Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Triple Man Utd deadline day swoop blows up as trusted sources reveal grimmest news for Amorim

Mathys Tel, Christopher Nkunku and Leon Bailey are all Man Utd targets on deadline day

Mathys Tel, Christopher Nkunku and Leon Bailey are all Man Utd targets on deadline day

Confusion reigns over Manchester United’s bid to bring Mathys Tel to Old Trafford on deadline day, though there is a growing expectation that the deal will fail with three sources painting negative pictures and with Ruben Amorim also likely to miss out on TWO other targets.

Manchester United finally have the licence to strengthen their attack after allowing Marcus Rashford to join Aston Villa on loan for the remainder of the season. Unai Emery’s side will cover the bulk of the player’s wages and have secured an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season if the 27-year-old gets back to his best.

However, while the deal to move Rashford on – albeit on a temporary basis for now – presents an instant solution for all concerned, it does little to boost United’s transfer situation in terms of having ready-made funds to buy a replacement. As a result, any deal for a replacement is also likely to be on loan only as United look to replicate the terms of Rashford’s exit with any deal of their own.

Their main target has been France Under-21 forward Tel, who has expressed a desire to leave Bayern Munich and whom our sources had made clear had always made a move to Old Trafford his number one priority.

However, with United only seeking a loan with an option to buy this window, together with the fact that Bayern are demanding a sale, resulted in the move dramatically collapsing on Sunday evening.

That failure has since been confirmed by L’Equipe, who claim Bayern have demanded a sale only in the winter window, fuelled by the fact they had agreed a deal – worth €60m (£50m, $61.4m) – with Tottenham for the player last week, only for the 19-year-old to reject the move to north London.

However, the Daily Mail’s Chris Wheeler claims United have not yet given up on Tel and will continue talks with Bayern on Monday to try and find a compromise.

Despite that, there is a growing expectation that United could end deadline day empty-handed and bad news also having been dished out on their quest to land two other targets in Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku and Leon Bailey of Aston Villa.

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BBC man dishes out worrying Man Utd transfer update

That’s after BBC Sport’s Manchester United correspondent Simon Stone claimed moves for both Tel and Nkunku are now considered ‘unlikely’ by his sources at Old Trafford.

Furthermore, speaking on BBC Radio5 Live, he claims that insiders are now playing down the prospect of anyone arriving at the club on transfer deadline day.

United’s interest in Nkunku has been detailed by our sources for some time, with the club exploring the possibility of landing him to Chelsea and with Alejandro Garnacho moving in the opposite direction.

However, as with Tel, though this time on the player’s side, Nkunku has only wanted to join United on a permanent basis and was keen to avoid the uncertainty that a loan move would bring.

Ironically, Bayern Munich are also in the hunt for the Chelsea forward – frustrated by his lack of Premier League opportunities under Enzo Maresca this season – though the German giants’ prospects lie on the ability to offload Tel first.

United have also discussed the possibility of signing Leon Bailey from Aston Villa as part of the negotiations that took Rashford to Villa Park. And while ultimately it was decided to keep both deals separate to avoid adding further complexities to an already complicated loan deal, United have now looked at pursuing the Jamaican winger as a signing in his own right.

However, as per The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell, a move to bring Bailey to Old Trafford has now been ruled out. At the same time, Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed Tottenham have been in contact with Villa to understand their demands over the departure of the 27-year-old former Bayer Leverkusen winger.

Amorim comes clean on Man Utd transfer hunt

United’s lack of options on Sunday forced Amorim to try Kobbie Mainoo in a more advanced role against Crystal Palace on Sunday – a match that resulted in a 2-0 home loss.

Asked afterwards on the quest to bring in new signings, he said: “We are trying everything to improve the team without making mistakes of the past. And trying to balance the urgency of the moment. We know all of the aspects of our club in the moment but we are trying everything. There is one more day, let’s wait until the window closes.

“We have to improve as a team to score goals and we are trying the best to improve the team. This market is really hard on the clubs. To make some deals here, it’s hard.”

Asked specifically about the interest in Tel, Amorim added: “When the window closes we will see the players.

“I’m focused on improving the team as a group. We need to win more games and we will try to do that, this season is like that. We need small improvements, try to win points, win the momentum, then we had setbacks and we go again. But it’s clear we need to improve.”

With Rashford having finalised his move, however, Gary Neville has explained exactly why he thinks the 27-year-old can and will rebuild his career at Villa Park.

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