Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim. (Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Wire)placeholder image
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim. (Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Wire)
Manchester United have been linked with a host of midfielders to strengthen the spine of the team, but should Ruben Amorim be looking for a more reliable no.9?
Speculation has already been ramping up about who Manchester United might be targeting in the January transfer window.
Man United linked with midfielders
The area of the team that has seen the highest profile transfer rumours are in midfield. Elliot Anderson has been linked with United, as has the man he is competing with for an England starting jersey, Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace. Both would demand sizeable transfer fees, both are outstanding you talents, but could the money be better spent elsewhere?
Midfield needs to be addressed, but it can wait a little while longer or be attended to if either Kobbie Mainoo gets his wish and leaves or Manuel Ugarte’s link to Galatasaray becomes concrete. The most pressing are of concern remains the no.9 role.
A lot of money was paid for Benjamin Sesko and with Christmas just around the corner, Amorim would have been expecting significantly more for his £74m. Compared with Nick Woltemade at Newcastle United who came from the same league and for less money, United have every right to feel aggrieved, especially when they signed Sesko before Woltemade moved to the North East.
The money spent in the summer could have been better spent on a proven Premier League and European goalscorer with Julian Alvarez continuing to not be fully appreciated at Atlético Madrid. If there is up to £100m available to be spent on one player, it should spent on someone who can score goals, create chances for others as well as being able to play in a number of positions. With 140 goals and 62 assists so far, the 25-year old is as low risk as strikers come and would be worth every penny of an £85m transfer fee.
He is also proven in the Premier League with Man City - and if United did pull off a move then it would be one that would irk their rivals.
Why United need to target Alvarez
According to The Athletic, with Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford, who has been linked with a PSG swap deal for Bradley Barcola, set to depart next summer, Barcelona are keeping tabs on Alvarez’s situation: “This is all with next summer in mind, rather than January, but the standout candidate as Barcelona’s next striker is Julian Alvarez. They see it as being a very difficult deal to pull off but Alvarez is Laporta’s dream signing for the position.
“Alvarez is considered a perfect fit for Flick’s high-pressing system, but the 25-year-old has a contract until 2030 with Atletico Madrid, who have no intention of selling their best player. Given Barca’s financial situation, it is not easy to see how they can afford the Argentina forward.”
If United want to return to the level where they are competing with teams like Barcelona, they have to sign players who wouldn’t look out of place in their starting XI and Alvarez would be a perfect fit.
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