Sometimes, when footballers are linked with a move to Manchester United, you have to wonder who is benefitting from it.
Usually it’s the press because all you need is player – club and your content need not even really suggest a move is imminent. If it’s tasty enough for print, or obscure enough for online hipsters, you’ll have your buyers or your clickers.
Sometimes however there are words and quotes from people about a transfer and those had been notable by their absence in any substantial form in the case of Valencia defender Nicolas Otamendi.
Peter Lim, the Valencia owner, (who you may remember tried to buy Liverpool and reportedly made an offer to ‘The Class of 92’ to acquire 50% of Salford City FC) has said that United are a ‘rich club’ and can afford to pay the £35m buy out clause in Otamendi’s contract. This comes after the defender says he wants to leave. Sounds to us as if Valencia are the ones instigating this whole thing. That’s in the Express, who tell us that Jesse Lingard is set to move to Newcastle.
We suspect similar tomfoolery is at play in the Daily Star’s headline ‘Manchester United ROCKED’ – wait – what’s this?! End times again! What has happened that has rocked the club?! Has Eric Cantona been suspended again? Roy Keane walked out of the club? United been taken over by leeches? No, rest your souls. The agent of Fredy Guarin, the Inter Milan midfielder, has said that his player is ‘extremely happy’ in Italy.
Bokko!
Stop the blows!
Quite how Manchester United will recover from this dark day in history remains to be seen. We’ll be monitoring the Star’s follow up.
The hits just keep coming as the Star suggest we will tie down James Wilson to a new contract before sending him out on loan to a Premier League club.
Bild are reporting that Roberto Firmino is moving to England, days after it was suggested that a deal had been agreed for him to move to United.
There is some talk in less reputable outlets that we are interested in Axel Witsel, the Belgian midfielder.
However we believe that today there is probably more truth in the outgoings than the incomings with regards the rumours.
Players linked to United : Dani Alves, Hugo Lloris, Mats Hummels, Nathaniel Clyne, Gareth Bale, Morgan Schneiderlin, Nicolas Otamendi, Felipe Anderson, Petr Cech, Raheem Sterling, Ilkay Gundogan, Lorenzo Gonzalez, Bastian Schweinstiger, Harry Kane, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Muslera, Asmir Begovic, David Alaba, Carlos Bacca, Arturo Vidal, Joseph Colley, Gonzalo Higuain, Radja Nainggolan, Gregory van der Wiel, Mario Mandzukic, Christian Eriksen ’89, Roberto Dourado, Roberto Firmino, Memphis Depay, Jasper Cillessen, John Stones, Paul Pogba, Thomas Muller, Axel Witsel, Freddy Guarin
