Manchester United are, seemingly, still in the race for an attacker in the last hours of the January transfer window.
However, they’ve missed out on a few targets already. Mathys Tel will be heading to Tottenham and Christopher Nkunku is staying put at Chelsea.
Another option linked with the Red Devils is Leon Bailey. With Marcus Rashford heading to Aston Villa, United enquired about Bailey moving to Old Trafford in return.
Fabrizio Romano stated on Monday morning that Bailey’s departure from Villa Park depended on Joao Felix, as if Villa signed the Chelsea star, the Jamaican may be allowed to leave. This is now no longer the case.
- READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfer deals for January 2025, ins, outs, loan moves, deadline date
Man Utd-linked Leon Bailey to stay at Aston Villa
According to Sky Sports, Bailey is unlikely to leave Aston Villa on deadline day.
Despite interest from both Manchester United and Tottenham, Unai Emery wants to keep Bailey within his ranks for the remainder of the season.
This comes as somewhat of a surprise given Bailey’s game time this campaign.
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | Minutes Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 20 | 1 | 2 | 2 | – | 1.040′ | |
| UEFA Champions League | 6 | – | – | 1 | – | 421′ | |
| EFL Cup | 2 | – | 1 | – | – | 140′ | |
| FA Cup | 1 | – | – | – | – | 72′ | |
| Total 24/25: | 29 | 1 | 3 | 3 | – | 1.673′ | |
With the addition of Rashford, and the potential of Marco Asensio, who is advancing, Bailey is going to struggle even more for minutes.
However, given the latest Felix update, it’s understandable why Villa are requesting he stay put.
Joao Felix looks AC Milan-bound
Chelsea are letting Felix leave for AC Milan on loan – which means Villa won’t be signing the Portuguese forward, and hence keeping Bailey.
Milan have held an interest in Felix throughout the transfer window. He was also reportedly watching the Milan derby on Sunday at the San Siro, as per Sky Sports.
The 25-year-old departs Stamford Bridge on loan just six months after signing permanently, as confirmed by the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano with a ‘here we go’.
Aston Villa were interested in signing Felix this January, with Monchi publicly announcing Emery’s interest in Felix, as per The Athletic.
However, with Villa instead moving for Rashford and Asensio, the Felix deal was called off, with all this ultimately meaning Manchester United won’t be getting Bailey.
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