Manchester United are allegedly working on signing Flamengo right-back Wesley Franca this summer.
With the winter transfer window closing just two days ago, Man United fans could be justified for feeling disappointed following what was an underwhelming volume of deals at what has been a precarious time at Old Trafford.
While United manager Ruben Amorim succeeded in signing Patrick Dorgu form Lecce, thereby adding a much-needed reinforcement at left-back, the lack of further signings in January was concerning.
After all, fellow signing Ayden Heaven is 18 years old, meaning he may only be eased into the first-team gradually over the medium term.
Despite the quiet winter transfer period, it appears that United may be playing the long game, targeting further signings this summer.
Fichajes reported this morning that United are looking to sign Wesley during the next transfer window.
“Manchester United have decided to enter the race for Wesley and have made him a priority target for the next transfer window,” the report read.
“The need to strengthen their defence amid an impending restructuring has led the English club to set their sights on the young Flamengo right-back,” the article acknowledged.
“However, it will not be an easy operation, as Zenit of Russia have already put forward an offer of 30 million euros, which makes it clear that the competition for the Brazilian will be intense. The Mengão board already assumes that retaining the player will be an almost impossible task.”
Given that Wesley’s Flamengo contract runs through 2028, United will need to submit a competitive offer in order to lure him away from Brazil, particularly if they hope to beat Zenit to his signature.
Although Amorim will need to rely on the squad he has got for the remainder of the season, the United manager may yet receive the financial backing he needs from Ineos in order to rejuvenate his team with some much-needed fresh signings.
Still, it may take some convincing for Ineos to release transfer funds, given the strict cost-cutting measures that they have implemented at the club in recent times.
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
