Manchester United have been offered a potential swap deal, which involves a midfielder rated at £30m by his club and one of United’s record transfers, whom they have been looking to offload.
Manchester United are desperate to add some steel to their midfield this summer if possible, even if it’s not as big a priority as a new centre forward or the signing of a new number ten after Matheus Cunha.
The club are mindful of the lack of physicality in the middle of the park, with Casemiro getting that bit older, and the need for a more mobile number six to play alongside either Bruno Fernandes or Kobbie Mainoo in that midfield two is glaring.
United performed well in Europe against less physical sides like Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad, but the gap between them and the rest of the league became hard to ignore in the Premier League and even in the Europa League final against English opposition in Tottenham Hotspur.
Ruben Amorim will need the situation addressed before the new season begins, and the club were close to doing so recently as they entered into discussions for a swap deal that could have solved two issues plaguing the team at once.
United offered Luiz in swap deal
Manchester United have been presented with the chance to sign Douglas Luiz from Juventus in a shock swap deal that would involve Antony going the other way. The opportunity was presented by the departing Juve sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, who has now left the club.
It may have been the perfect new beginning for both players, as Luiz was among one of the best midfielders in the Premier League during his time there but has since fallen down the pecking order at Juve.
Antony likewise will be looking to move on to pastures new after a really impressive loan spell at Real Betis last season. The Brazilian scored nine goals and delivered 5 assists in 26 games at the club, playing a part in them reaching the Conference League Final.
Juventus had entered into concrete discussions for Antony, with the Italian side holding serious interest in his signature. Manchester United had previously held an interest in Luiz dating back to before he left Aston Villa last summer and joined Juve on a permanent deal worth £40m.
Luiz & Antony swap deal collapses due to director departure
The deal was a huge topic under Giuntoli, but with the director now departing and Damien Comolli now in charge, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the deal is not thought to be moving forward at all and is now very unlikely to happen at this stage.
Luiz has been called ‘world class’ in the past by his former Villa teammate John McGinn, so it’s a deal many Manchester United fans will be upset to see collapse. It would have also solved two issues for United in one deal, as they could have addressed the midfield issues as well as offload a player in Antony that they deem surplus to requirements at the club.
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United will still have to try and be creative with the sale of Antony, with clubs like Real Betis still trying their best to get a deal done. Betis feel a loan for another year is the best option, while United are adamant on pushing for a permanent deal.
The Reds could do a lot worse than testing the waters for Betis midfielder Jonny Cardoso, as they could try and work a swap deal there for both the American and Antony that would solve two issues in a similar manner to the Luiz deal.
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