Things are moving quickly at Manchester United all of a sudden as multiple transfer dominos are falling, with a third “Here we go” of the summer here.
Chido Obi-Martin is set to join United from Arsenal but since that is effectively a free transfer, it wasn’t contingent on any sale.
Enter Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, the Bayern Munich pair who have agreed terms with United but wait for the club to sell players to fund their incoming.
As Bayern travel to South Korea for their pre-season, potential hints have been dropped on the status of De Ligt and Mazraoui, and it’s quite unexpected.
Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui latest
De Ligt was widely expected to be the first signing this summer but the unexpected success in the chase for Leny Yoro pushed him to the background.
Mazraoui, on the other hand, is waiting for United to sell Aaron Wan-Bissaka, with West Ham United interested and the move picking pace.
The move for the pair, along with Ugarte, is on hold but all remain keen on moving. In the meantime, Bayern’s traveling squad to South Korea has dropped confusing hints on the pair.
As per Florian Plettenberg, De Ligt, whose potential move was thought to be of a lower priority as things stand, won’t be traveling with the team for the pre-season.
On the other hand, Mazraoui, whose potential move was thought to be close, will be on the plane in an unexpected turn of events.
This is surprising because United were reportedly prioritising the completion of Mazraoui’s signing, having received encouragement from Wan-Bissaka that he might be open to moving to West Ham.
It might be possible that the injury to Leny Yoro forced United to pivot and they have rekindled talks with Bayern for De Ligt, where the transfer fee and its structure is the biggest stumbling point.
Things will get more interesting if Mazraoui plays in South Korea, which would mean the deal is not as far along as has been reported.
Especially with Mazraoui’s injury history, it would be a major surprise if Bayern risk him in pre-season if the transfer is close.
Triple swoop in waiting shows Man Utd’s pull
The fact that Mazraoui, De Ligt, and Ugarte are all effectively putting interest from other teams on hold while United try to sort out their finances by selling players is a big marker of their renewed pull in the market.
For the last decade, United have had to overcome their lack of success and project by throwing more money at potential signings, contributing to a toxic atmosphere.
Ineos’ arrival has immediately given the club a new direction and with it, a pulling power that was last seen when Sir Alex Ferguson was marshaling the touchline of Old Trafford’s home dugout.
They have a project to sell now, with stability after Erik ten Hag’s contract extension, and signings clearly see something positive is being built with ambition.
If United manage to land this triple swoop, this transfer window will exceed the expectations of even the most optimistic United fans.
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