Manchester United
Premier League • England
Man Utd transfer poised to ‘collapse’, but chances of new deal succeeding rated at 100 percent
Efforts to ramp up a Man Utd deal have left the move facing collapse, though a trusted source is adamant a transfer will cross the line this month.
The immediate future of Manchester United winger Amad Diallo will lay away from Old Trafford. The 19-year-old was on the verge of joining Feyenoord on loan in the summer. However, a late thigh injury scuppered the move, resulting in the Dutch side acquiring Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson instead.
After reovering from injury, Diallo returned to action with United’s Under-23s in the Premier League 2. He wasted little time showcasing why he is too good for that level. The Ivorian forward notched two goals and an assist in just two outings.
Diallo was handed his first Champions League start against Young Boys in December. Accruing more regular gametime at elite level would appear to be the next step in his development.
While providing updates on Anthony Martial and Axel Tuanzebe, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed Championship side Birmingham City were leading the race for Diallo’s signature. No fewer than five sides are eyeing the winger, but the Blues were sat on pole position.
However, in a fresh update, Romano tweeted the proposed move is ‘expected to collapse’.
Birmingham dismissed, but Man Utd deal guaranteed
Precisely why an agreement couldn’t be reached is unstated. The journalist simply stated ‘further contacts’ regarding a deal had not borne fruit.
Nevertheless, the chances of Diallo leaving on loan in January were rated at ‘100 %’. That would back up prior claims from United-focused journalist Peter Schrager. He stated Diallo was not in interim manager Ralf Rangnick’s plans on Tuesday.
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Romano added that United have been inundated with ‘four proposals’ for their exciting forward, including reignited interest from Feyenoord. But the player’s desire is reportedly to gain first-team experience while remaining in the United Kingdom.
Given his explosive showings in the Under-23s over the last 12 months, whichever club signs Diallo will be giving their forward line a huge jolt.
Ronaldo holds ‘crisis talks’ with future uncertain
Meanwhile, Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo has held crisis talks with his agent Jorge Mendes about his future at the club.
Mendes has jetted into the UK to address Ronaldo’s fears that his dream return to Old Trafford is rapidly turning into a potential nightmare. That is despite the Portugal forward scoring 14 goals in 29 games so far this season.
According to a report in The Sun, Ronaldo is frustrated by how Ralf Rangnick’s men are performing. The former Real Madrid and Juventus star is also disillusioned with Rangnick’s tactics and style of football.
A source close to Ronaldo revealed: “Cristiano is very concerned about what is happening at United.
“The team is receiving a lot of criticism and he knows he is regarded as one of the leaders. There are quite a lot of problems and Cristiano is feeling the pressure and is very stressed by the situation.
“He desperately wants his United move to be a success. But he is starting to recognise that winning trophies with the current set up could be a real struggle.
“Jorge came to see him and they spent time chatting through how things are going, what they think are the problems, how they might be solved and what the solutions may be. Nothing has been ruled out.”
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