Three rumoured transfers that Man Utd fans should forget about this Januaryplaceholder image
Three rumoured transfers that Man Utd fans should forget about this January | Getty Images
A look at three January transfer rumours involving Manchester United which are unlikely to prove true.
Manchester United’s stop-start opening to the 2025/26 campaign, combined with their evident needs for reinforcements in several areas, means that the rumour mill is producing new stories every day connecting the club with players they may try to sign in the January transfer window. The difficulty is working which might have a grain of truth in them, and which may prove to be nonsense.
It’s the nature of the gossip columns that they fill up with speculative and sometimes simply untrue stories concerning the biggest teams, and Manchester United certainly fall into that bracket – so to help make sense of United’s situation heading into January, we’ve picked out three transfer rumours which we think are highly unlikely to come to fruition this winter. Some of these players may end up at Old Trafford down the line, others may never come true at all, but none of this trio are likely to be United players before the end of the season.
Antoine Semenyo
Ever since it was revealed that the Bournemouth winger has a £65m release clause in his contract which activates in January, there has been a frenzy of stories linking him with the Premier League’s wealthiest clubs – but despite a number of stories suggesting that United will be involved in the bidding, that likely won’t happen this January.
Partly, that’s because United likely can’t afford to spend that much this season (at least in terms of their PSR position) unless they make some significant sales, and partly it’s because Semenyo becomes cheaper next summer due to the nature of the clauses in his contract. United may very well be interested in Semenyo, but it would be very unlikely for them to make a move in the coming months.
If any teams do make a bid this winter, it’s far more likely to be either Liverpool or Manchester City, both of whom are in a far better financial position to make such a move, but there’s every chance that Semenyo himself prefers to stay put for a few more months and keep his options open ahead of next season. United may eventually get their hands on the Ghanaian, but don’t expect it to happen imminently.
Elliot Anderson
We’re in similar territory with Anderson – and you can sub in Carlos Baleba, Adam Wharton, Morten Hjulmand, or any one of a number of midfielders with which Manchester United have been linked. They simply can’t afford them this winter.
Anderson is likely to fetch something like £100m after a superb year or so of form for Nottingham Forest and for England, and while it’s likely that United spend big on a midfielder next summer, it’s incredibly improbable that they have the means to get their hands on Anderson (who seems to be in vogue for the rumour mill right now) before then.
One thing that is worth noting is that some strong sources, such as The Times, believe that United have Anderson on their shortlist but the only outlets discussing such a bid as being something that might take place in January are those whose stories have a rather lower hit rate. Like Semenyo, this is a summer deal that could very well take place – and like Semenyo, he won’t sign this winter.
James Garner
A product of United’s own youth academy, Garner has been flourishing at Everton and his impressive form has seen him linked with a return to Old Trafford, with Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest allegedly interested as well.
The speculation is fuelled by the fact that Garner is out of contract at the end of the season, and it’s very possible that United do try to sign him on a free transfer should he leave the Hill Dickinson Stadium in June – but Everton are highly unlikely to sell him this January unless it’s for a fee which reflects his importance to their squad this season.
United could probably pay up – there have been some rather questionably-sourced claims that £20m would do the trick - but it’s very likely that United are looking at Garner as a potential free addition. Teams seldom pay hard cash in January when they can sign a player for free in the summer. Should he turn down a new contract with Everton, which is expected to be offered very soon, then he may remain on the radar, but it would be a surprise if he moved this winter, whether to Manchester United or to another team.
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