Manchester United began their Premier League campaign against Arsenal on Sunday – and while there were many new faces, the same old issues reared their head once more.
Despite spending £200million on Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, United failed to find the back of David Raya ’s net. Meanwhile, their issues in between the posts continued, with Altay Bayindir at the centre of a debate on Monday after his error for Riccardo Calafiori’s goal.
Thankfully, there are still two weeks left of the summer transfer window for Ruben Amorim and his staff to address some of those issues. The problem for United is that they need to sell some of their unwanted players first before they can bring in more reinforcements.
Unfortunately, there are many moving parts as they try to find new homes for the bomb squad players who have been exiled by Amorim. Here is the latest on those exits – and who could come in.
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Hojlund exit complicatedRasmus Hojlund was conspicuous through his absence on Sunday as we got a look at United’s new-look forward line. Hojlund was left out of the squad entirely by Amorim and the club are now hoping to sell him before the window closes.
They are willing to take a significant hit on the £72million they paid Atalanta a few years ago for his services. And yet things are not that simple, with AC Milan keen but not that keen. United want around £35m for the young Danish striker, but would also consider a loan at this late stage of the window.
Milan, however, have Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic as their top target, although those negotiations have reached a stalemate. Everything is up in the air, as Milan sporting director Igli Tare said: “Hojlund is a good option for us. We are thinking about him, but in the transfer market, you never know what could happen.”
Jadon Sancho is another player United are desperate to get rid of, but his £250,000-a-week wages are proving problematic. After moves to Juventus and Fenerbahce fell through, it is now the turn of Roma to get frustrated.
The Italian club are threatening to pull out of a deal for the winger, despite agreeing a loan with an obligation to buy. Fabrizio Romano has reported that Sancho has informed Roma he is exploring other options. He has reportedly said no to Besiktas, where there would be a reunion with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and the situation looks set to run until the end of the window.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Garnacho also remains a United player. Chelsea are keen on the winger, but need to first sell Christopher Nkunku to Bayern Munich. The German side have failed with a loan bid for Nkunku because the Blues want a permanent deal so they can sign either Garnacho or Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.
Gianluigi Donnarumma has reportedly agreed terms with Manchester City and is now waiting for Ederson to move to Galatasaray. However, Bayindir’s shocker on Sunday, and Andre Onana’s general struggles at United, have raised the prospect of Donnarumma moving to a different part of Manchester.
United enquired earlier in the summer about Donnarumma and Wayne Rooney believes they should try to hijack City’s move. He said on his podcast : "Donnarumma, I think he's 26, he's one of the best goalkeepers in the world, it would be crazy if Man United don't go for him."
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