Man Utd have made an offer to sign Barcelona winger Raphinha as they plan to invest €230m (£190m) in three new signings, according to reports.
The Red Devils are having a terrible season so far with Erik ten Hag losing his job at the end of October and being replaced by Ruben Amorim in November.
Man Utd are currently 13th in the Premier League with Amorim unable to halt their inconsistency in performances and results.
The Portuguese head coach has taken charge of nine matches in all competitions since being appointed as Ten Hag’s successor, winning four, losing four and drawing one.
Although Amad Diallo and others have adapted to Amorim’s formation, tactics and philosophy, Man Utd still need to bring in some more players to suit Amorim’s style of play in January or the summer transfer window.
And now reports in Spain claim that Man Utd have made an ‘offer’ for Barcelona winger Raphinha after Amorim ‘asked’ for the Brazilian.
The former Leeds star has been in good form for the La Liga side this season and Amorim wants Raphinha to help ‘solve their problems’ at Old Trafford.
Amorim has ‘asked the board to make several signings’ with Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres his ‘first objective’ and the Swede ‘has a buyout clause of €80m and is on the radar of the world’s most powerful clubs thanks to his skills’.
The Man Utd boss is ‘also obsessed’ with Raphinha and ‘has been surprised by the performance’ of the ex-Leeds man and Amorim ‘hopes to be able to convince Joan Laporta and Deco to open the doors to him, even though he is an indispensable pillar’ at Barcelona.
It is understood that a ‘very tempting proposal that could cause doubts at the Camp Nou’ with Barcelona going through ongoing financial difficulties.
With Amorim ‘tired of Andre Onana, who was a request from Ten Hag, and has never convinced with his performances in the Premier League’, the Red Devils boss’ ‘last request’ is Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
Man Utd are prepared to ‘invest €230m (£190m)’ in the three additions with an offer of €80m plus €10m for Raphinha.
MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Big Boxing Day: Newcastle v Aston Villa, Hurzeler, Ipswich, Marcus Rashford, Edinburgh derby
👉 Man Utd: Ratcliffe sends warning to Amorim as INEOS chief looks to replicate ‘bargain buy’
👉 Man Utd: Real reason for Rashford omission revealed with Amorim under ‘no pressure’ to axe him
One player who Amorim sees as valuable is Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes but ex-Red Devils winger Lee Sharpe feels the skipper needs to be a better leader.
Sharpe told BetMGM: “Bruno is a funny one for me because he does magical things sometimes and other times he gives away a sloppy ball and it leads to a goal like he did against Forest.
“He throws his arms in the air too much for me, blaming teammates as well as referees when as a Man United captain, you need to be above that and take some responsibility for performances.
“But he works his socks off every week, covers every blade of grass on the pitch and he grafts as much as any player in the Premier League. Sometimes he tries a little bit too hard and gets caught out or gives away the ball too often playing impossible passes.
“He just needs to concentrate a little bit more on the simple things and allow his ability to take over in the final third where he is an asset to United.
“He might not be the most natural captain but he is the obvious choice, who else have we got with as much experience as Bruno?
“Harry Maguire when he is on the pitch is a leader and so is De Ligt who has settled in nicely, he has plenty of experience in high-level football at Bayern Munich and Juventus, these players can step up and help without the armband.
“Every player in that team needs to take responsibility for their own performances and once they do that United will improve. I do think they do have enough leaders in the team and every team in the league could do with a Brian Robson or a Roy Keane, but they’re not easy to come by.”
