Manchester United’s summer transfer plans suffered a setback after Liam Delap snubbed them in favour of Chelsea, with the Red Devils now scrambling for an alternative striker
Manchester United’s transfer window is already unravelling with top striker target Liam Delap having snubbed the Red Devils in favour of Chelsea. In a piece of more welcome news Matheus Cunha is on his way to Old Trafford for £62.5million.
United’s recruitment chiefs will now turn their focus to a new striker. Their initial plan had been to sign Ipswich’s Delap for around £30m, but that pursuit is in tatters, with the Englishman instead heading to Chelsea.
That has forced United to look into alternative targets, such as Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo. The Bees are keen to get their money’s worth out of the 25-year-old, who still has another year on his contract, with a club option for an extra 12 months.
But a big fee is not something United are likely going to be able to raise, without major sales. One player who is looking to leave is Antony, with the winger closing in on a move to Real Betis.
The Brazilian spent the second half of the season on loan at the La Liga side and hopes to make it permanent. Here, Mirror Football rounds up all the latest Manchester United transfer news.
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Mbeumo warning sent
Manchester United will have to pay out a mega fee for Bryan Mbeumo if they want to sign the Brentford star. Bees boss Thomas Frank has insisted that his club will not be afraid to reject bids they deem to be too low.
“It is clear that if he is to be sold, it must be for a nice, nice amount. It is a lot. Mucho. Really a lot,” Frank told tipsbladet. “Then it is clear that it is impossible to replace him one for one. It cannot be done.
“There is a reason why he costs x number of million pounds, and we do not have x number of million pounds to buy for. I would say that I would be surprised if a lot of big clubs don’t look at him. He is a good player.”
Antony talks scheduled
Manchester United and Real Betis chiefs will meet next week to discuss the transfer of Antony. The Brazilian flop spent the second half of the season on loan at Betis and hopes to make that move permanent.
According to Marca, one of the first ‘pending issues’ of the summer for Betis is the signing of Antony. There is said to be ‘enourmous satisfaction’ with his performances since his arrival in January, with ‘complete and absolute consenus’ to bring him back permanently.
Betis have now scheduled a meeting with United chiefs for next week to assess the various scenarios. Nothing has been ruled out yet, including another loan deal, with Antony set to be forced to take a pay cut if he wants to return to Betis.
Striker bid fails
Manchester United’s bid to sign Jonathan David looks to be over with the Canadian set to snub a move to the Premier League. David has starred for Lille but will leave the Ligue 1 side on a free transfer this summer.
United had been linked with a move for the 25-year-old, who helped to fire Lille to the French title in 2021. But according to iNews, David has instead set his sights on moving to Serie A.
Italian champions Napoli and rivals Juventus are expected to battle it out for the Canadian. Napoli are the frontrunners to sign him having made David’s representatives a ‘concrete offer’, though Juve are hoping to steal in under their noses.
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