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Man Utd ditch ‘priority’ transfer after £26m deal agreed as Fabrizio Romano confirms new transfer plan

A Manchester United transfer target is set to complete his move to another club amid an internal reassessment of Rúben Amorim’s transfer plan.

After weeks of waiting, Manchester United fans have finally seen photos of Bryan Mbeumo at Carrington completing his medical. The Cameroon star looks set to join the club for an initial fee of £65 million.

United’s second major signing of the transfer window had been taking up most of the club’s attention over the last month, and there was little in terms of other incoming developments. This was in part due to United’s limited budget and the club’s hierarchy wanting to be certain how much they could spend before approaching any other players.

Whilst the Mbeumo negotiations were taking place, there were some developments with outgoing players, with Jadon Sancho edging closer to a move to Juventus and Marcus Rashford on the cusp of joining Barcelona on loan. However, until these or other departures are completed, United may struggle to attract top talent.

It now appears that during this period of transfer stagnation, another United target has arranged a move to a different club. However, this isn’t shaping up to be a transfer United missed out on, but instead a reassessment of priorities.

Rios is Benfica bound

Earlier in the transfer window, United had become heavily linked with Palmeiras midfielder Richard Rios after he impressed at the Club World Cup. The 25-year-old registered two assists, with one of them being in their 2-1 defeat to eventual world champions, Chelsea. 

Initial reports had indicated that the Brazilian side wouldn’t let Rios go for any less than his £85 million release clause, which would have made him the second most expensive player in United’s history.

However, Rios is now set to sign for Portuguese side Benfica for a fee of £26 million over three instalments, as per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

For United fans who wanted to see the Colombian join the club, this will be a devastating blow as it is less than a third of the price that Palmeria’s reportedly wanted. Roma attempted to sign Rios as well and were informed that they would have to bid £26 million, so United knew the asking price but at no point put in a bid.

While it may initially appear that United was dissuaded by the rumoured asking price or preoccupied with completing the deal for Mbeumo, there may actually be a couple of more important factors at play that prevented this move from transpiring. 

United’s transfer reassessment

Following United’s first pre-season game of the season against Leeds, Ruben Amorim spoke candidly about the need to bring in midfielders who have the speed and energy required to fit his style of play.

This led many to believe that the next player United attempted to sign would be a midfielder; however, today, Romano also revealed that the two positions United will try to recruit next are a goalkeeper and a striker. While in years past, United may have signed players in all three positions, the club is limited by their lack of funds, hence the need to sell players to bring new ones in.

This may indicate why a United bid for Rios never came to pass, as United have a limited budget and needed to recruit for other positions first. When the rumours about Rios first surfaced, a midfielder may have been higher on the agenda, but following the hamstring injury to Andre Onana, signing a goalkeeper has become more important.

Read More: Rio Ferdinand reveals what he was privately told about Bryan Mbeumo, Rúben Amorim will appreciate three traits

Furthermore, while Amorim may not be totally satisfied with his midfield options, the area isn’t as threadbare as the striker position. Last season, injuries led to makeshift midfielders like Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire being utilised, and bringing in a new striker is necessary to prevent that from happening again.

There is still over a month left in this transfer window, and if United move quickly enough, they could bring in a new goalkeeper and striker, and still have time to acquire a midfielder, provided they have the necessary funds.

Amorim’s comments following the Leeds game suggest this is a position he does want to recruit in; however, the squad needed a major overhaul and other positions have taken precedence.


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