Rival clubs, super agents and Manchester United’s current players will be well aware of Jason Wilcox’s priority for the summer – signing another elite midfielder.
The center of the park has long been a problem position at Old Trafford since the days of Michael Carrick, and Manuel Ugarte has joined the likes of Donny van de Beek, Sofian Amrabat and Fred as the latest addition to Manchester’s flawed midfield.
Despite uncertainty under Erik ten Hag, the £70 million signing of Casemiro has certainly paid off, with the 34-year-old Brazilian scoring seven goals in 28 Premier League starts this season.
The former Real Madrid star’s farewell tour should remain in place, although his resurgence under Carrick has led to calls for the veteran to extend his contract.
Manchester United top scorer – 25/26 | |
|---|---|
player | the goal |
Sesco | 10 |
Mbeumo | 10 |
Fernandes | 8 |
Casemiro | 7 |
Cunha | 7 |
i go to sleep | 3 |
mount | 3 |
jirkzee | 2 |
Amado | 2 |
Maguire | 2 |
At least one new midfielder is urgently needed ahead of the summer, with Casemiro coming on as a substitute and Ugarte likely to follow.
Manchester United prepare to sign replacement for Bruno Guimarães
Given the relatively poor nature of United’s midfield unit, which undoubtedly suffered with the arrival of Ugarte over 18 months ago, Wilcox and INEOS will need to get the next round of reinforcements right.
Lessons may have been learned from this misguided £50m signing, with reports suggesting the Red Devils could continue on their proven path in the Premier League, with talks believed to have taken place over a big deal for Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimarães.
The Brazilian may seem an unrealistic target given his importance to the Magpies’ cause, but with Eddie Howe’s side looking unlikely to qualify for the Champions League, or even European football, based on current evidence, Old Trafford could be an attractive destination.
A top-five finish could also potentially allow Wilcox and others to attract even bigger talent from overseas, with reports in Spain suggesting United are among the favorites to sign Barcelona star Fermin Lopez.
The suggestion is that the Red Devils are willing to pay up to 100 million euros (about 8.6 billion yen) for the Catalan-born Spain international, with the 22-year-old having previously attracted interest from Chelsea.
The only problem is that, despite United’s desire to make an offer, the La Liga giants are not considering a sale at the moment, and with his current contract running until 2031, the player himself is thought to be reluctant to make a move at this point.
Why López could represent a better talent than Guimarães
As for signing another rising star at the Camp Nou, there may be some repercussions in 2022. Ten Hag pivoted to Casemiro after missing out on compatriot Frenkie de Jong after a protracted summer saga.
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United, and Wilcox in particular, will want to avoid a similar scenario, but the La Masia product has shone recently under Hansi Flick and could certainly be worth pursuing.
Guimarães may boast Premier League experience, but López, who is only 22 and has already made 127 appearances for the La Liga giants so far, would be a better long-term fit.
For comparison, Guimarães stayed at Newcastle until he turned 24 in 2022 and has since made 189 appearances under Howe.
Despite playing fewer games for his current team, López boasts a surprisingly similar record to the Brazilian in terms of goal contributions, scoring 31 goals and providing 27 assists in all competitions.
In the case of Guimarães, the 28-year-old has also scored 31 goals and provided 31 assists himself, despite having played over 60 more games with his current team.
It could be argued that this is an unfair comparison considering that both he and Lopez are actually all-action number eights, crashing the box devastatingly in recent seasons, yet the Newcastle captain has occasionally played a deeper role.
This season, for example, the Barça sensation has already scored an impressive 28 goals and provided assists in all competitions, 10 of which came in just nine Champions League games.
To compare again, Guimarães only has 16 goals and assists, but he hasn’t contributed a single goal in the team’s own European games.
Lopez also boasts the advantage of being able to play as a No. 8, No. 10 or as a winger, and according to Transfermarkt, his market value is comparable to the fee United are willing to pay, and he will undoubtedly offer real value for money. Meanwhile, Guimarães is said to be valued at approximately 75 million euros (approximately 6.4 billion yen).
This difference in value once again shows why a young man can represent a bigger talent, making Lopez a worthy target in the midst of a tumultuous summer for Wilcox and United.
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