Manchester United are reportedly ‘willing’ to lodge a £51.5million bid to secure the transfer or Real Madrid star Arda Guler, derailing a Liverpool plot for him.
United have struggled for the past couple of seasons. Last term, they came eighth in the Premier League, and things have been worse this term, with new manager Ruben Amorim’s system taking some adapting to.
Currently, United are 14th in the Premier League, and will be looking to make vast improvements over the summer transfer window to ensure they can turn things around next season.
Fichajes reports that the Red Devils want to ‘rejuvenate’ their squad, and believe Real Madrid midfielder Guler could ‘thrive’ for them. As such, United are ‘willing’ to bid €60million (£51.5m approx) for the Turkish international.
Opportunities have been few and far between for Guler at Real this season, where he’s started just 12 games. There is a reported acceptance in Spain that he may ‘need to leave’ the Bernabeu to ‘reach his full potential’.
It has been suggested that Guler is not happy with working under Carlo Ancelotti, and the report states if the manager stays, the attacker’s departure ‘seems quite likely’. But the chances of him staying if Xabi Alonso joins the club will reportedly increase.
In any case, United are ‘closely monitoring’ Real’s movements, and are ‘waiting for the right moment to launch their offensive’.
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If Amorim’s side were to succeed in landing Guler, they’d derail a Liverpool transfer. It’s been reported that Real want to sign Alexis Mac Allister, and Guler would be used as a ‘bargaining chip’ in that deal.
It’s not clear if the Reds would have been open to that, as Mac Allister has been a quality asset for them since joining from Brighton, but Real would seemingly not want to let Guler go elsewhere if they think there’s a chance he can help them get the star.
Arsenal have also been linked with a move for the Turkish international, and recent reports have suggested if he is to be sold by Real, he’ll cost £30-40million. If United were to pay the quoted £51.5million, they’d likely be ahead of other clubs in the race, given they’d be paying over the odds for Guler.
Whether that does in fact happen remains to be seen, though, as the validity of the report could be questioned.
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