Man Utd, West Ham and Everton's major boost in race for ex-Premier League star as Aston Villa pull out
Man United, West Ham, Everton and Aston Villa have all been linked to signing a Serie A star this summer.
Ruben Amorim is working to add more talent on a budget this summer, as he has already spent over £120m on Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, without yet making any sales.
They have saved money by sending Marcus Rashford on loan to Barcelona, with the La Liga club paying the English forward’s wages. However, the likes of Jadon Sancho, Antony, Tyrell Malacia, and Alejandro Garnacho are all yet to be sold this summer, despite it being part of United’s transfer plans.
Amorim wants to add more depth in midfield, too, but he will have to do it on a budget, and United have recently been linked to signing a former Aston Villa midfielder, who moved to the Serie A last summer.
Villa out of Douglas Luiz race
Douglas Luiz is expected to leave Juventus after just one season, as his move to Italy hasn’t exactly gone to plan. He joined the Serie A giants for £42m last summer, but has since made just 19 appearances in the league for the Old Lady. United have been linked to signing him, with a potential swap deal emerging as Juventus are keen on Jadon Sancho.
The Red Devils have been handed a boost in their pursuit of the midfielder, too, as Luiz’s former side, Aston Villa, have pulled out of the race to sign him, according to a fresh report by The Sun. The same report claims that Everton and West Ham are the frontrunners to sign Luiz, but Manchester United remains in the race.
Before joining Juventus, Luiz achieved considerable success with Villa in the Premier League, making 204 appearances for the Birmingham-based club in all competitions, scoring 22 goals and providing 24 assists.
Could Man United swap Sancho for Luiz?
The reports of United’s interest in Luiz emerged amid the suggestions that Juventus wanted to sign Sancho, who is set to leave Old Trafford this summer. The English winger has a transfer price of £25m, which was the same as Chelsea’s obligation to buy him after his loan spell at Stamford Bridge.
Juventus have no issue with the transfer fee, but the biggest issue with selling Sancho is his wages, the same reason why Chelsea decided against signing him permanently. He is currently on a weekly wage of £250,000 after it was reduced from £350,000, but even so, the Italian club will struggle to pay it.
To ease their wage budget, they are keen to sell Luiz, and so a swap deal could emerge between the two teams. Furthermore, United have been linked to signing Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, who has a hefty wage. The club are reportedly considering cutting him in order to free up some space; that could green-light a move for Sancho, and so a potential swap deal with Luiz.