Manchester United have 'begun contacts' to sign 28-year-old Argentina international: Reports

Manchester United have initiated contact with Real Betis for midfielder Guido Rodriguez in a continued effort to strengthen their midfield, as per AS.

Manchester United are eager to improve their options in the middle of the park following the departures of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.

The club have attempted to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong for the majority of the summer to no avail.

They seem to have acknowledged that a plan B is required and have reportedly agreed a fee with Juventus for midfielder Adrien Rabiot.

However, the aforementioned report claims that United have begun contacts for another target: Guido Rodríguez.

Rodriguez is said to be keen on a move to the Premier League and is valued by Vecchia Signora at around €20 million.

The Argentinian has two years left on his current deal at the Benito Villamarín Stadium. Rodriguez's former side América de México will get a reported 30% of a future sale.

He made 47 appearances for Betis last season, scoring two goals whilst contributing three assists.

United boss Erik ten Hag is potentially looking to rejuvinate his midfield. The Dutch tactician witnessed poor performances from duo Scott McTominay and Fred in the season-opening 2-1 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.

Manchester United's search for midfield reinforcements continues

Manchester United's summer-long pursuit thus far of Barcelona star De Jong has so far yielded no results. One thing it has done is shone light on the lack of pull the club now has in trying to lure top talent to Old Trafford.

De Jong seems surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp, but the opportunity to join United does not appeal to the former Ajax star.

A lack of UEFA Champions League football is plaguing the Red Devils' transfer business, but midfield reinforcements are vital. The departures of Pogba and Matic have left Ten Hag short of options.

Youngsters James Garner and Hannibal Mejbri are potentially too early in their development to be called upon.

Meanwhile, Donny van de Beek continues to struggle for form and game time despite having been part of Ten Hag's Ajax side prior to his arrival at United in 2020.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

Matthew always strives to go beyond a story and offer unique and lesser-known insights, while maintaining an unbiased tone in his articles. His reporting exploits at the company have helped him gain a humungous readership of 25 million, with one of his articles raking in a whopping 724,000 reads.

A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He also follows his local EFL League Two clubs AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United, and spends his free time watching and writing about professional wrestling. He also likes to work out, watch movies and go for night outs.

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Edited by Matthew Guyett