Man Utd discover gentleman’s agreement over £44m transfer | Football | Sport
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is set to bolster his midfield in the January transfer window, as he aims to enhance the club’s Champions League prospects. United have enjoyed an unbeaten streak of five Premier League matches, their best run under Amorim since he took over a year ago, and there’s a growing confidence at Old Trafford that they can reclaim their spot at Europe’s top table next season.
As such, they’re prepared to build on what club executives view as a highly successful summer transfer window when the new year arrives. After investing £200million to rejuvenate the club’s faltering attack and securing a new No. 1 in the form of Senne Lammens, enhancing United’s midfield quality is the next priority.
Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes are Amorim’s favoured choices, but the Brazilian’s long-term future is uncertain, and there’s also speculation that Uruguayan international Manuel Ugarte could be sold to generate funds.
The future of Kobbie Mainoo is also unclear, with Amorim unsure about his optimal role and the player’s World Cup aspirations dwindling due to limited playing time.
Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Elliot Anderson is highly regarded at United, but rivals Liverpool and Manchester City are also monitoring a player whose reputation is rapidly rising, while Brighton’s Carlos Baleba is a long-term target. However, both players would likely command fees exceeding £100m.
However, as initially reported in Portugal, Wolves’ Joao Gomes has emerged as a potential alternative. The Brazilian international, previously hailed as “unbelievable” by United’s No. 10 Matheus Cunha, a team-mate with Brazil and during their time together at Molineux.
He has been closely monitored by United bosses over the past 18 months and could be available for a significantly lower price than the aforementioned £100m duo. A £44m price tag has been suggested overseas.
Any deal at that price may have to be postponed until the summer. Wolves currently find themselves languishing at the bottom of the Premier League table, still without a win this season and with a mere two points to their name.
New boss Rob Edwards has been brought on board with the club pledging to do everything possible to maintain its top-flight status.
This includes something resembling a gentleman’s agreement with their new head coach not to offload the club’s most valuable assets in January, thereby giving them the best possible chance of remaining in the Premier League. This means retaining the former Flamengo star.
Naturally, this could change if United were to make an offer significantly exceeding Wolves’ valuation of Gomes. However, that figure would need to be considerably higher than the suggested £44m.
Gomes, on the other hand, has a World Cup with Brazil next summer to consider and understands that he needs regular Premier League playtime to have the best chance of making Carlo Ancelotti’s squad. He gets that at Wolves and may not initially in Manchester.
However, a move to United may not still be there for him in summer, if United have other options on the table.
