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Manchester United are preparing to host Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Wednesday (February 1) in the second leg of the EFL Cup semifinals. Erik ten Hag’s men have a 3-0 lead from the first leg.
Meanwhile, journalist Luke Edwards has backed Harry Kane to join the Red Devils in the summer. Elsewhere, journalist Dean Jones has said that Crystal Palace wanted Anthony Elanga on January deadline day.
On that note, here's a look at the key Manchester United transfer stories as on February 1, 2023:
Harry Kane backed to join Manchester United
Luke Edwards reckons Harry Kane has a strong chance of joining Manchester United in the summer. The English striker has been in blistering form in the last few seasons for Tottenham Hotspur but is in the final year of his contract. The Red Devils are long-term admirers of the player and continue to have him on their wishlist.
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Ten Hag is expected to sign a world-class No. 9 at the end of the season, and Kane is among the finest in the league. The 29-year-old is yearning for a taste of silverware after a barren run with Spurs. A move to Old Trafford could better his chances of getting his hands on a trophy.
Speaking to BBC, as cited by Football Fancast, Edwards said that Kane could want to join Manchester United in the summer.
“He’ll have one year left on his contract, I think, in the summer. Conte might still not be there; they might have missed out on the Champions League. They could, of course, be in the Champions League,” said Edwards.
He added:
“We will be talking about Harry Kane 100% in the summer. I have a sneaky feeling that Manchester United might come in for Harry Kane in the summer, and I have a sneaky feeling that he may well want to go.”
Kane has appeared 29 times across competitions for Tottenham this season, registering 18 goals and three assists.
Crystal Palace wanted Anthony Elanga in January
Crystal Palace were interested in taking Anthony Elanga on loan on transfer deadline day, according to Dean Jones.
The Swedish forward has struggled for game time this season at Manchester United and was heavily linked with a move away from the club last month. However, Ten Hag opted not to let him leave, probably due to the fact that the Red Devils are fighting on four fronts at the moment.
Speaking to Ranks FC, as relayed by Caught Offside, Jones said that Elanga could have helped the Eagles deal with the absence, due to injury, of Wilfried Zaha.
“I checked in with one of my contacts that knows Palace very well. I said to him, what’s going on at Palace, mate, should I expect anything? Literally expecting just, ‘Yeah, Lokonga’. And he was like, ‘Yeah, so Elanga…’. I was like, Sorry, what? Elanga? Elanga?” said Jones.
He added:
“And he’s like, ‘Yeah, they’re asking the question of Elanga. They’re not sure if Man United are going to let him out or not, but I’ve asked.’ And I was like, oh, I like that. That a proper deadline-day signing, isn’t it? Zaha is injured, so you sign Elanga.”
Elanga has appeared 20 times across competitions this season for the Red Devils, registering two assists.
Fabrizio Romano opens up on Marcel Sabitzer arrival
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has said that Manchester United only signed Marcel Sabitzer to address Christian Eriksen’s absence.
The Danish midfielder is set to be sidelined for three months following a horrible table from Andy Carroll in a recent FA Cup game. The Red Devils opted to bring in Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich on transfer deadline day to address the situation.
In his column for Caught Offside, Romano said that Ten Hag believes the Austrian is underrated.
“Manchester United were not planning for any move before the Christian Eriksen injury. It changed on Deadline Day after medical check for Eriksen. Erik ten Hag has always appreciated Marcel Sabitzer, thinks he’s an underrated player. I think on loan, it’s a very smart signing,” wrote Romano.
Romano added that contrary to claims, Chelsea were not in touch with Sabitzer regarding a move.
“Despite reports, Chelsea never opened talks for Sabitzer,” wrote Romano.
Marcel Sabitzer has registered one goal and an assist for the Bavarians this season from 24 appearances across competitions.
