Manchester United’s transfer for Matheus Cunha seems to be all however accomplished, though that deal will possible be simply the beginning of a busy summer season at Previous Trafford, with Ruben Amorim anticipated to supervise an actual squad overhaul.
Whereas the Portuguese has admitted that incomings could also be restricted as a result of membership’s failure to safe Champions League qualification, he additionally hinted that he might look to work with a smaller squad because of this, heightening the necessity for additional departures.
Victor Lindelof, Christian Eriksen and Jonny Evans all stated their goodbyes throughout Sunday’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa, whereas gross sales for Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony are all set to be prioritised, based on the Manchester Night Information.
A daring name has been made by Amorim and INEOS over the way forward for Alejandro Garnacho, with the Argentine at present the foremost speaking level on the membership – alongside in-demand captain, Bruno Fernandes.
Newest on Bruno Fernandes’ future
Within the aftermath of final week’s Europa League closing defeat, Fernandes – who had put in a surprisingly muted efficiency within the Bilbao showpiece – admitted for the primary time that the membership might resolve to money in on him, having beforehand rejected an “provide” from elsewhere final summer season.
The 30-year-old did put pen to paper over a contract extension forward of the beginning of this season, though intense curiosity from Saudi Arabian facet, Al Hilal, has thrown his future unsure.
It has been claimed in latest days that the playmaker has been given 72 hours by the Professional League outfit to resolve whether or not or not he’s open to a transfer, having spent the final five-and-a-half years in Manchester.
The assumption is that Al Hilal are keen to virtually treble Fernandes’ wage, ought to he conform to a change, with United’s talisman in line to take residence £700k-per-week, totalling £200m over a three-year contract.
Ought to that mammoth provide show too tempting for each participant and membership – with an £100m charge having been mooted – then Amorim and co might want to search out an acceptable substitute.
Man Utd’s search to switch Fernandes
With Cunha having one foot within the door, the search to discover a new attacking talisman is already underway, though for a facet who failed to attain in 16 video games in all competitions in 2024/25, additional reinforcements are wanted.
With that in thoughts, Caught Offside are reporting that the Purple Devils are able to capitalise on the uncertainty surrounding Lee Kang-in’s future at Paris Saint-Germain, with talks stated to have hit a snag over the South Korean’s contract extension.
As per the report, whereas the 24-year-old nonetheless has three years left on his present deal, the failure to tie him all the way down to contemporary phrases has ‘opened the door’ for suitors to pounce, with the Previous Trafford facet stated to have ‘made a transfer’ to signal him.
Any deal might price within the area of £36m, with The Athletic reporting in January that the Ligue 1 facet need to at the very least double their €22m (£18m) funding, after touchdown the playmaker from Mallorca in 2023.
That reported price ticket was mooted amid curiosity from Arsenal, with the Gunners amongst a raft of golf equipment to have made contact, alongside the likes of Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.
A hotly-contested race then it will appear, though if United can win the battle, Lee might characterize a wildcard Fernandes substitute.
Why Lee Kang-in may very well be an ideal Fernandes substitute
It’s a summer season by which many top-flight golf equipment need to strengthen their attacking ranks, with rivals Liverpool seemingly stepping up their pursuit of one of the vital high-profile offers to have been touted to date, with regard to Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.
The topic of a proposal price over €100m (£86m), the German sensation appears to have chosen Anfield as his subsequent vacation spot, regardless of curiosity from Bayern Munich, with the 22-year-old having fun with a nice marketing campaign by which he registered 31 targets and assists in all competitions.
Whereas Lee could not have hit such heights again in Paris, having registered simply 12 targets and assists amid his bit-part function beneath Luis Enrique, it’s encouraging to notice that he has been deemed a statistically comparable profile to Wirtz, amongst these of their place on this season’s Champions League, as per FBref.
Lee vs Wirtz – 24/25 UCL stats | ||
|---|---|---|
Stat (per 90) | Lee | Wirtz |
Non-penalty targets | 0.00 | 0.59 |
Assists | 0.00 | 0.12 |
Shot-creating actions | 5.00 | 5.10 |
Go completion | 86.1% | 85.8% |
Progressive passes | 7.50 | 6.28 |
Progressive carries | 3.65 | 3.32 |
Profitable take-ons | 1.54 | 2.13 |
Tackles | 1.73 | 0.71 |
Interceptions | 0.19 | 0.47 |
Stats by way of FBref | ||
As indicated within the desk above, the 2 males – each of whom can function off the flanks or in a central function – are notably adept at offering a artistic outlet in assault, with Lee rating within the high 1% of Champions League forwards for progressive passes per 90. Wirtz, for context, ranks within the high 3% in that regard.
The duo’s dribbling prowess can also be price noting, with Lee – who did solely function for 468 minutes within the competitors – rating within the high 18% for profitable take-ons per 90, along with his German counterpart rating within the high 1% for that very same metric.
Beforehand described as an “unimaginable” expertise by worldwide teammate Son Heung-min, the previous Valencia starlet has recorded 22 targets and assists in 81 video games throughout his time in Paris, whereas beforehand registering 17 aim involvements in 73 video games for Mallorca.
It’s also price mentioning that regardless of registering simply six targets and 6 assists in Ligue 1 in 2024/25, the Korean gem did create 16 ‘large probabilities’, whereas averaging 1.9 key passes per recreation, as per Sofascore.
Wirtz, for instance, was solely simply forward after creating 17 ‘large probabilities’ within the Bundesliga, albeit whereas averaging 1.8 key passes, whereas as for Fernandes, the Portuguese hero additionally created 16 ‘large probabilities’ within the Premier League.
That signifies the kind of menace that Lee can provide, notably if afforded common recreation time beneath Amorim’s watch, with the silky left-footer courting such curiosity for a motive, heading into the summer season window.
For United to have the ability to land a Wirtz-like expertise on a budget might show a masterstroke, with the PSG contract insurgent representing a probably left-field answer ought to Fernandes’ void have to be crammed.
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