Barcelona have opened the door for Man Utd to make a move for RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, according to reports.
The Red Devils have been terrible in the Premier League this season after sacking Erik ten Hag at the end of October and replacing the Dutchman with Ruben Amorim.
But results and perfomances have actually been worse if anything under Amorim with Man Utd currently 13th in the Premier League table.
The Man Utd squad have struggled to adapt to Amorim’s playing style, philosophy and tactics during his first five months with the Red Devils providing him with just one new signing in January.
Although it remains unclear how much Amorim will have to spend in the summer transfer window, especially as Man Utd could still qualify for the Champions League if they win the Europa League this season, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe has vowed to back Amorim as best he can.
And now reports in Spain claim that Barcelona sporting director Deco ‘doesn’t forgive the betrayal’ of Simons and that ‘opens the door’ to Man Utd.
Barcelona could not keep La Masia graduate Simons out of the clutches of Paris Saint-Germain, who signed the Netherlands international as a prospect in July 2019.
He joined PSV Eindhoven in 2022 before moving back to PSG just a year later, with the French giants then loaning him to RB Leipzig, who made his move to Germany permanent in January this year.
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The report in Spain adds:
‘Simons’ plan is to embark on a new challenge away from the Red Bull Arena, to try his luck with a more powerful team where he can compete for all the trophies. He had offered himself to Barça through his agent , a move ruled out by Joan Laporta and Deco.
‘They don’t forget that he left for money at the time, and Hans-Dieter Flick doesn’t consider it necessary to bring him in either. Not to mention the high cost of his departure, which would be around 80 million euros.
‘Manchester United has become the new favorite to land Simons, as they are willing to pay every cent they demand for the Spanish-Dutch player.
‘Ruben Amorim is obsessed with Xavi, and hopes to overcome competition from Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich.’
Former Liverpool and Germany centre-back Markus Babbel insists that Simons – who has contributed seven goals and five assists in 18 Bundesliga matches for Leipzig this season – should be Mohamed Salah’s replacement at Liverpool, if the Egyptian leaves Anfield.
Babbel said: “Xavi Simons is a top player, but he’s more of a number 10 rather than a winger. It is very difficult to find a player who can play for Liverpool and replace Mohamed Salah.
“If someone were to come in to fill his shoes, they’d have to be very strong mentally as they’ll have everyone looking at them and comparing them to Salah. That said, I hope Liverpool aren’t in that position anytime soon and they keep hold of him next season.”