Manchester United and Aston Villa could come to an agreement involving Alejandro Garnacho and Ollie Watkins which helps both clubs
Isaac is a senior NCTJ-trained journalist with an MA in News Journalism. He has experience of working for national and regional news organisations including the Express, the Manchester Evening News and the Liverpool Echo. He currently covers sport across all regional sites at Reach PLC.
Manchester United have plenty of work to do before the summer transfer window slams shut in September.
Outgoings appear to be the Reds’ biggest struggle this summer, with United yet to sell anyone from their squad. Marcus Rashford, Antony, Tyrell Malacia, Jadon Sancho, and Alejandro Garnacho have been deemed surplus to requirements, but none of them are close to the exit door as it stands.
Aston Villa have reportedly become the latest club to express interest in United’s Garnacho. The Reds previously valued Garnacho at £70million, but that figure may be hard to achieve given the public fallout over the winger’s situation at United. However, any fee will provide pure profit for the club in terms of profit and sustainability rules.
Such a fee is steep for a player who is yet to reach his potential. His record of 11 goals across all competitions last season hardly justifies a £70m price tag.
But a solution involving a swap deal with United-linked Ollie Watkins may benefit both parties. The Reds are in desperate need of a striker and Watkins’ Premier League experience, a major factor for Ineos, makes him ideal.
Many United fans will scoff at the idea of signing Watkins, especially with Arsenal looking to sign Viktor Gyokeres and Liverpool potentially signing Hugo Ekitike.
However, the Reds have no European football and are set for another transition season. He may not take United to their ultimate aim of a league title or Champions League win, but he’s the perfect stepping stone for where they currently are.
And if they can offload one of their stars deemed surplus to requirements – it’s a deal which United should look into.
The question will be whether the player himself wants to join, but the interest from other top talent this summer in Cunha and Mbeumo shows that the Reds still hold some appeal. Watkins could very well follow suit.
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