Man Utd transfer round-up with Antoine Semenyo, Ruben Neves and Marcus Rashford latest
Man Utd ran out of time in the summer transfer window with targets already being identified for January.
Whether or not Ruben Amorim is still the man in charge of Manchester United when the transfer window opens in January is almost irrelevant given how much work is still to be done.
Reinforcements are needed throughout the team with the players who left in the summer at least freeing up space in the squad and on the wage bill. As seen against Brentford, having to put square pegs in round holes continues to be an issue, even if the Red Devils boss is sometimes guilty of it when he doesn’t need to.
The defence continues to be a problem in terms of personnel and shape but the latest United transfer rumours don’t seem to be addressing it.
Man Utd keeping tabs on Antoine Semenyo
One surprise of the summer was in-demand and United-linked Antoine Semenyo staying at Bournemouth, not only that, but the Ghana international extended his contract to stay with the Cherries. With four goals and two assists in six games, the 25-year old is one of the Premier League’s on form players with TBR’s transfer journalist Graeme Bailey reporting that the list of clubs keeping tabs is growing and whether or not a January move could be on the cards: “He had Man United and Tottenham showing interest in the summer and now some of Europe’s top clubs are looking.
“As it stands, Bournemouth are intent on making progress this summer and that means no sales. They have lost the likes of Huijsen, Kerkez and Zabarnyi in recent months and they are insistent Semenyo won’t be following them through the exit doors in January.”
Another name that has been mentioned is Ruben Neves, a player who has been long admired by United and who could be the missing piece of the jigsaw in midfield. As a natural defensive midfielder and international teammate of Bruno Fernandes it is a signing that makes a lot of sense. That his contract is expiring and will be free to discuss a pre-contract agreement in January only makes him an even more obvious target for Jason Wilcox.
Barcelona timeline for making Marcus Rashford decision
One other report isn’t a possible incoming, but the latest on when Barcelona will make a decision on signing Marcus Rashford. The La Liga giants have the option to make the loan move permanent with Pete O’Rourke telling the Inside Track podcast: “Barcelona have got him for the season. They will continue to evaluate him and if he does well for them, there’s the option there to make it permanent for £26.2million, which as I said, is a bargain.
“Probably the only question mark would be his wages because we all know Barcelona’s financial struggles over the recent years. Whether they could afford those huge wages of Rashford over a long-term basis, that would remain to be seen.”
Rashford appears to have cut the chord with United but if he wants to keep living the dream in Spain, he will have to sacrifice a significant percentage of his weekly pay packet.