Ruben Amorim had 'approved' Manchester United's proposed move for Sporting CP starlet Geovany Quenda, but Chelsea have swooped in and hijacked the transfer
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Geovany Quenda has been linked with a move to Manchester United
Geovany Quenda has been linked with a move to Manchester United
(Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United have suffered a major blow in their pursuit of Geovany Quenda after it was reported that Chelsea have 'agreed' a shock move for the Sporting CP sensation.
Quenda, 17, was seen as Ruben Amorim's top right wing-back target and United have been strongly linked with the Portuguese starlet. The teenager has enjoyed a fine breakthrough season in the Sporting first-team after Amorim handed him his debut, scoring twice and adding eight assists in 43 matches.
His sparkling form has attracted interest from the likes of United, with Portuguese outlet A Bola describing a potential move to Old Trafford as 'inevitable'.
But now, it appears that Chelsea have hijacked the move. According to Fabrizio Romano, Quenda has agreed to join the Blues in 2026 after completing a medical in a 'secret blitz'.
It's said that Quenda has been enticed by Chelsea's project and Enzo Maresca's plans. He is set to sign a seven-year contract with a further 12 months for a fee between £37.7m and £41.9m.
Chelsea's move for Quenda is a gigantic blow for Amorim, who has started to put down a stamp on his United squad after arriving from Sporting in November. He has endured a difficult start to life in Manchester, having witnessed mixed performances and results, as he tries to implement his 3-4-3 formation.
In an attempt to strengthen the squad, United signed two players in January. Ayden Heaven arrived from Arsenal and Patrick Dorgu made the £25m move from Lecce. Both impressed during United's 4-1 win over Real Sociedad on Thursday and look to have improved Amorim's side.
Quenda, meanwhile, was someone United were linked with during the winter window and the club had sent scouts to watch him against Porto in February. They have been tracking his situation ever since Amorim arrived and it was a transfer that seemed set to happen, with the United boss 'approving' the transfer.
Amorim praised Quenda on several occasions while he was at Sporting. Following a 3-0 win over Famalicao back in October, Amorim hailed Quenda as 'very talented' and 'very strong physically'.
"I’ve already said everything I had to say about Quenda," said Amorim. "He's a very talented kid, very strong physically, very focused, with his feet firmly on the ground.
"That's very important for a young player. I didn’t know he was the youngest ever to score. Congratulations. I think he has to improve a lot in his finishing. The amount of times he comes inside and shoots over the bar… He doesn’t put the ball in the goal well, that’s a detail he has to improve."