Man Utd ramp up interest in €135m winger swap, but Ratcliffe faces Arsenal ‘problem’ as star ‘picks’ Arteta

Manchester United are refusing to take no for an answer with Sir Jim Ratcliffe ready to offer Jadon Sancho in a swap deal for a top winger target and inspite of claims the player in question favours a move to Arsenal.

The Red Devils are piecing together their team behind the scenes with the appointment of Dan Ashworth as the club’s first ever sporting director now close to being finalised. And once the departing Newcastle man is in place, discussions can ramp up over the shape of the Manchester United squad ahead of what many hope will be a much-improved 2024/25 season.

Indeed, British billionaire Ratcliffe is determined to leave no stone unturned in his efforts to restore United to greatness, assembling first a crack team of specialists behind the scenes who can ensure United are as competitive as possible both on and off the team.

Of course, simply spending big money on players is not that simple as Ashworth’s brief will be to negotiate plenty of sales as well as big-name arrivals, with United – like all around them – needing to comply with FFP regulations.

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To that end, we understand the club plans to offload at least two and up to five high earning stars this summer to help fund their rebuild.

One of those under obvious threat is Sancho, who has failed to live up to expectations since his €85m (£73m) switch from Borussia Dortmund in summer 2021.

After falling out with Erik ten Hag earlier this season, it was no surprise when he was allowed to re-sign for Borussia Dortmund on loan early in the January window.

Ratcliffe keen to land Dortmund star in swap for Sancho

And while he has taken time to re-discover his best form, the signs have been positive for the 23-year-old in recent weeks, with Sancho now having three goal involvements (two goals, one assist) from 10 games for the Bundesliga side.

That has led to speculation that BVB are open to the possibility of keeping Sancho for the long term and a report earlier this week revealed the new, lowly price United are likely to set for the winger’s capture.

However, there appears a more preferential option for both clubs in the form of a swap deal and it’s been reported in recent weeks that Ratcliffe and Co are taking a growing interest in signing Donyell Malen in return.

The Netherlands winger is enjoying an excellent season having scored 13 times and adding five assists from 33 appearances. However, with Dortmund keen to re-sign Sancho on a permanent basis, Malen feels he may be the sacrificial lamb who is forced to make way for the England man.

Furthermore, reports in his native Netherlands have confirmed that Malen is also keen to try his luck in the Premier League from next season, with the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal both alerted to his potential availability.

The Bundesliga side are not prepared to stand in his way either and are likely to demand a fee in the region of €40m to €50m (£34.2m to £42.7m) for the 25-year-old.

However, it’s reported that Ratcliffe feels Malen ticks a lot of boxes for United and is ready to push forward with efforts to land the Dutchman in a straight swap deal for Sancho, with the prospective move seemingly of huge benefit to all parties.

‘Unfinished business’ sees Malen favour move to Arsenal

However, Ratcliffe is facing a hefty ‘problem’ in his quest to land the former PSG star after reports in Germany indictaed that Malen actually favours a move to Arsenal.

The Gunners are also seeking cover and competition for Bukayo Saka this summer as they look to add further quality to their squad. As a result, it’s claimed Mikel Arteta and Co have also taken a shine to Malen, who was on Arsenal’s books as a youngster between 2015 and 2017 before he departed for PSV Eindhoven and having failed to make a senior appearance.

As a result, it’s claimed the winger, who has 100 career goals to his name, has made it clear to his representatives that he would pick a move to Arsenal if given the option between the clubs, feeling they represent a more stable project and given the player also has experience of living in London.

In addition, it’s suggested the 28-times capped winger feels he has ‘unfinished business’ with the Gunners and would jump at the chance of a return to Arsenal’s star-studded squad.

We exclusively revealed earlier this week that Arsenal plan to fund the move and make space in their squad by listening to offers for winger Reiss Nelson, whom is on the wanted list at Brighton.

With Arsenal hoping to raise up to £30m from his sale, they would not need a huge amount more to land Malen, and put paid to Ratcliffe plans of landing his dream €135m winger swap.

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