Marcus Rashford scored again for Barcelona but found himself on the wrong end of a 4-1 thumping against Sevilla at the weekend.
Marcus Rashford netted the LaLiga champions’ consolation goal at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on a day to forget, which left them trailing Real Madrid by two points.
Sevilla simply blew the visitors away, inspired by the performance of one of their midfield superstars who has attracted plenty of attention from the Premier League.
[
Click to subscribe to the podcast ](https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheBackFour?sub_confirmation=1)
Manchester United would do well to swoop for him before someone else does.
Ruben Amorim reacts on the touchline during Manchester United's 2-0 win against Sunderland at Old Trafford
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Man United should sign Lucien Agoume over Carlos Baleba
It is no secret that United pushed hard to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer.
TBR Football’s chief correspondent Graeme Bailey exclusively revealed that Brighton were demanding over £100million, a price tag United could not afford to match and were unwilling to meet.
They had done due diligence on other midfield targets, and Sevilla’s Lucien Agoume made their shortlist. His performances so far this season underline how much of a mistake it was for United not to make a serious push to bring him in.
Agoume enjoyed a breakthrough season with Sevilla last year, helping them to avoid relegation, despite failing to make an impact at Inter Milan and bouncing from club to club.
The 23-year-old is now one of the first names on the team sheet, and he was exceptional against Rashford’s Barcelona, breaking up play in the centre of the pitch and feeding the forwards.
FBRef previously likened his style of play to that of Moises Caicedo and Eduardo Camavinga, and this is exactly the type of profile Ruben Amorim has been sorely missing.
Sevilla midfielder Lucien Agoume competes with Barcelona's Dani Olmo for the ball
Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images
Arsenal also wanted Lucien Agoume
It would be no surprise if several top Premier League clubs looked to sign Agoume next summer.
Arsenal were another of his admirers in the lead-up to this season, and after sporting director Jason Ayto left the Emirates to move to Brighton, he wanted to bring the player with him to the south coast.
Agoume cost Sevilla just €4m (£3.4m) in the summer of 2024, and he is under contract until 2028. It remains to be seen how much they would now demand, but previous reports put his valuation at just £20m.
United desperately need a midfield general capable of sweeping up and helping them dominate matches, and Agoume ticks both of these boxes. Ineos simply must splash the cash to bring him in.