Manchester United have been linked with a move for a young Argentinian defensive midfielder who is available for £9.4 million from Boca Juniors.
So far this summer, Manchester United have dedicated most of their efforts in the transfer window to players in the forward positions. Ruben Amorim and the club hierarchy have identified this as an area that needs immediate improvement in order to rectify last season’s poor Premier League campaign.
These efforts have led to the permanent signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves, and despite a prolonged transfer saga with Brentford, Bryan Mbeumo also looks likely to join the club.
However, the forward positions are not the only ones that need investment. Sources close to the club have previously described Amorim’s desire to sign an athletic midfielder to feature alongside Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo.
On this front, a new name has been linked to a move to United for a low fee.
United linked with Delgado
A new report from Canal 26 has linked Boca Juniors midfielder Milton Delgado with a move to Manchester United. The Argentinian club wants a minimum of £9.4 million for the 20-year-old.
The 20-year-old has been at Boca Juniors since he was 10 years old, and he made his senior debut in March of last year. Since then, the Argentine has featured 30 times for the club in a defensive midfield role.
Since Miguel Ángel Russo took over the club as Fernando Gago’s permanent replacement, Delgado has fallen out of favour. Russo became head coach before the club’s Club World Cup campaign, and he didn’t play Delgado for a single minute of the tournament.
As Delgado had featured in every Boca Junior game this year up until Russo’s appointment, he and his party believe there is no longer a future for him at the club.
The Canal 26 report suggests that United are considering taking advantage of this situation and bringing Delgado to the Premier League, with the club “expected to make an offer in the coming days” for the player Football Talent Scout describes as a “deep-lying orchestrator/roaming playmaker.”
United’s midfield search
United’s hunt for a new midfielder seems dependent on how much they spend on forwards. So far, this window, the club has been linked with a number of expensive midfielders and some lower-cost ones; the same situation applies to the strikers.
Delgado and Wilfred Ndidi have been suggested as more economical midfielders, with Ndidi also being available for around £9 million. Either of these two would add depth to the squad and could be used in rotation alongside the ageing Casemiro.
However, neither is a surefire long-term solution and appear to be potential stop gaps before Amorim brings in a high-profile midfield target.
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United have long been linked with Atalanta’s Ederson as that high-profile target, but he would be far more expensive than Delgado and Ndidi at around £52 million.
Unless United can move on players like Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford for substantial fees, it seems unlikely that they will be able to afford Ederson this transfer window.
Once the Mbeumo and striker situations are resolved and United have moved some players along, there will be a clearer picture of the club’s financial situation. Ederson seems like the preferred target, but he will be costly, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see United bring in an Ndidi/Delgado-esque player.
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