The end of the January transfer window is approaching, and deals are starting to flow thick and fast.
Newcastle United is exercising their financial muscles in order to prevent relegation to the Championship, while Tottenham’s efforts to bolster their team continue to stall as their targets are drawn elsewhere.
Most Manchester United fans expected the club to sign a midfielder this transfer window, but it appears that we will have to wait until the summer to see the club address the obvious vacancy in the squad.
There isn’t much longer till we are given the delights of deadline day, so let’s take a look at three things that will ‘certainly’ happen at United in the coming days.
Who requires squad depth?
United may sanction a handful of loan exits in the coming days.
Anthony Martial has already departed on loan to Sevilla, while Amad has won a loan transfer to Rangers, but expect more departures this month.
Donny van de Beek is said to be in talks with Crystal Palace and Valencia, and Ralf Rangnick has told Jesse Lingard that he is free to leave. It remains to be seen, though, whether an agreement with Premier League strugglers Newcastle can be reached before the end of the month.
Lingard is being pursued by a number of other teams and considering that he doesn’t appear to be in Rangnick’s plans for the rest of the season, it’s probably best if United and Lingard part ways this month.
Moving on players deemed surplus to requirements always seems like a logical move, but with United still playing in the FA Cup, the Champions League, and a spot in the top four on the line in the Premier League, such harsh cuts might come back to haunt them.
Bruno Guimaraes has joined Manchester United… Newcastle United
To suggest that United has been sluggish in terms of player recruitment in recent years is an understatement.
A midfielder was needed in the summer and is still needed today, but the club appears set on waiting until the summer to resolve the issue.
In doing so, they risk missing out on a slew of top midfielders, a category Bruno Guimaraes unquestionably belongs to.
The Brazilian midfielder would fix many of United’s problems, but according to The Chronicle, Guimaraes is on his way to Newcastle in a deal worth roughly £33.5 million.
We can only hope that United’s lack of action in the January market isn’t a major blunder.
No one believes United will sign a contract.
Given what has already been stated, this one is unlikely to come as a surprise. According to MEN Sport, United is already working on summer deals, so the next few days could be relatively quiet for United fans.
Given the number of top midfielders whose contracts are about to expire this summer, it will be sad if United does not make a last-ditch effort to bolster their roster.
This season, finishing in the top four is an absolute must, and United fans can only hope that January isn’t remembered as the month when our season finally unraveled.
