Manchester United are preparing a bid for a long-term transfer target after the player gave his “green light” to join the club.
Manchester United’s interest in Spanish midfielder Javi Guerra is heating up following Ruben Amorim’s post-Leeds comments about wanting a midfielder with certain physical attributes. The 22-year-old currently plays for Valencia and fits the versatile box-to-box midfielder that Amorim is looking for.
Guerra has been a long-term United target, with the first reports of interest coming in 2023 when he was valued at £34.6 million. Despite reportedly being initially wanted by Erik ten Hag, the rumours have persisted.
While United did recruit in the midfield last summer with the signing of PSG’s Manuel Ugarte, the squad still lacks depth in this area. With Christian Eriksen leaving the club and an ageing Casemiro looking unlikely to maintain his standards at the highest level for much longer, another midfielder is needed.
While Amorim appears to be toying with the idea of including youngsters Sekou Kone and Toby Collyer in the squad, they are still unproven. Due to this, United are pushing to bring in Guerra for a lower price than initially anticipated.
Guerra “green light” and bid expected
United’s move for Guerra had appeared to be off when the Spaniard was offered a new contract by Valencia, but based on new reports from Marca, it now appears that contract has been turned down. As the 22-year-old is unwilling to commit his future to the club, Valencia are now exploring offers for him.
As per The People’s Person, there is a marginal difference between Valencia’s valuation of Guerra and United’s, with the Spanish side wanting around £23.4 million, whereas United see him as worth up to £21.6 million.
While the difference in valuation is not an insurmountable problem, United have shown a willingness so far this window to spend a prolonged period negotiating small differences in fees, as seen with the signing of Bryan Mbeumo.
Journalist Sébastien Vidal has reported that United are close to putting in a bid of £21.5 million for Guerra. This is shy of Valencia’s valuation, but Vidal has stated that the player has given his “green light” to join the club.
Vidal also explained that the club wants to “wrap up the deal quickly”, likely to avoid the fan frustration that came with the Mbeumo negotiations. However, despite Vidal’s claims, reports earlier in the week indicated that a midfielder would come after other priority positions were sorted.
Other priorities come first for United
Amorim’s comments following the Leeds game illustrated his desire to bring in midfielders; however, a number of reports following the signing of Mbeumo indicated that the next two priority positions for United would be a new striker and a new goalkeeper.
United’s striker search is yet to yield much success this transfer window, with a multitude of early targets now being ruled out. The main names currently in contention are Ollie Watkins, Nicholas Jackson and Benjamin Sesko.
The club has also been linked with three Premier League proven free agents in Callum Wilson, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jamie Vardy. If United decides to sign one of these three instead, it may free up finances to facilitate a move for Guerra.
The goalkeeper search became more pressing when Andre Onana suffered a hamstring injury prior to pre-season, but with his inclusion in the squad for the US tour, it appears to be less severe than initially anticipated. Despite this, a new goalkeeper doesn’t appear to have fallen down the priority list with the club being linked with Royal Antwerp’s Senne Lammens.
Although it seems unlikely that Guerra or any other midfield signing would be the next deal that United complete, it is not impossible to see it happen later in the window.
Once United fulfil their priority positions, and depending on the amount of finances they have left at their disposal, fans could see a midfielder come in, but the players available in a month’s time may be very different to the ones who are available now.
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