Manchester United ended their interest in Ajax star Hakim Ziyech as they wanted to pursue plans to target Jadon Sancho, James Maddison and Jack Grealish instead.
The Red Devils did some business last month with the signing of Bruno Fernandes, although more is required to complete this squad rebuild, which is something that was promised when the managerial position was given to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ajax confirmed a deal had been agreed with Chelsea on Thursday for Ziyech. He will join Chelsea in the summer for a fee believed to be worth €44m, as per ESPN.
Ziyech became a key player for the Eredivisie giants last season when they shocked Europe by reaching the Champions League semi-finals, only to have their dreams of a final crushed by an injury time Tottenham goal.
However, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, as former team-mate Matthijs de Ligt has struggled to adapt in Turin after his big summer move to Serie A champions Juventus.
138 days of magic left.
Let’s enjoy every single touch… ✨— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) February 13, 2020
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Interestingly, Ziyech had also been linked with a switch to United, but now we’re led to believe the Red Devils have set sights on other players instead. Sancho, Maddison and Grealish are shortlisted as preferred targets to bolster Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s attacking options — as reported by the Evening Standard.
This will prove costly and we have to question whether the Glazers will allow the manager spend big in the summer. The thieves usually opt to use the club’s money for dividend loans rather than push aggressively to make the team competitive again.
Sancho is tipped to cost over £100m but he’s a star in the making and looks like a player that would take advantage of having Old Trafford as his stage. The 19-year-old will be hoping to make a big impact at his first international tournament this summer. There’s no doubt he will be part of Gareth Southgate’s squad as England attempt to win the Euros.
Meanwhile, Maddison and Grealish are standing out in the Premier League this season, and with their ability to create goalscoring opportunities they would be quality additions for United in the summer.
If you simply combine the creativity they’d bring to the team, along with Fernandes, the movement, pace and finishing of Marcus Rashford would be aided wonderfully. Then it would be a matter of Anthony Martial improving, or bringing in a proper goalscorer, to form a lethal attack that will win games.
