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Manchester United secured a thrilling 4-3 win over Wolverhampton Wanders at the Molineux on Thursday (February 1) in the Premier League. Goals from Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund, Scott McTominay and Kobbie Mainoo helped Erik ten Hag's team climb up to seventh in the league after 22 games.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils are among three clubs keeping a close eye on Willian Pacho. Elsewhere, the English giants are planning to sit down with centre-back Raphael Varane regarding his future.
On that note, here's a look at the key Manchester United transfer stories as on February 2, 2024:
Manchester United in three-horse race for Willian Pacho
Manchester United are battling Arsenal and Liverpool for Eintracht Frankfurt defender Willian Pacho, according to SportBILD.
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The 22-year-old has been impeccable at the back this season for the Bundesliga side, registering 28 appearances across competitions. The Red Devils are looking for a new defender this year amid the uncertainties surrounding the future of Raphael Varane.
Manchester United have identifed Pacho as an option but face stiff competition for his services from the Premier League. The Ecuadorian also has admirers at Real Madrid and Napoli and could ignite a bidding war come summer.
Pacho reportedly has a €60 million price tag on his head, but Frankfurt are likely to be open to negotiations.
Red Devils plan Raphael Varane talks, says Fabrizio Romano
Manchester United are likely to initiate contract discussions with Raphael Varane in the coming weeks, according to acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
The French defender's deal with the club expires at the end of this season, and he was linked with a move to the Middle East in January, but Romano says that the rumours are untrue.
The transfer guru told GIVEMESPORT that the Red Devils will also discuss Aaron Wan-Bissaka's future soon.
“There will be discussions, I think, in the next weeks with some players. Not just Raphael Varane, with some of them to clarify the situation with Varane, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and others.
"So, at the moment, nothing has been agreed with any other club, and nothing has been decided. We heard a lot of stories about a potential Saudi move for Varane, but that was never really close," said Romano.
Varane has appeared 20 times across competitions this season, starting 15.
Erik ten Hag likely to be sacked this summer, says former football agent
Football super agent Jon Smith reckons new minority owners INEOS will get rid of Erik ten Hag at the end of the season.
The Dutch manager has failed to meet expectations this campaign, and his future remains up in the air. The Red Devils have exited the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup and are eight points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently took charge of football side of matters at Manchester United and is expected to make multiple changes. Ten Hag's position remains under scrutiny, with the recent controversies involving Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford also raising doubts about his man management.
In his column for Caught Offside, Smith said that INEOS will see out the season before implementing a managerial change.
"Unless something dramatic happens and there’s a turnaround at Man United in the last four months of the season, which is possible, I think it’s likely that we’ll see Erik ten Hag’s tenure end this season.
"If I was Sir Jim anyway, I would probably want to put in my own management team, and obviously the core of the management is the coach," wrote Smith.
He continued:
“I think INEOS’ strategy would be very much like that of PIF when they bought Newcastle. They didn’t say ‘okay, we’re here, Steve Bruce you’re out, and we’re bringing in Fred Smith now.'
"They let him continue, quite rightly. It didn’t quite work out for him, so they then brought in their man. I think that’s a mirror image of what’s going to happen at Man United.”
Ten Hag won the EFL Cup last season, finished third in the league and also reached the FA Cup final.
