Manchester United are entering a new era under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and could now look at a swap deal involving one of their first-team players to help land a top target, according to a report.
Man Utd to miss out on Timo Werner
This month, Manchester United could be in the market for arrivals as they seek to improve on their disappointing campaign so far under Erik ten Hag; however, one man who won't be pitching up at Old Trafford is RB Leipzig star Timo Werner, who is closing in on a loan move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Speaking in his Daily Briefing via CaughtOffside, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed why the Red Devils chose to pass on the chance to sign the Germany international,
"For me it’s a smart deal. It’s a loan, Spurs have buy option but not mandatory so they can get a look at the player before committing. Timo is super hungry as he believes this is great opportunity for him. Manchester United also considered Werner as a possibility but then they decided not to proceed also because it’s not clear yet what kind of player they want."
Of course, signing players for the sake of it is never a wise move for any given club; nevertheless, some Manchester United fans may feel frustrated as one of their divisional rivals closes in a reported target after Chief Operating Officer Collette Roche suggested at a fans forum she is not expecting the January window to be a busy one regarding new arrivals.
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Despite this, a new report has emerged claiming that Manchester United could look to enact a swap deal involving a prominent first-team man to sign a key target.
Man Utd keen on swap deal to land Michael Olise…
According to The Daily Star, Manchester United could look to enact a swap deal to sign Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise by offering £100,000 per week earner Aaron Wan-Bissaka in exchange. The report claims that France Under-21 international Olise is viewed as one of Ratcliffe's top targets once they are fully in position to step up their activity at Old Trafford in the summer.
Five similar players to Michael Olise (FBRef)
Player
Club
Romain Del Castillo
Brest
Solly March
Brighton & Hove Albion
Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United
Domenico Berardi
Sassuolo
Teji Savanier
Montpellier
The Red Devils extended Wan-Bissaka's contract by 12 months due to a clause in his deal and are believed to have prolonged his stay in the North West to try and use him as leverage in this potential transfer saga. On the flip side, Olise has a buyout stipulation which will kick into action later this year that is mooted to be around double the previous £35 million fee quoted before he extended his time at Selhurst Park, so United may need to also offer some cash along with the right-back.
Labelled "wonderful" by boss Roy Hodgson, the 22-year-old has recorded five goals and one assist in nine appearances despite battling with a hamstring issue for much of the campaign (Olise statistics – Transfermarkt).
Whether sacrificing Wan-Bissaka would be a viable trade-off for Olise is a subjective matter; nevertheless, there is no doubt that the latter would offer a different dimension in the final third for Manchester United.