The mood at Manchester United tends to change like the weather in England’s north west.
And after a couple of days of rain – concerns growing about the lack of movement with regards to both incomings and outgoings at Old Trafford – the sun came peeking back from behind the clouds less than 24 hours before Erik ten Hag’s side are due to meet rivals Man City again at Wembley in the Community Shield.
Deals for Manuel Ugarte and Matthijs de Ligt – while more unlikely at this stage than they appeared at the start of July – are far from dead yet.
Florian Plettenberg, the Sky Sports reporter, claims that talks between Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are ongoing for the former.
Ugarte is still keen to make the switch work.
Confidence remains, meanwhile, that both De Ligt and Bayern Munich team-mate Noussair Mazraoui will reunite with their former Ajax boss Ten Hag before the September deadline.
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Manchester United still chasing De Ligt, Ugarte and Mazraoui
Now, the appeal of Mazraoui in particular is easy to understand.
More technically gifted than the man he is likely to replace in Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Mazraoui’s versatility and two-footedness means he is comfortable on either flank.
But there remains a feeling that Man United need a natural, dedicated left-back. Particularly after Ten Hag confirmed that the perennially-injured Luke Shaw was a doubt to face Man City on Saturday afternoon.
And this is where Ferdi Kadioglu comes in.
After rumours linking the Fenerbahce flyer with a move to Manchester came and went earlier in the window, they returned with a vengeance on Friday.
Yagiz Sabuncuoglu – seen by many as the most reliable reporter in Turkish football – writes on X that Man United have now met with Kadioglu’s camp to discuss whether a deal late in the window is viable.
Should an offer come his way, the swashbuckling Turkey international appears very unlikely to turn it down. Like with De Ligt, Ugarte, Mazraoui and even Jarrad Branthwaite, personal terms will not be the issue here.
Ferdi Kadioglu is now a ‘serious’ target
“Manchester United met with Ferdi Kadioglu’s representative and asked about the contract terms he would demand from them in case of an agreement with Fenerbahce,” Sabuncuoglu says, shortly after telling Sport Digitale that the Red Devils’ interest was becoming ‘serious’.
“If Fenerbahçe accepts the offer, Ferdi Kadıogu wants to continue his career in the Premier League. The player is open to offers from England.”
Reportedly valued at around £17 million, Kadioglu is another two-footed full-back who can play on the left or the right.
It remains to be seen if the Dutch-born 24-year-old is viewed by Man United as an alternative to Mazraoui or as someone who could come in alongside the one-time West Ham target.
United’s pursuit of Kadioglu would put Ten Hag’s side in a direct confrontation with Jose Mourinho. Now the head coach of Fenerbahce, Mourinho has spoken about his desire to retain the core of a talented group of players.
Perhaps there is a swap deal that could twist Fener’s arm, however. The Super Lig runners-up have an interest in United’s own Victor Lindelof, per The Telegraph.
“Kadioglu is an extraordinary player,” Turkey boss Vincenzo Montella told Rai Sport after the speedy wideman helped his side reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.
“(Last season) he played sixty games at the highest level. He would be useful to any big club.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/hrtJOSs