Manchester United target loan market after missing out on Cody Gakpo

Views: 0

Manchester United are in the market for a loan signing to bolster Erik ten Hag’s attack after going over their intended budget in the summer when they invested more than £200 million in the Dutch coach’s squad.

Ten Hag was interested in Holland international Cody Gakpo but missed out to Liverpool, who were willing to pay £37 million up front in a permanent deal. United have been looking to address a shortage of forward options with Cristiano Ronaldo no longer at the club and Jadon Sancho currently unavailable, with a preference for a short-term deal for the second half of the campaign.

“We are always in the market but it has to match the sporting criteria but also the financial criteria,” said Ten Hag after the 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night. “We are looking for offensive players, we are looking for a striker, it would be good because of all the games coming, we are playing every third day and it is tough.

“For the progress of the team we need to be more clinical, our players can score, you can see that. [Anthony] Martial is a goalscorer, [Marcus] Rashford is a goalscorer, Bruno [Fernandes] will score goals. We have a lot of players who can score goals but we have got to be ruthless.”

United would ideally want a No 9 to play through the middle but are not restricting themselves to a centre-forward if a suitable, versatile attacker comes on the market when the transfer window opens next week.

But the focus of the recruitment team for Ten Hag has been on loans, given their previous window when Antony, Casemiro, Lisandro Martínez and Tyrell Malacia were bought and Christian Eriksen arrived on a free transfer. United co-owner Avram Glazer was in Qatar during the World Cup but it is understood it was to concentrate on the sale of the club rather than meeting super-agents in Doha for January transfers.

After dropping into the Europa League, United had not intended such heavy investment last summer and after making the decision to strengthen Ten Hag’s squad, knew the next window would be impacted.

Who could United sign in January?

United’s options in the market next month depend on what is available, initially on the loan market. With strikers being the most difficult position to recruit, they could eventually look at a player that can play across the forward line. Memphis Depay, who was at the club from 2015-17, is in that category of player but nothing is down the line in terms of his return.

Atlético Madrid’s Joao Felix, who is wanted by Chelsea, is also available in January but it is thought the terms of a loan could put off United.

Gakpo was used mainly as a wide forward at PSV, with Louis van Gaal playing him through the middle at the World Cup, and was a player admired by Ten Hag and also shared the same representation in Dutch agency SEG.

United CEO Richard Arnold has told investors, on the record, that the club are committed to financial fair play under Premier League and Uefa rules, making the pledge when the club announced losses for the second year in a row.

Ronaldo’s departure has eased the wage bill that reached £384 million last season despite losing their Champions League place. United have also paid out £24.7 million following the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then Ralf Rangnick’s short spell as interim before Ten Hag took over.

United have traditionally not been heavy spenders in January, which is likely to continue, but Ten Hag still sees a shortage in numbers in attack. In 2020 they took Odion Ighalo from Shanghai Shenhua on loan

Source:The Telegraph