.
He’s also not happy about the Catalan club axing Luis Suarez. As it stands, Manchester City and Inter Milan are the early favorites to sign him, if he’s successful in forcing through a move. It looks like we’re headed towards an ugly legal battle, but that’s what it could take to make a Messi transfer happen.
Sky Sports have done an analysis of where Messi could go and why he would be a good fit at the stated destinations. Also, here are the latest odds on where Lionel Messi will play next season via Draft Kings.
To stay at Barcelona: -120
Manchester City: +250
PSG: +800
Chelsea: +1400
Inter Milan: +1400
Manchester United: +1600
Newell’s Old Boys: +2000
Juventus: +2500
Liverpool: +2500
One thing in United’s favor regarding a Messi pursuit, they have deeper pockets than almost any other club out there. There is however at least one player from Barca who is almost certain to join United this summer, but it’s a youth player, 16-year-old Marc Jurado.
He reportedly flew to Manchester this morning to finalize his deal. However, to receive international clearance which will allow him to formally sign for the club, although United have no worries the process will be completed soon.
The Manchester Evening News report that Jurado “is poised to officially join United in the coming weeks and has already posted a farewell message to former club Barcelona following the expiration of his previous deal.”
Finally, we close with, unfortunately, another story of United having their overtures for a player rejected. According to RMC Sport (h/t Metro), United made an initial bid of €25million (£22m) for AS Monaco centreback Benoit Badiashile, but it was swiftly rejected.
Metro writes that “Monaco head coach Niko Kovac has asked the club to reject all offers for Badiashile as the teenager is key to his plans for the new season.”
The only exception would be if the Principality club could get an “Anthony Martial level offer.” The Frenchman moved in a shocking 2015 summer deadline day deal that cost 36 million pounds and saw him become the world’s most expensive teenage footballer in history, at the time.
That teenage record breaking amount has since been eclipsed only three times.
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 contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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