Fabrizio Romano: Man Utd called about late deal for £30m man as he gives update on Red Devils ‘plan’ tonight


Manchester United have had a quieter deadline day than most of their supporters will have hoped for with the final day of the window focusing on player exits rather than arrivals.
Over the weekend deals were confirmed for Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven as the defensive duo arrived from Lecce and Arsenal, respectively. Marcus Rashford left the club on loan as he joined Premier League rivals Aston Villa until the end of the season. A number of clubs had expressed an interest in Rashford but a deal was not feasible due to the forward’s wages and the cost of a permanent transfer.
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Hide AdTyrell Malacia is also set to depart following the arrival of Dorgu with the left back set for a medical at PSV Eindhoven after a move to Benfica collapsed over the weekend. Meanwhile, Ruben Amorim had hoped to sign a striker before the 11pm deadline but those hopes are fading as the clock moves towards the end of the window.
United called about Bailey
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed via GiveMeSport that United called Aston Villa late in the window to gauge the possibility of signing Leon Bailey. The forward joined Villa for £30m from Bayer Leverkusen in 2021. He said: "New striker for Man United is a possibility but not guaranteed as of now. [Christopher] Nkunku on loan is very unlikely despite links. United called for Bailey but not concrete so far."
With Rashford moving to Villa Park, Bailey could have been viewed as surplus to requirements but the Birmingham outfit do not appear keen to let him go after selling John Duran to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr. They are also waiting to understand the severity of an injury to Ollie Watkins The question over Bailey’s availability came amid interest from Spurs but the North London club have instead agreed a deal for United target Mathys Tel. The Bayern Munich striker rejected a permanent move to Spurs last week while United reportedly had two loan offers rejected. Tottenham returned with a loan offer with the player expected to join ahead of the 11pm deadline.
United business done
In an update from Fabrizio Romano, it was confirmed that United had completed their business for the winter window with no more moves planned until the summer. He wrote on X: “Manchester United’s current stance is clear: NO more incomings are planned on Deadline Day. Dorgu, Heaven, Diego Leon set to be the January signings for Man United — deal for Nkunku/Bailey were never close. Alejandro Garnacho set to stay, internal decision has been made.”
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Hide AdAhead of the window closing, United boss Amorim said after the 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace: “Like I said, when the window has closed, we will see the players, I am focused to improve the team as a group. We need to win more games, we will try to do that, this season is like that. We need to win, small improvements, try to win points, give winning momentum, then we have setbacks and then we go again. But I think it’s clear that we need to improve."
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