Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd chief Matt Judge holds transfer talks with Prem attacker ahead of possible £70m bid

Richarlison and Raheem Sterling battling for the ball

Manchester United transfer chief Matt Judge has held talks with the entourage of Everton forward Richarlison in view of replenishing their attack, a report claims.

It will be a busy summer at Old Trafford in terms of transfers. Although reports have indicated they will have a smaller budget than usual, there are several areas of the squad they will need to revitalise. Indeed, the whole spine of the team – centre-back, defensive midfield and attack – could do with reinforcements.

In terms of the final third, there are concerns over the futures of the ageing Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani. The latter is out of contract at the end of the season, and the former may be hard to keep around if they miss out on the Champions League.

United need to look to the long-term, too, so in that regard could pounce for Richarlison. According to CaughtOffside, they have an interest in the Everton attacker.

In fact, Judge has been in contact with his representatives – per the report – to discuss transfer terms. United would be willing to fork out a transfer fee of between £60m and £70m, before tying the Brazilian down to a contract with better wages than he earns with Everton.

Richarlison is believed to currently earn around £90,000 per week. United have the financial power to be able to improve those terms.

As for Everton, they have the chance to double their money on Richarlison. They signed him for £35m from Watford in 2018.

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A recent report revealed they were bracing themselves for interest in the forward, regardless of whether they suffer relegation or stay in the Premier League. Now, Man Utd may take their pursuit of the 24-year-old further.

Richarlison will enter the final two years of his Everton contract in the summer. Able to play as a centre-forward or a winger, he has scored 47 goals in 139 games for them. That includes five from 20 this season.


Richarlison to help evolution beyond Ronaldo?

The report also claims Man Utd will not stand in Ronaldo’s way should he wish to leave at the end of the season. He should technically be under contract for another year.

But there are now growing doubts about his future after his absence from the Manchester derby at the weekend. Furthermore, it is not yet known how he will feel about United’s manager situation.

Ronaldo has been United’s top scorer so far this season. However, his return to the club has not gone all that smoothly. There have been various reports about power struggles within the club.

The 37-year-old could therefore be leaving the club for the second time in his career. United would need to evolve their attack after him.

Whether Richarlison will be one of the players to help fill the void remains to be seen.

United do have a history of plucking forwards from Everton. Wayne Rooney and Romelu Lukaku are among those to have made similar moves in the past.

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