The transfer rumour mill has been steadily churning away ahead of the January transfer window.
We got the hint on Monday night that PSV Eindhoven attacker Cody Gakpo won’t be heading to Old Trafford this winter, despite heavily speculation to suggest that the Dutch forward was one of Erik ten Hag’s targets.
Enzo Fernandez is another name regularly linked with a move to United. That said, you’ll easily find several reports linking him with a move to Liverpool, where he could eventually become Gakpo’s teammate.
Gaston Edul – a respected football journalist based in Argentina – claimed Fernandez, who won the World Cup this winter, is interested in Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid. He adds that Fernandez’s entourage have decided to travel to Portugal to be close to the player should his release clause be triggered.
“Enzo Fernandez has arrived in Portugal,” Edul tweeted this afternoon. “His representatives traveled to be close in case he had to negotiate a contract if the club decided to pay Benfica’s exit clause -120 million-.” That depends on the buying club. Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid. In this order.”
It’s a move that would have made perfect sense for United during the summer, as they were worth far less in the transfer market. You’d think our scouts would know something about him, but the Red Devils also took the opportunity to sign Julian Alvarez and we’re in desperate need of a striker.
A separate O Jogo report, as cited by Sport Witness , states that United and Liverpool have both recently moved forward with “new contracts” for Fernandez, so signing the Argentine could become a game of cat and mouse.
But when you see figures like €120m being floated around for Fernandez, knowing he was linked with a move to United before joining Benfica, you can’t help but feel that the ship has sailed on that front.
I think it raises questions about our scouting network and whether they have enough influence when it comes to recommending players in South America.
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