Manchester United have been in contact with a club director over a pair of stars valued at £62m this week, it has been reported, as the two clubs look to come to an agreement.
Man Utd eyeing new reinforcements under Amorim
Ruben Amorim’s first game in charge highlighted just how much work needed to be done at Old Trafford. A 1-1 draw with Premier League new boys Ipswich Town left the Red Devils 12th in the Premier League, and Amorim pulled no punches in his assessment of the squad.
“I know it is frustrating for the fans but we are changing so much in this moment with a lot of games. We are going to suffer for a long period. We will try to win games but this will take time.
“We have to risk it a little bit [now] and in the next year we will be better [otherwise] next year at the same stage we will be here with the same problems.”
Bellingham 2.0: Man Utd want to sign exciting £120m star in the making
Ruben Amorim already appears to be eyeing up new additions for Manchester United.
ByEthan LambNov 28, 2024
One of the problem areas is central midfield, where Casemiro and Christian Eriksen looked pedestrian at Portman Road. That will be boosted by the integration of Manuel Ugarte and the return of Kobbie Mainoo from injury, but there is precious little cover for the duo, with Eriksen out of contract at the end of the season and Casemiro arguably well past his best.
Player
Contract until
Casemiro
2026
Toby Collyer
2027
Christian Eriksen
2025
Mason Mount
2028
Kobbie Mainoo
2027
Manuel Ugarte
2029
Reinforcements will be needed sooner rather than later at Old Trafford, and now they have seemingly been offered the chance to sign them as early as January.
Man Utd offered midfield duo by Juventus
That comes as Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport [Via Sport Witness] report that Juventus director Cristiano Giuntoli made use of his side’s trip to Aston Villa to hold talks with the Red Devils and rivals Manchester City over potential deals for Nicolo Fagioli and Douglas Luiz.
Luiz only arrived in Turin in the summer but has found game time hard to come by with Thiago Motta preferring other options in his engine room. Meanwhile, Fagioli has started just four Serie A games so far this season and is more often used from the substitutes bench.
As per the report, Juve “want to sell” the pair in January “to raise funds” in order to sign a new striker and defender. They are said to value Fagioli at up to €25m (£21m) and Douglas Luiz at a more costly €50m (£41m).
Interestingly though, it is added that in the case of Luiz, they would “be willing to use him to carry out a swap deal”, which could play into Manchester United’s hands given Juventus’ reported interest in Joshua Zirkzee.
It remains to be seen whether anything transpires from the talks, with Juventus having reached out to drum up interest in the duo rather than vice-versa. Amorim is likely to have more pressing issues than midfield in January as he looks to reshape his squad. However, Luiz is already Premier League proven and has been labelled “world class” by former teammate John McGinn.
Could a low-cost swap deal be the perfect solution for all parties, landing Amorim a new midfielder in the process and clearing the way for a potential swoop to sign Viktor Gyokeres in the summer?