Premier League
CHELSEA HAVE HANDED MANCHESTER UNITED THE PERFECT PLAN TO SIGN ALEX TELLES
Manchester United fans have become accustomed to being linked with every player under the sun during a transfer window.
According to Manchester Evening News (MEN), the club’s executive vice chairman Ed Woodward noted the ridiculous amount of players the Reds were linked to in the January transfer window.
He said back in February: “Despite being linked in the media to 111 players in January, our acquisition of just one of them — Bruno Fernandes – is an important step in that direction, demonstrating our commitment to adding experienced, world-class recruits to the exciting crop of academy graduates that are at the heart of this developing team.
“We will take the same planned, disciplined, approach this coming summer.
“In addition to the first team signings, somewhat under the radar, we have also made a number of exciting youth acquisitions in the past year, reflecting our commitment to bringing the best talent into our academy.”
It’s a transfer tactic regularly used by clubs looking to speed up transfer negotiations with an actual interested party.
A prime example was the transfer saga regarding Thiago Alcantara this summer.
The Spaniard was heavily linked with a switch to the Premier League after his intentions to leave Bayern Munich were made public.
It seemed United and Liverpool would go head-to-head to sign the midfielder but there was only ever one club in the running.
MEN Sport understood United had no intention of moving for the former Barcelona star and were convinced his representatives and Bayern are using their name to put pressure on Liverpool to make a bid.
The former Bayern president Uli Hoeness said Thiago ‘probably has an agreement with Liverpool or Manchester United, or with both’, yet United had just signed Donny van de Beek and were prioritising their pursuit of Jadon Sancho.
Therefore, there were no surprises when Thiago ended up at Anfield.
With less than a week remaining in the transfer window, United could use the transfer tactic that is regularly used against them to their own advantage.
The club accepted the need to sign a new left-back following the defeat to Crystal Palace and have accelerated their plans to sign Alex Telles from Porto after Sergio Reguilon signed for Tottenham.
So far, United have failed to meet Porto’s valuation of the defender given he has less than one year on his contract and can sign a pre-contract agreement in January.
To force Porto to accept a lower price for the 27-year-old, perhaps United should state their interest in signing Marcos Alonso from Chelsea.
Alonso faces an uncertain future at the club after his relationship with manager Frank Lampard reached a new low following the weekend’s draw against West Brom. The Spaniard was hooked at half-time and reportedly left the dressing room to watch the remainder of the game on the team bus. Various reports claim his Chelsea teammates had never seen Lampard so angry.
The Chelsea boss is now reportedly open to allowing the 29-year-old to leave the club on loan before the October 5th transfer deadline.
While Telles is obviously the better option for United, adding Alonso to their defensive shortlist may still be a wise move.
Premier League winner with Chelsea, the Spaniard has been a key player for the London side for a number of years prior to this summer’s arrival of Ben Chilwell from Leicester. An attacking full-back is exactly what United have been missing and Alonso fits the bill.
Of course, Alonso should only be considered a back up option in the unlikely event a deal for Telles isn’t completed. But United exploring other options could force Porto’s hand in negotiations.
The Portuguese side face the real prospect of losing Telles for nothing and time is running out for them to sign a replacement in the current window if he does depart.
United hold all the aces in negotiations and Alonso’s situation at Chelsea could add another card to their deck.
-MEN
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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