As the summer transfer window gets underway, a former United player could be re-united with ex-Red Devils boss as teams look to strengthen their side going into next season.
Manchester United wasted no time securing their first signing of the summer, acquiring the services of Mathus Cunha from Wolves in a £62.5 million deal, with the 25-year-old set to play a key role in Ruben Amorim’s squad heading into the 2025/26 season.
As expected, United aren’t stopping there. The club has intensified its pursuit of Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, who netted 20 Premier League goals last season and is expected to command a fee similar to Cunha’s.
Meanwhile, INEOS is preparing for a major first-team overhaul. Several players considered surplus to requirements are set to be offloaded, with loanees such as Antony, Marcus Rashford, and Jadon Sancho all seeking new clubs ahead of the new campaign.
Though no longer at United, fans will be looking out to see if any of the former players will be making moves, and one of these could be set for a return to the Premier League.
Everton looking at a move for Fred
Signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for £47 million in 2018, Fred spent five seasons at Manchester United before departing Old Trafford to join Fenerbahce for £8.6 million with an additional £4.3 million in add-ons.
During his time at United, Fred made 213 appearances, scoring 14 goals and providing 19 assists, featuring prominently under several managers, including Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Soon after he arrived in Turkey, the Brazilian was reunited with José Mourinho, the manager who brought him to United in 2018, and could now be reunited with yet another United manager as Takvim report that David Moyes is prioritising a move for the 32-year-old.
According to the outlet, Everton are preparing to pay a large fee for Fred, with Fenerbahçe looking to make a profit on their investment, and are holding out for an offer of around £15 million.
Everton are also looking to make further additions to their squad this summer as they commence their first season playing at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, with Manchester City winger Jack Grealish also reported as a target this summer.
Why are United so bad at selling players?
United has a history of receiving next to nothing when selling players and usually incurring a net loss on any of their player investments.
You can probably count on two hands some actually impressive fees that United have got for their players, including the likes of Dan James for £25 million, Morgan Schneiderlin for £22 million and Chris Smalling for £18 million
The precedent for incompetence was set all the way back in 2003, when 28-year-old David Beckham, who had four years left on his contract, was sold for just £25 million, despite being one of, if not the most, marketable players on the planet.
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The main problem as of late, however, seems to be letting players run down their contracts, and not sell them while they can make some money back. Fred had one year left on his contract when he left Old Trafford, so there was little to no bargaining power.
A prime example of this is the 2021 debacle involving Jesse Lingard. Coming off the back of an impressive return to form out on loan at West Ham, the London club were willing to buy the then 29-year-old for around £25 million. United rejected this, staying at United for one more season and then leaving on a free.
While the Woodward era is behind them, the club must be more savvy in the market and adopt the sell-to-buy strategy, which United insisted was unnecessary under Woodward.
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