Man Utd ‘accelerate’ plans to sign Fulham ace, as Liverpool hijack threat sees price tag soar

Manchester United are accelerating plans to snatch Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson out of Liverpool’s grasp, and the genuine threat of the Reds may force the Red Devils into paying over the odds, according to reports.

The left-back position has become something of a headache for Erik ten Hag in recent times. Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia have spent most of the last 14 months on the sidelines, with Diogo Dalot deputising on the left-side in the early going this term.

According to an update from Give Me Sport, Man Utd are ‘beginning to accelerate’ plans to solve their left-back problem once and for all by plucking Antonee Robinson out of Fulham.

The USA international, 27, is also on Liverpool’s radar. Andy Robertson is now the wrong side of 30 and the Reds are understood to be seeking a long-term replacement.

To avoid losing the full-back to their bitter rivals, Man Utd are stepping up their pursuit of Robinson and are ready to make a firm bid in 2025. Whether United would make a move in January or wait until the summer was not specified.

Man Utd are reportedly reluctant to meet Fulham’s £40m asking price. However, GMS concluded that with Liverpool posing a serious threat, Man Utd may feel the need to bite the bullet and pay up to avoid missing out.

Robinson is contracted to Fulham until 2028, meaning Marco Silva’s side are under no pressure to accept a cut-price bid.

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Man Utd first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…

Liverpool January bid could force Man Utd’s hand

The Sun recently confirmed Liverpool are admirers of Robinson and suggested the Reds were weighing up whether to make a January approach.

Doing so would force Man Utd’s hand and potentially spark a winter window bidding war, much to Fulham’s delight.

Robinson was signed for just £2m when bought from Wigan Athletic back in 2020. A sale worth £40m would place Robinson third on Fulham’s all-time list of most lucrative sales. Aleksandar Mitrovic (Al Hilal – £50m) and Joao Palhinha (Bayern Munich – £47.4m) hold first and second spot respectively.

Robinson was named Fulham’s player of the season for the 2023/24 campaign and given his extensive Premier League experience, would very much represent a signing for the here and now.

In the event Man Utd were to win the race for the American, TEAMtalk understands Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez has been identified as a more than viable alternative by Anfield chiefs.

Ten Hag sack latest / big Greenwood bid coming

In other news, Man Utd assistant coach, Ruud van Nistelrooy, has been backed to replace Erik ten Hag as manager.

Man Utd have made it clear Ten Hag is safe for the next two games (FC Porto, Aston Villa) at least, though TEAMtalk understands all bets are off after that.

Elsewhere, the managerial merry-go-round involving Ten Hag could potentially affect Jurgen Klopp.

The Liverpool legend has reportedly been earmarked as a target for Serie A champions Inter Milan who fear they could lose Simone Inzaghi to Man Utd.

Finally, the Sun claims Barcelona are fully prepared to put £60m on the table to sign Mason Greenwood in 2025.

The ex-Man Utd forward has dazzled in the early going since joining Marseille and Barcelona have already been convinced to act. Man Utd would be due a huge windfall from any sale due to a sizeable sell-on clause.

Antonee Robinson a clear upgrade on Luke Shaw?

Robinson made 37 Premier League appearances for Fulham in the 2023/24 season, missing just one game with an injury problem.

The USA international didn’t score last season but did register six assists in those games, averaging a direct goal contribution every 545 minutes.

Kieran Trippier, Vladimir Coufal and Pedro Porro were the only defenders to register more Premier League assists than Robinson in 2023/24.

Shaw spent most of the 2023/24 season on the sidelines, but he did make 31 Premier League appearances for United in 2022/23.

The left-back scored in a 3-0 win over Bournemouth and registered assists against Chelsea and Leeds in that season, meaning he averaged a direct goal contribution every 852 minutes.

Despite his lack of assists, Shaw actually created more chances per 90 league minutes after averaging 1.2 in the 2022/23 season, while Robinson created 0.9 chances per 90 minutes in 2023/24.

United’s No.23 also completed 86% of his passes in the Premier League in 2022/23, which is higher than Robinson’s pass success rate of 75.9% in 2023/24.

But left-backs have to do the defensive work as well and Robinson averaged 2.6 successful tackles per 90 league minutes last season and Shaw averaged 1.9 per 90 in 2022/23.

Robinson also leads the way for interceptions (2.2) and clearances (3.0) per 90 Premier League minutes as Shaw averaged 1.3 interceptions per 90 and 1.9 clearances per 90 in 2022/23.