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Lisandro Martinez fired back at Paul Scholes after the Manchester United legend claimed the defender "is not good enough to win the Premier League".

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• Scholes claimed Martinez is "not good enough"
• Defender has hit back on Instagram
• He is currently out with a serious knee injury

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Speaking on , Scholes claimed: "Even when he's fit he [Martinez] is not good enough to win the Premier League." That has prompted an angry reaction from Martinez on Instagram.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Scholes' dig at Martinez is not the first time he has voiced his displeasure at his former club's defensive options. Speaking last month, he claimed Lenny Yoro is "the one centre-half I would keep" if United are to become "a team to win the Premier League".

• WHAT MARTINEZ SAID

  As per , Martinez fired back at Scholes on Instagram as he wrote: "This jinx guy is really hurting…You put him in Argentina and he wouldn't survive."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MARTINEZ AND MAN UTD?

  Martinez recently suffered an ACL injury that is set to keep him out for the rest of this season, the latest in a succession of fitness problems that have disrupted his time at Old Trafford. United are currently stuck in the bottom half of the Premier League, though they still have the Europa League and FA Cup to play for.

Ipswich Town return to Premier League action on Saturday when they welcome fellow strugglers Everton to Portman Road. The two sides are separated by just one place and one point in the top flight, with Everton sitting in 16th and Ipswich 17th.

When it comes to Premier League survival, beating those around you is always key. But if Kieran McKenna’s side are to triumph over the Toffees, they’ll have to do it without a number of their key players.

Midfield duo Jens Cajuste and Massimo Luongo are both ruled out for the game, with the latter having picked up an injury in Ipswich’s 2-2 draw with Aston Villa last month, while Republic of Ireland defender Dara O’Shea is also a doubt.

“Jens is not fit yet, but will hopefully train with the group next week,” McKenna told the press ahead of Saturday’s match, according to the East Anglian Daily Times. “Massimo picked up an injury in the Aston Villa game, so he’s also unavailable for this game and probably the next period of games. “We also have some other issues that we’re assessing currently.”

McKenna gives Tuanzebe update

Among those other issues that McKenna has is the fitness of defender Axel Tuanzebe. The 26-year-old defender, who earns £40,000-per-week at Portman Road, missed Ipswich’s 4-1 defeat at West Ham earlier this month with a cut to his hand, which he sustained from breaking a glass while washing up.

“It’s a household accident, very, very unfortunate and very, very serious. He was very close to losing his thumb,” said McKenna. “He’s had surgery to repair the tendons in the thumb that was damaged, I think the recovery is going pretty well, but it’s a long-term injury.”

On just how long the defender will be out, McKenna said he doesn’t know: “The timescale is not definite. It could be a few months, maybe less if the recovery goes well,” he explained. “That’s something we’re still in dialogue with specialists about.”

Tuanzebe has found a home at Ipswich

Tuanzebe’s career to date has been somewhat of a rollercoaster. Once considered one of the brightest talents in Manchester United’s academy, the defender spent most of his Old Trafford career out on-loan in spells with Aston Villa, Napoli, and Stoke City.

He joined Ipswich on a permanent one-year deal in the summer of 2023, however, which was later extended after an impressive debut season for the Tractor Boys in which he helped them gain promotion to the Premier League.

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This season, before succumbing to injury, he was a regular fixture in the heart Ipswich’s defence, starting all six of the club’s first six Premier League games.

“He’s got stronger and stronger,” McKenna said of the former United player after his side’s goalless draw with Brighton last month. “He finished last season really, really well. He’s stepped into the Premier League this season and he’s showing his qualities.”

McKenna added: “With him and Ben [Johnson], we’re really, really strong in that position.”

Lucy Bronze is one of the Lionesses' greatest ever players – and yet, before her first England cap, she seriously contemplated playing for Portugal.

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• Lucy Bronze has become England icon since 2013 debut
• Has over 100 caps and starred in Euro 2022 triumph
• But Lionesses defender came close to playing for Portugal

• Was Lucy Bronze eligible to play for Portugal?

  Yes. Bronze was born in Berwick-upon-Tweed, in north east England, to an English mother, Diane, and a Portuguese father, Joaquim, thus making her eligible to play for both England and Portugal. Due to her Portuguese roots, Bronze also has the rather notable middle name of 'Tough', which was her mother's maiden name. That's because in Portugal, children take both of their parents' surnames.

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  How close did Bronze come to playing for Portugal?

  Despite being a regular for the England youth teams and for Everton and Liverpool in the early years of the Women's Super League, it took a while for Bronze's first England cap to come. When she was 16 years old, her family was approached by the Portuguese federation and the full-back told her parents that if she did not get her first Lionesses call-up before her 22nd birthday, she would instead represent the nation of her father. "I knew I could go and play for Portugal and I would have loved it as much," she told reporters previously.

  However, just four months before that birthday, Bronze finally got picked to represent the Lionesses at senior level after a series of injuries hit the team. She made her England debut on June 26, 2013, in a friendly against Japan in the build-up to that summer's European Championship and has stayed in the frame ever since, winning her 100th cap for her country in October 2022.

• Could Lucy Bronze swap England for Portugal now?

  In a word: no. Bronze would have been eligible to switch to Portugal even after her Lionesses debut, as it came in a friendly match and appearances in such non-competitive fixtures do not commit a player to one country. However, she is certainly tied to England now, having played over 100 games for England and also in official tournaments, such as the World Cup and the European Championship. Doing the latter is one of several things that ties a player to a country in international football.

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  Which England stars could've represented other countries?

  There are several players in the England squads, men's and women's, who could have represented other nations. For the Lionesses, defender Jess Carter holds American citizenship thanks to her father, while recent debutante Laura Blindkilde Brown is eligible to represent Denmark through her mother and even had the Danish federation reach out before winning her first England cap.

  Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, meanwhile, lived in Spain between the ages of five and 10, training at the Villarreal academy, so could well have gone down a different international route in other circumstances, as striker Alessia Russo, whose grandfather is Italian, also could have.

  On the men's side, Jack Grealish and Declan Rice are particularly noteworthy examples, having both played for the Republic of Ireland before changing their international allegiances to represent England. Of the Three Lions' rising stars, Tino Livramento is eligible to play for Scotland and Portugal; Jarell Quansah could represent Scotland, Ghana or Barbados; while Angel Gomes also qualifies for Angola and Portugal. Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Conor Gallagher, too, could've played for Ireland, with the latter also eligible for Scotland before he became tied to England.

West Ham United boss Julen Lopetegui is a man under pressure right now, and it is believed the Spaniard is now plotting a shake-up to the starting line-up so he can fix a real problem concerning both him and the Hammers’ backroom staff.

Calls for West Ham to sack Lopetegui after lacklustre start

Following a lacklustre start to the new Premier League season, there have been a few calls for David Sullivan and the Irons hierarchy to part company with Lopetegui already.

West Ham could sign 23-goal Fullkrug alternative as Lopetegui makes demand

The Hammers are looking at other strikers already.

By
Emilio Galantini

Oct 23, 2024

The 58-year-old has guided West Ham to just two wins in the league so far, losing four and drawing two. At one point, the east Londoners went from late August to October without a single victory in all competitions, despite their near-£120 million expenditure on new signings in the summer window.

Pressure on Lopetegui was eased somewhat briefly with a 4-1 win over Ipswich Town recently, but they followed that up with a dismal defeat at Tottenham by the same scoreline. Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has even claimed that West Ham are considering Edin Terzic in the event they sack Lopetegui, so it is something the club are perhaps weighing up if results continue in this manner.

Lopetegui has big shoes to fill after David Moyes guided West Ham to their first major trophy since the 1980s, not to mention successive campaigns in Europe, and the former Spain boss is also attempting to gel together a very new-look squad.

West Ham are looking at signing a striker in January as well, amid Niclas Fullkrug’s injury woes, with Lopetegui forced to rely on the likes of Michail Antonio and Danny Ings to lead his line.

There are many factors at play which haven’t exactly helped Lopetegui, but journalist Dean Jones has still urged West Ham to sack the tactician.

“I’ll be honest, I’ve heard reports that there are a fair few people that are not convinced about Lopetegui, and obviously there was friction recently between him and Mohammed Kudus in the dressing room at half-time,” said Jones.

“So there are other layers here that could affect the situation, but there’s emotion too, that is going to impact how this goes, and we’ll see whether they’re (the West Ham board) on the right side of those feelings once we come out of this break.

“Honestly, I’d probably sack him (Lopetegui). I think they’ve got it wrong. I don’t think this is the right man for them. I think it’s a waste of time. I’d sack him.”

Edson Alvarez set for West Ham recall amid real Lopetegui worry

According to GiveMeSport, another major concern held by Lopetegui and his coaching staff is West Ham’s lack of solidarity and bite in midfield – specifically in front of the back four.

Guido Rodriguez and Tomas Soucek have partnered each other in the centre most often, but the pair haven’t exactly helped West Ham maintain control in midfield. This is seen as a big weakness by Lopetegui and his backroom, meaning they could turn back to Edson Alvarez.

Alvarez is set for a recall to West Ham’s starting XI in place of Rodriguez or Soucek as a result, as Lopetegui desperately attempts to turn their fortunes around and halt opponents from dominating them. The Mexico international is in line to start against Man United this weekend as a result, and their clash at the London Stadium represents an opportunity for Alvarez to stake his claim in the side.

Pedri expressed his happiness after visiting the Gran Canaria Stadium on Saturday, which marked his return to his former club.

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• Pedri reunites with Las Palmas
• Visited their stadium for the first time as a Barca player
• Received a warm reception for Las Palmas faithful

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Pedri took to social media to express his euphoria following a return to the Gran Canaria Stadium on Saturday, the home base of Las Palmas, which happens to be the attacking midfielder's former club.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Before signing for Barcelona in 2020, Pedri was dazzling in the Segunda Division for Las Palmas. The 22-year-old joined their academy in 2018 and was promoted to the senior team in 2019. Pedri made 37 appearances for the first team in the 2019-20 season and is the youngest goal scorer in the club's history at 16 years, 9 months, and 23 days.

  However, since arriving in Catalonia, Pedri had not played against Las Palmas in their stadium, until Saturday evening.

  Pedri featured from the start, but was taken off by Hansi Flick late in the second half, with the Las Palmas faithful chanting his game and giving the midfielder a rousing reception as he headed to the dugout.

• WHAT PEDRI SAID

  "One of the most exciting and special days of my career has come to an end. I was really looking forward to playing in Gran Canaria again, and at the same time to get another win to stay on top," Pedri wrote on his social media profile.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR PEDRI?

  Pedri is set to be tied down to a new long-term deal with Barcelona wanting their star midfielder to be at the center of the project they are building.

Chelsea are one of the elite sides who are prepared to pay the “necessary” price to sign a marquee star from European champions Real Madrid – and it is believed they’re willing to make a move for him amid a precarious situation at the Bernabeu.

Chelsea's transfer preparations for January and next summer

Enzo Maresca has enjoyed a pretty solid start to life as Chelsea’s new manager, with his only two Premier League defeats coming at the hands of title-chasing Man City and Liverpool. However, it is believed that BlueCo wish to freshen up the squad in a few more areas.

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He’s in the form of his life right now.

By
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Nov 1, 2024

Despite the electric form of Nicolas Jackson, Chelsea are currently considering a new striker in January. They have a few targets on their shortlist, including Ipswich Town star Liam Delap, Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface, Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen, Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres, Brighton’s Evan Ferguson and RB Leipzig ace Benjamin Sesko (as per Simon Phillips).

Meanwhile, there are claims that Chelsea are specifically looking into bringing in a South American centre-back, whether that be one currently plying his trade on that continent or elsewhere – and an arrival is expected to be signed “very soon”.

Maresca has his own personal targets as well, according to some reports. Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi, who has started the Bundesliga campaign with over 10 goal contributions in all competitions, is said to be a favourite of the Italian.

The Blues boss is driving a Chelsea move for Adeyemi, with transfer chiefs considering a £42m bid, so this could be one to keep an eye on amid Mykhailo Mudryk’s uncertain future at Stamford Bridge.

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A more ambitious rumoured target is Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala, who played for Chelsea in their academy setup before departing a few years ago.

Chelsea are keeping tabs on the Germany international, one of Europe’s brightest talents, amid a stand-off over his Allianz Arena contract – which is set to expire in 2026 as things stand.

Perhaps the biggest statement capture of them all, though, would be Real Madrid’s scintillating forward Vinicius Junior – who only just missed out on the 2024 Ballon d’Or award to Man City superstar Rodri.

Chelsea prepared to pay the "necessary" price to sign Vinicius

Both Man United and Chelsea are on alert over the Brazilian, who has a market value of around €200m (£168m), as Vinicius continues to stall over fresh contract talks.

According to journalist Jorge C. Picon, Chelsea are prepared to pay “what is necessary” to sign Vinicius from Real alongside the likes of United and PSG, with all three mega-clubs willing to go for the 24-year-old forward, who appears unplayable right now.

Picon also writes that there is an offer from Saudi Arabia worth a seismic £842m to take Vinicius to the Middle East.

“His finishing is crazy. His decision-making in front of goal is amazing,” said pundit Owen Hargreaves to TNT Sports after Real smashed Borussia Dortmund 5-2 in the Champions League recently.

“He looked very angry in the second half. I know what Carlo [Ancelotti] said to him, but if he plays like that, he’s definitely unstoppable.”

Leeds United are currently competing to return to the Premier League at the second time of asking after they were relegated from the top-flight at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Whites spent three years at the top table of English football before succumbing to relegation under Sam Allardyce, who came in towards the end of the season after both Javi Gracia and Jesse Marsch were relieved of their duties in 2023.

Many members of staff, including management, and players contributed to that failure in the 2022/23 campaign, and sporting director Victor Orta has to take some of the blame.

As you can see in the table above, the Spanish chief was given plenty of money to splash on new signings throughout that season, spending around £107m on his top five most expensive additions.

Leeds made 12 signings in total across the summer and January transfer windows that season, for combined fees that totalled roughly £137m – per Transfermarkt.

Orta’s biggest mistake in the transfer market that season, however, was actually his failure to land one of his targets – Coventry City’s Viktor Gyokeres.

Victor Orta's Viktor Gyokeres howler

The sporting director, who now works for Sevilla in Spain, recently confirmed that he had the opportunity to push through a deal to sign the Sweden international during his time at Leeds.

Speaking to Portuguese outlet Record, Orta said: “When I was at Leeds United I didn’t want to give €14m for him (Gyokeres). Cases like that of Gyokeres are the good surprises that football gives us, those things that we cannot measure.”

TEAMtalk added, whilst relaying the quotes, that the chance to sign the centre-forward for £11.6m came in the January transfer window, which was the same month in which the Spaniard spent £34m on Georginio Rutter.

Gyokeres scored 22 goals and provided 12 assists in all competitions for the Sky Blues that season, and had already scored 12 Championship goals by the time the January transfer window opened for business.

The then-24-year-old was in-form in the second tier, and proving his quality in English football, and would have cost a relatively small amount of money, in comparison to how much Rutter cost.

Gyokeres then joined Portuguese side Sporting on a permanent deal at the end of that season and has been an incredible addition for the Liga Portugal outfit.

The 26-year-old star has scored 66 goals and provided 19 assists in 68 appearances in all competitions so far, including 23 goals in 18 games this term, which has led to him being valued at £63m amid interest from Manchester United.

Orta, however, made an even bigger mistake than his error with Gyokeres when he failed to secure a deal to sign Erling Haaland as a teenager.

Leeds United's chance to sign Haaland

The Leeds United sporting director was contacted by the Norwegian youngster’s agent to faciliate a possible move to Elland Road in the summer of 2017, as the forward – born in Leeds – was a supporter of the club.

Haaland was playing for Molde in his home country and went back to West Yorkshire, his place of birth, to view the training facilities and speak with Orta about the possibility of a transfer to the Whites.

It was claimed that Leeds even made a shirt with the forward’s name on the back for him to hold up and keep hold of as part of his trip to Thorp Arch.

Thomas Christiansen impressed the teenager and his agent during the trip and it appeared as though a transfer was in the pipeline, with both parties wanting to get a deal done.

However, Leeds still had to agree a fee with Molde and that is where the move broke down. The Norwegian side were demanding a fee of £4m for the striker and Orta, due to the club’s financial position, was not willing to gamble that much money on such a young player.

One that got away

The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast's One That Got Away series.

Haaland went on to sign for Salzburg 18 months later, scoring 29 goals in 27 games, before his move to Borussia Dortmund in January 2020, for a fee of around £18.8m.

Erling Haaland's emergence as a world-class striker

During his time in Germany, which was his first experience of a major European league, the young sensation racked up a staggering 86 goals and 23 assists in 89 games for Dortmund in all competitions.

Haaland scored 62 goals in 67 matches in the Bundesliga and that was enough to attract attention from Premier League giants Manchester City, who swooped for his signature in the summer of 2022.

The Cityzens reportedly paid a fee of £51.2m and, it is fair to say, that has turned out to be a bargain, given what he has achieved in his time with the English side so far.

As you can tell from the title of the video of some of his best goals for City above, Haaland has already reached a century of goals for Pep Guardiola, in just over two years.

The 24-year-old attacker has scored 105 goals and provided 14 assists in 114 appearances in all competitions for the Premier League side, helping them to win two league titles, an FA Cup, and a Champions League in that time.

As you can see in the table above, his value has soared throughout his time with Manchester City and currently stands at a staggering £167m – over £100m more than Gyokeres’ current value.

This suggests that Orta deciding not to sign the striker for £4m in the summer of 2017 was an even bigger blunder than his decision not to sign Gyokeres for £11.6m in January of last year, as Haaland has been incredibly prolific in England and proven himself to be a world-class striker – given his valuation and goalscoring record.

Bad news for Solomon: Leeds urged to sign "high-level" star

Leeds United have been linked with an interest in the out-of-contract forward.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 18, 2024

Manchester United are set to lose three senior executives next summer including the person responsible for the latest round of redundancies.

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• Man Utd to lose three senior executives
• Hale, Holroyd and Lafaye are the execs
• Hale was responsible for latest job cuts

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Manchester United have seen a number of job cuts since the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS as a minority owner of the club, and the Red Devils have also undergone a significant restructuring in the backroom staff. Reports have now suggested that three senior executives are now set to leave United at the end of the season but not as a part of the redunduncies.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  As per the BBC, Annie Hale, United's People and Transformation Director, Chief Commercial Development Officer James Holroyd and London-based commercial director Florence Lafaye are the three senior executives who are going to depart Old Trafford at the end of the season.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Hale is one of the main people responsible for Manchester United's second round of redundancies, which could have up to 200 jobs cut before the end of the season. Meanwhile, Holroyd and Lafaye have been at United for 13 and 14 years, respectively.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

  The Red Devils continue to struggle, and it is likely that they will have to undergo a number of more structural changes at the club if results do not follow for Manchester United.

Angel Correa couldn't hold back his frustration after being sent off against Getafe. He insulted the referee and has now been handed a lengthy ban.

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• Correa insulted referee during Getafe clash
• Has been hit with a five-game ban
• Huge blow to Simeone's La Liga ambitions

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Diego Simeone's La Liga ambitions have suffered a major setback after Atletico Madrid forward Angel Correa was handed a five-game ban by the Disciplinary Committee for insulting referee Cuadra Fernandez following his red card in last weekend's 2-1 loss to Getafe.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Correa will now be suspended for a total of five games, four for violating the disciplinary rules and one for the red card he received for his tackle on Djene Dakonam. According to Mundo Deportivo, Correa's four-game ban comes under Article 99 of the Disciplinary Code, which states that insulting a referee or other officials can lead to a suspension of four to twelve matches.

  In Correa’s case, the minimum four-game suspension applies as there were no previous cases this season to warrant a longer ban. This rule is in place to punish players for using offensive language or behavior towards referees, unless the incident is deemed more serious.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  According to the referee's report from the Getafe game, Correa directed offensive insults at the referee, including "Sons of b***hes, coward. Son of a b**ch" (as quoted by Mundo Deportivo).

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ANGEL CORREA?

  The Argentine forward is now set to miss this weekend's La Liga encounter against Barcelona. Additionally, he will also miss the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals against Hansi Flick's men on April 2, along with the league games against Espanyol, Sevilla, and Real Valladolid.

Manchester United are reportedly ready to make a mammoth offer to land a talent they’ve been scouting since well before Ruben Amorim’s arrival at Old Trafford, it has been reported.

Manchester United's new transfer strategy

The arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe saw Manchester United pivot away from a manager-led transfer strategy and towards a more sensible model, with Jason Wilcox and Dan Ashworth poached from fellow Premier League sides in a bid to improve the club’s returns in the transfer market after years of wasting hundreds of millions of pounds.

That was perhaps underlined most clearly by Erik ten Hag’s reign at the club, with the likes of Mason Mount, Antony, Tyrell Malacia and Casemiro all bought at the request of the Dutchman and none having impressed in Manchester, thanks to a mixture of form and injury.

The most recent summer saw this change implemented, with younger players such as Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee signed by the Red Devils, and though this has yet to bear fruit for the Premier League giants, it is a clear sign of a move away from their former marquee signing targets such as Frenkie de Jong.

The arrival of Ruben Amorim is unlikely to change that, with the ex-Sporting coach arriving in a head coach role rather than a managerial capacity, while transfers are still likely to be led by those behind the scenes at Old Trafford.

To that end, they are ready to break the bank for a player they have scouted since well before Amorim’s appointment.

Manchester United ready to bid for forward

That is according to reports from England and Portugal, which point to Geovany Quenda as the player in question.

Of course, Amorim knows the teenager well, having handed him his debut at Sporting and watched his development during his time as manager in Portugal. However, The Telegraph reports that the Red Devils have had him on their radar for some time.

“United have been linked with Quenda since Amorim’s appointment but it is understood that club scouts watched the winger last season, well before Erik ten Hag was sacked and his successor targeted,” it claims.

Of course, Amorim is likely to be able to provide a more detailed report on the Portuguese U21 star, who is already splitting his time between the U21 and senior national sides.

Meanwhile, reports in Portugal go further, with A Bola (via Sport Witness) revealing that the Red Devils are prepared to make a mammoth €60m (£50m) bid to secure the teenager’s services in the coming transfer windows.

£25m ace prefers Man Utd move over Arsenal; wants 3-year Old Trafford deal

The Red Devils and Ruben Amorim have received a transfer boost.

By
Brett Worthington

Nov 25, 2024

Amorim used Quenda as a wingback during his time at Sporting, a role filled by Amad Diallo in the manager’s opening 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town, but it is added that he “wants to reunite with the youngster at Old Trafford and the Premier League side are ready to fulfil his wish”.

To that end, Manchester United are “preparing an offer’ of €60m plus bonuses”, a base from which “Sporting are open to negotiating” despite the teen having a €100m release clause in his contract in Lisbon.

However, any deal will likely have to wait until the summer, with Amorim having already promised not to raid his former side midway through the season.

With plenty of Sporting players likely to be linked with a move to Old Trafford between now and then, Quenda could be one of the most exciting.