Shock Man Utd signing ‘advanced’, with Ten Hag to lure Prem flop who’ll oust £50m man
A left-field Man Utd move for a Premier League star who rarely gets a game is ‘advanced’, and a surprise arrival would likely result in a costly signing moving on, per remarkable reports.
The budget for incomings has widely reported to be tight at Old Trafford this month. That resulted in Manchester United being unable to act upon their interest in Cody Gakpo, much to Liverpool’s delight.
The Red Devils were also priced out of a loan move for Joao Felix, and ultimately settled on the more cost-effective Wout Weghorst instead.
The centre-forward dilemma has thus been resolved and Jack Butland’s arrival put out a fire between the sticks after Martin Dubravka was recalled by Newcastle.
The only other area United are understood to be considering addressing this month is right-back.
Diogo Dalot has established himself as a key performer for Erik ten Hag. The Portuguese is currently sidelined through injury, though Aaron Wan-Bissaka has stepped in and performed well in recent weeks.
However, that’s not stopped various outlets – including the Athletic – claiming Wan-Bissaka could be moved on this month. Of course, that scenario would only unfold if Ten Hag was first able to sign a replacement.
Now, according to Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb, that’s precisely what could be about to occur.
Man Utd move for Fulham defender ‘advanced’
The publication’s report comes out of nowhere and rather curiously claims a move to sign Fulham’s Kevin Mbabu is in the works. In TMW’s words, the deal is at an ‘advanced negotiation phase.’
Little else is given away in the short report, such as whether United are targeting a loan or permanent move.
The 27-year-old is also reportedly a target for Serie A side Monza which perhaps explains why an Italian outlet seem to have breaking news on a potential move involving two English sides.
In any case, the report has since been picked up by Sport Witness and the Daily Express, though all subsequent parties appear sceptical about the news.
With good reason, Mbabu – who only joined the Cottagers six months ago – has been something of a flop thus far.
Marco Silva has afforded the Swiss right-back just one league start all season and Mbabu hasn’t featured for Fulham at all since early-November.
Silva’s primary right-back is Kenny Tete. However, even when Tete was out injured through much of October, the Portuguese boss opted to select winger Bobby Decordova-Reid out of position rather than specialist right-back Mbabu.
That led to Fulham, ironically enough, emerging as a contender to sign Wan-Bissaka in the event he were moved on in January.
West Ham, Wolves and Crystal Palace have also been linked with loan moves, though United are understood to prefer a permanent exit.
Mbabu would unquestionably be a shock arrival if TMW are ahead of the game and have sprung a surprise in the transfer news world.
If the Fulham flop were to link up with Ten Hag at Old Trafford, the door would seemingly be open for Wan-Bissaka to leave despite proving his worth since the World Cup.
