Manchester United are ready to battle Manchester City for Portuguese forward Rafael Leao this summer but the North West rivals will face stiff competition from the Saudi Pro League, according to a report from Spain.
Fichajes contend the Red Devils are “ready to fight” for Leao with AC Milan having “decided to put the Portuguese striker up for sale as part of their rebuilding plan for next season and are demanding a fee of around 100 million euros for his transfer.”
The report reveals United head coach Ruben Amorim has “requested a top-level reinforcement for the left-flank”.
A Gap on the Left
The previous incumbent of this role at Old Trafford – Marcus Rashford – looks set to depart the club in the summer on a permanent deal after joining Aston Villa on loan until the end of the season.
A £40 million buy-clause was included in the temporary switch which, based on manager Unai Emery’s praise of the English forward, the Villains look increasingly likely to trigger.
Rashord’s status as an academy graduate means his potential sale would constitute a treasure trove from an FFP perspective as the fee received would count as ‘pure profit’.
This would enable Old Trafford officials to sanction a big-money move to replace the 27-year-old forward, with Leao offering many of the same attributes as his English counterpart.
United Willing to Back Amorim
Fichajes believes United are “willing to make a strong investment to meet” Amorim’s demands as they seek to help the Portuguese coach overhaul his new squad.
However, the report reveals the competition for the Milanese forward will be “fierce” with both Pep Guardiola’s City and Saudi side Al-Hilal vying for Leao’s signature.
The Rossoneri will be aiming for the ” maximum possible return on [Leao’s] transfer as the club seeks to perform their own squad revamp at the San Siro. And a €100 million injection from Manchester or Saudi Arabia will certainly help this process.
The Peoples Person holds a sceptical view of this report, however.
Leao, while certainly a gifted footballer with outstanding physical attributes, suffers many of the same inconsistencies as Rashford. The Portuguese international turns 26 in the summer and there is a growing sense this is the player he is, rather than any lingering hope of improvement in certain aspects of his game as he approaches his peak years.
Leao is also best deployed as an inside forward on the left in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation – similar to Rashford. And Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system proved an awkward fit for the United academy star, suggesting Leao would suffer a similar issue should he arrive at Old Trafford.
If United are willing to spend €100 million on a forward this summer, they should look elsewhere.
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
