‘Set to move!’ – Man Utd prep €40m bid for dazzling January signing Amorim will love

Steve Pearson 08 Sep 2025 2:34 PM

Man Utd manager Ruben Amorim with the Manchester United club crest behind him

Two reports have talked up a Manchester United move for a player Ruben Amorim knows well and TEAMtalk can reveal the star in question is ‘set to move’ in 2026.

Managers raiding their former clubs is a tale as old as time in football. More often than not, it proves to be a mistake. Ruben Amorim has so far resisted the urge to reunite with those he managed at Sporting CP, though according to a report, he’s absolutely convinced by one star in particular.

Amorim was still at the helm in Lisbon when Sporting paid €21m (add-ons included) to sign Belgium international, Zeno Debast, from Anderlecht one year ago.

Amorim would go on to join Man Utd a few months later, though Debast has made an instant impact in Portugal.

The 21-year-old – who is now a regular starter for Belgium – is a centre-back by trade and can also operate in a holding midfield role if required.

GiveMeSport recently stated Amorim is ‘open’ to reuniting with Debast at Old Trafford. Accordingly, the club’s recruitment team and scouting network have been tasked with taking a much closer look at Debast over the coming months.

Amorim is said to be convinced Debast can be a roaring success at Old Trafford. And per the latest from CaughtOffside, Man Utd are ready to act.

After echoing much of GMS’s reporting, CaughtOffside then stated Man Utd are believed to be prepared to test Sporting’s resolve with a €40m bid in January.

Zeno Debast ‘set to move’ in 2026

Man Utd are known to be on the hunt for a central midfielder next year, with Fabrizio Romano and The Athletic both declaring they WILL go back in for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba.

However, that is a move that will have to wait until the summer and the transfer fireworks in January could come at the heart of defence.

Whether a €40m bid would be good enough to get the green light from Sporting is highly doubtful.

Debast’s contract in Lisbon runs for another four years and contains a release clause worth €80m.

Furthermore, Sporting will be determined to extract maximum value given Anderlecht are owed 15 percent of the sale fee through a sell-on clause.

In any case, what is clear is there is a deal there to be made between Man Utd and Sporting for Debast.

TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Fraser Fletcher, has been informed Debast is primed to become the latest in a long line of players Sporting will sell for huge profit.

Sources tell us Debast is ‘set to move’ in 2026 and if United do thunder in with a sizeable bid, a transfer could occur as early as January.

Sporting have worked wonders in the market over recent times, with the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Manuel Ugarte, Bruno Fernandes, Pedro Porro, Matheus Nunes and Nuno Mendes – to name just six – all securing the club mammoth profits.