Manchester United are reportedly prepared to enter February without making any new major signings.
According to the Independent’s Miguel Delaney, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was keen on bringing in at least one first-team addition this month, but negotiations for a striker or midfielder have stalled.
The report suggests the deal for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes has completely stalled with the two clubs still up to £20m apart in valuations.
Meanwhile, other playmaker targets Jack Grealish and James Maddison are seen as unattainable in this window and there will be an attempt to sign the pair in the summer.
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It is believed the club are still interested in Fernandes, but don’t want to pay over the odds in a deal that could affect their signings in the summer.
A striker has also been looked at after Marcus Rashford suffered a long term injury with Paris Saint-Germain’s Edinson Cavani mentioned as a possible target.
However, despite making initial contact for the Uruguayan star, he would prefer a move to Atletico Madrid.
It will be shameful if indeed the club don’t back Solskjaer and make any new signings before Friday. It was glaringly obvious that United needed to bring in at least two midfielders and a forward to bolster a depleted squad.
Whilst United don’t want to pay overpay as they worry about how this may affect them in the summer, surely the chances of qualifying for Champions League football that would vastly improve the speed and chances of a successful rebuild, dissipate without any January additions.
As of now the squad is nowhere near good enough and the fact that players weren’t identified and deals weren’t agreed before the January window after glaring gaps were left in the squad this summer is testament to staggering incompetence of the board and the negligence of the owners.
If January passes without a signing, this would mean there would have been three additions in three transfer windows.
‘Rebuild’.
