Man Utd learn chances of marquee January deal to sign Sporting Lisbon wonderkid as Ashworth eyes Ronaldo repeat

Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth is reported to have opened talks with Sporting Lisbon over a deal to sign explosive teenage forward Geovany Quenda – but a January deal looks far from easy to pull off owing to the huge exit clause in his deal.

The Red Devils have done pretty well from signings from the Portuguese giants over the years, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Marcos Rojo and more recently Bruno Fernandes all making the move to Old Trafford from Estadio Jose Alvalade. The latter has since become Manchester United captain under Erik ten Hag and is seen as one of their more influential players, despite his form not quite hitting the same heights so far this season.

Now Ashworth is reportedly seeking a repeat having established contact with the Portuguese giants over the potential signing of Portugal Under-18s forward Quenda.

The 17-year-old is regarded as one of Portuguese football’s hottest prospects and is seen by some as the long-term heir to Ronaldo when the legendary forward eventually calls time on his career.

Per A Bola, United have also recognised that enormous potential and have recently made contact with Sporting to find out what it would take to bring Quenda to Old Trafford in a deal that certainly provokes memories of their now-famous capture of the teenage Ronaldo back in 2003.

However, their prospects of a repeat already look bleak with the Portuguese outlet reporting that Sporting are protected by a huge €100m (£83.2m, $107.8m) exit clause inserted in his deal this summer. That clause previously stood at €45m (£37.4m, $48.5m) but the shrewd Rubin Amorim had ordered the club to raise it in anticipation of the teenager’s expected route into the first team and the likely Premier League interest that he was sure would follow.

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Move for Quenda could follow Man Utd plan to offload Antony

Quenda has gone on to make six appearances for Sporting so far this season and his huge talent has already been recognised by Portugal coach Roberto Martinez, who has called the teenager up to the senior national squad.

And while yet to make his debut, the teenager admits that simply rubbing shoulders with his idol gave him a real buzz, as he explained to Canal 11.

“He was going up and I was going down. When I rang the elevator, he was going up and he appeared. I was a bit embarrassed, but that’s normal! I didn’t say anything. He’s an example for everyone, for all the kids who dream of being footballers,” he said.

Explaining how he reacted when he first heard the news of his call-up, he added: “I was at training when [Goncalo] Inacio said he had been called up. I couldn’t believe it. Daniel Braganca also started talking about it. Then I went to see it and started receiving lots of messages. I called my father. He was happy. He started calling everyone. It was an unforgettable moment when I arrived at the Cidade do Futebol. They welcomed me well, it’s a fantastic group.”

TEAMtalk understands that United’s quest to sign a new winger is indeed genuine with the club actively seeking a new home for flop Brazilian signing Antony.

The winger moved to Old Trafford for a deal that could hit £86m back in summer 2022, but he has struggled to hit the heights since moving to the Premier League.

Now United are actively looking to offload him, with sources recently revealing to us that the club rate the Brazilian as one of their biggest ever transfer mistakes, though one exit route for Antony already appears to have been cut off owing to a problem that has arisen.

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Meanwhile, United’s apparent quest to appoint a new manager has led them to Spain amid claims a four-man delegation led by chief executive Omar Berrada has met with former Barcelona boss Xavi to discuss the prospects of him replacing Erik ten Hag in the hot seat.

Berrada has previously staunchly supported Ten Hag but now it seems a change of heart is afoot.

Meanwhile,  United have been linked with a move to sign Castello Lukeba, with Fabrizio Romano outlining how a transfer remains highly plausible despite the RB Leipzig defender agreeing to a new deal with RB Leipzig.

Elsewhere, the Red Devils have been urged to trump Real Madrid to the signing of Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies with issues on that side of defence continuing to dog Ten Hag.

IN PROFILE: Who is Geovany Quenda?

By Nathan Egerton

Born in Guinea-Bissau in April 2007, Quenda moved to Portugal as a child and joined Amadora-based club Damaiense at the age of eight.

He also spent two years in Benfica’s academy before joining their arch-rivals Sporting CP in 2021.

In February 2024, he started a Liga 3 game against Amora and became the youngest-ever player to play for Sporting’s reserve team at the age of 16.

The left-footed right-winger showcased his pace and his dribbling ability and caught the attention of first-team manager Ruben Amorim.

“He can play in several positions, he has a lot of quality and irreverence. He is another option,” Amorim said after naming him on the bench for a Europa League tie against Atalanta in March 2024.

Quenda has also shone on the international stage as his performances for Portugal at the 2024 UEFA European Under-17 Championship earned him a place in the Team of the Tournament.

He marked his senior debut for Sporting with a goal against Porto in August 2024 and became the youngest goalscorer in the club’s history at the age of 17 years and 95 days, overtaking the likes of Ronaldo and Simao.

The teenager then became the youngest Portuguese player to start a Champions League match during Sporting’s 2-0 win over Lille in September 2024.

He has also been called up to the senior Portugal squad and was an unused substitute in their 2-1 win over Scotland in the UEFA Nations League.

“The national team coaches always say that age is not a factor. (Quenda) showed incredible personality, quality and adaptability,” Roberto Martinez said.

“He’s a player who likes to make things difficult (for defenders). He has technical quality (that is) not normal for a 17-year-old. He’s now in Sporting’s first team and has shown incredible personality.”

The forward – who can also play as a wing-back – has since made two appearances for Portugal’s Under-21s and registered an assist in a 2-1 win over Andorra.