Manchester United may lose Alejandro Garnacho to Real Madrid, Aston Villa lead race for Joao Felix - Paper Round
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Updated 10/12/2022 at 09:55 GMT
Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho is out of contract this summer and Real Madrid are lurking. Elsewhere at Old Trafford, they may miss out on Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix with Aston Villa leading the race, and Jadon Sancho might be swapped for Chelsea's forward Christian Pulisic. There is also news from Paris Saint-Germain, who hope to keep Lionel Messi.
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Real want Garnacho
The Mail claims that Real Madrid are hoping to sign Alejandro Garnacho when his contract ends this summer. The 18-year-old has established himself as one of Manchester United’s most promising players but no contract extension has been agreed despite several rounds of negotiation. Florentino Perez wants the teenager to join as yet another talented youngster in his squad.
Paper Round’s view: Garnacho regularly returns to Spain to see his family, and presumably a new contract from either Real or United would set him on a much higher salary. Add to that Real’s standing in football and it is clear that the more glamorous and practical move in one sense is to switch to Real, but on the other hand he would get more first team football by staying in England.
Villa lead the race for Felix
Manchester United had been expected to make a move for Atletico Madrid’s 23-year-old Portuguese international Joao Felix as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who left on a free transfer just before the World Cup. However Aston Villa are in negotiations to bring him in under Unai Emery, who knows about the player from the time they were both in La Liga, according to the Sun.
Paper Round’s view: Villa would pull off a huge coup if they were able to sign the striker in January, but it is difficult to see why Felix would be willing to join such a mid-table club. He might not have been an unalloyed success at Atletico but many of Europe’s top teams would prefer him, so perhaps Villa would need to tempt him as they did Philippe Coutinho, by bringing him in on loan and letting him flourish.
United to offer Sancho in swap deal
The Daily Express reports that Manchester United will offer Jadon Sancho in exchange for Christian Pulisic. The 22-year-old England winger has struggled since his move from Borussia Dortmund, while the 24-year-old American forward was linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge over the summer, potentially as a target for Erik ten Hag when United were struggling in the market.
Paper Round’s view: In some senses, this makes sense. Neither player would need to adjust to a new country or league, and it would give both of them and their new clubs a chance to start again. Sancho lost his place in the England squad and missed out on the Qatar World Cup, so he might be more receptive to a change of scenery to rediscover his best form.
PSG confident over Messi
Paris Saint-Germain’s president believes that Lionel Messi will stay at the club, according to the Mirror. Nasser Al-Khelaifi has said that the 35-year-old Argentina forward is ‘happy’ in the French capital and while his contract is up at the end of the season he hopes to retain the player for at least another season, though Messi has been linked with Barcelona and Inter Miami.
Paper Round’s view: Messi has cut a more relaxed figure this season and he has offered more goals for PSG, and also been inspirational for Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar so far. If he were to move to Inter Miami it would essentially be an admission that he has retired from competitive football, and similarly a return to Barcelona feel like he was halfway to retirement.
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