What’s the story?
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has approved a staggering €200 million bid to bring in Serie A superstar Andrea Belotti and either one of Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann or Everton striker Romelu Lukaku, according to a report in Italian news outlet, Tuttosport. The Red Devils seek to revamp their frontline ahead of a pivotal 2017/18 season, with the hope of mounting a title challenge.
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Antoine Griezmann has hogged the spotlight with his performances for Atletico Madrid and France on the European stage, which saw him finish third in the Ballon d’Or nominations last season. Andrea Belotti, on the other hand, exploded into life this season for Torino, and is the 4th highest scorer amongst Europe’s centre-forwards, with 25 league goals. Romelu Lukaku has also scored 25 goals for Everton this season, although he shares an advantage over the other two in that he is a Premier League striker and would not need to adapt.
The heart of the matter
The report claims that Jose Mourinho has given up on his plans to keep Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney for next season, especially given the Swedish striker’s ACL injury. Letting these two superstars go would free up around £500,000 from United’s weekly wage bill, which would open the door for Manchester United to break the transfer record for the second consecutive season.
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However, instead of chasing records, Mourinho is keen to bring in multiple superstars instead of one marquee signing. The Red Devils are in the line to trigger Andrea Belotti’s €100m release clause, although they are exploring the possibility of negotiating directly with Torino and opting for a player+cash exchange deal, which would see Matteo Darmian move the other way.
While Belotti is almost a certainty for United, they are dithering over whether to spend the rest of the €200 million on Antoine Griezmann or Romelu Lukaku, especially after the Atletico star seemed reluctant about moving to the Premier League, given his preference for staying in Spain. That has led to Mourinho turning his eyes towards Lukaku, although there remains the thorny issue that the Portuguese tactician sold the Belgian while in charge of Chelsea.
What next?
Manchester United’s financial power might just see these moves go over the line, although whether they represent value for money is anyone’s guess.
Author’s Take
If the Red Devils have any hope of signing these players, they simply have to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, which looks increasingly unlikely as the season progresses. The players they are targeting have no shortage of suitors and United might have to end up paying over the odds so as to tempt these players to come to Old Trafford.
