Despite Spain completing the Endrick deal, Man Utd risk losing their top target to Real Madrid for £50 million.
Manchester United’s manager Erik ten Hag might have experienced a setback during the January transfer window.
Cody Gakpo, the Netherlands’ World Cup star, is anticipated to draw more interest from Real Madrid, putting Manchester United in jeopardy of losing Erik ten Hag’s top target. The 23-year-old player is drawing more attention from throughout Europe after scoring in each of Holland’s group stage matches in Qatar. The forward plays for PSV.
Gakpo was initially the subject of interest from United during the summer transfer window, but neither team was successful in persuading the player and PSV to agree to a trade. Gakpo’s price is anticipated to have climbed by at least a factor of two as a result of his remarkable achievements on the world stage. During the previous transfer window, he was reportedly offered for about £25 million.
The aspirations of the Red Devils, who have been associated with a serious interest in the player for next month, will be dashed by news that Real Madrid is ratcheting up their interest in Gakpo and is planning a bid.
Newcastle also aspires to sign Gakpo to a contract with the Premier League, despite the fact that both English teams will now have to compete with Real Madrid.
Despite the Dutchman’s belief that he has a better chance of playing for the first team at Premier League clubs, Gakpo will only be eligible for the Champions League with Carlo Ancelotti’s team out of the three. After being able to sign wonderkid Endrick on Thursday, Madrid would have a good few weeks of business if they were able to sign Gakpo.
Erik ten Hag and Manchester United will have to battle Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid for Cody Gakpo. (Image: Getty)
Despite not joining up with his new teammates until 2024, the La Liga club announced that they had reached an agreement on a potential £62 million purchase of the adolescent from Palmeiras, defeating United, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain to the deal.
Gakpo’s involvement with those new teammates has still to be confirmed, but PSV are unlikely to prevent a high-profile transfer. The Dutch team will be willing to transfer Gakpo, according to sporting director Marcel Brands, but a significant amount will be needed.
‘Loan deal’ would be wise move of Man Utd to sign £100m target permanently
At Old Trafford, Man Utd might try to work out a “loan deal” for a “unique” £100 million star.
A transfer insider named Dean Jones claims that Manchester United may attempt to persuade Joao Felix’s current team, Atletico Madrid, to let him leave by offering him a loan transfer to Old Trafford at the start of his United career.
Erik ten Hag, the head coach of the Red Devils, will have the chance to bolster his team’s squad when the winter window opens for business the following month.
Manchester United is reportedly monitoring Felix’s health as they look for a forward to take Cristiano Ronaldo’s place, according to sources in Spain.
The source claims that the race to sign the Atletico attacker is presently being led by Arsenal, who are currently in first place in the Premier League table, with Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain also apparently interested.
Jorge Mendes, Felix’s agent, is pushing for a transfer to Aston Villa to go through after developing a solid rapport with the club’s owners as a result of being instrumental in the club’s decision to hire Unai Emery as their head coach. Felix may also choose to move to Aston Villa because Jorge Mendes is pressing for the move to that team to be finalized.
Atletico chief executive Miguel Angel Gil stated that Felix wants to complete his exit after having a disagreement with manager Diego Simeone in an interview with TVE, which was then picked up by MailOnline. The club will consider any satisfactory exit proposals.
Jones thinks Manchester United will have to spend a price equal to the British transfer record, which was set the year before when their rivals Manchester City purchased Jack Grealish, in order to get Felix on a long-term basis.
Even though teams typically decide not to make big financial expenditures during the winter transfer window, the journalist has refused to rule out the possibility that the Red Devils may attempt to negotiate an initial loan deal.
To GIVEMESPORT, Jones said, “I genuinely believe that £100 million is a fair price for him. However, I don’t believe it’s likely that any Premier League club will make the payment in the upcoming month. Simply put, it doesn’t seem possible.
“It is incredibly uncommon for clubs to consider making an investment of that size in January. It’s likely that someone will look at a loan deal at first, with the option of signing him permanently if Atletico Madrid are open to it.
According to WhoScored data, Felix in Qatar was a constant threat in the last third of the field. He took more shots per game—2.8 on average—than any of his Portugal teammates.
He contributed to two goals and scored one himself during the World Cup, but he was unable to stop Fernando Santos’ team from losing to Morocco in the quarterfinals. He made an attempt, but he couldn’t stop the loss.
Alvaro Morata, a striker for Atletico Madrid, had previously referred to Felix as “exceptional,” and the latter went on to demonstrate that he is capable of making a contribution defensively. Felix went on to compete in the competition.
According to Sofascore, the 23-year-old player from Portugal had an average of one tackle, 0.3 interceptions, and as many clearances in each of his matches on the most important stage for the sport.