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The Transfer Deadline Day arrives early for Premier League Clubs this year. Last year, the Premier League Clubs voted to close the Transfer Window before the start of the new season, a move that would be effective from the 2018/19 Season. Incidentally, Manchester United were one of the 5 clubs who voted against this decision. Ironically, Jose Mourinho was quite vocal about how the transfer window should be closed before the start of the season.
Fast forward to the new season, Mourinho might not be so steadfast in his opinion now. The Transfer Deadline Day for the rest of Europe is 31st August., whereas the Transfer Window officially closes in England at 5 pm on 9th August 2018.
Right now, this has put the Premier League clubs at a disadvantage compared to their counterparts elsewhere in Europe. United have progressed at a snail’s pace in the Transfer Market and if they need anything more than new signings now, it seems to be time.
However, there isn’t much time available to them and as such, there has to be a lot of work going on in the background to ensure that the right players join on or before 9th August 2018.
In the middle of all the chaos that is about to be unleashed in the coming days, we look at 5 movements that could yet happen at Manchester United before the end of this transfer window:
#5 Harry Maguire to United
This transfer rumour gained steam following the Englishman’s fine performance at the recently concluded FIFA World Cup, which saw him play an important ever-present role as England reached the Semi-Final.
There were a lot of news concerning his reported transfer to Old Trafford, however, those have dried up recently as United switched their interest to Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham and later on Yerry Mina of Barcelona. However, there are contrasting reports doing the rounds.
While Sky Sports are claiming that Manchester United are still interested in the Leicester City man, Express claims that Leicester City have informed United that Maguire is not for sale. The probability of this transfer happening depends on the Alderweireld deal.
As of now, the Harry Maguire deal seems to be off and he looks set to stay at Leicester City, but one cannot rule out a late attempt from United, especially if the Alderweireld deal breaks down.
#4 Marcos Rojo to Everton
Even though Argentina were eliminated at the Round of Sixteen in the World Cup, Marcos Rojo has not yet joined with the Manchester United Squad, fuelling rumours that the Argentine defender has his heart set on leaving United.
Everton has surfaced as an unlikely destination for the Argentine since then, but Metro has reported that PSG has joined the race, making things interesting ahead of the Transfer Deadline Day. Mourinho has given the green signal to offload the defender, as he looks to bolster his defence with new signings.
Everton are desperate for a defender and have earmarked Smalling or even Lindelof as backup plans if the Rojo transfer doesn’t go through. Expect this saga to stretch to the last day of the window.
#3 Martial to Chelsea or other leagues
The Anthony Martial story has been a thorn in United’s and especially Mourinho ‘s leg since the young striker left United’s preseason for the birth of his child. Amid numerous report of mutiny, Martial did return to United’s training before the Bayern game.
However, the Frenchman was totally left out of the squad that flew to Munich to face Bayern, which fuelled fresh rumours and talks of a breakdown of relations between him and Mourinho. However, ESPN has since revealed that Martial was absent to build his fitness ahead of the preseason, by training double time.
Mirror also reported that United were looking for a swap deal with Chelsea for Willian, with Martial going the other way. However, in a recent twist, it now seems that Martial is set to stay, with Manchester United reluctant to sell. This is another one that will be alive till the last minute of the transfer window.
#2 Alderweireld to United
Toby Alderweireld is another Footballer who had a stellar World Cup and caught Mourinho’s eye. The Belgian was fabulous for his country in the FIFA Tournament and looks the most likely defender to join Manchester United.
The outcome of this transfer business will have its effect on the Harry Maguire story and the Chris Smalling/Marcos Rojo story as well. Manchester United have been linked to Alderweireld ever since the Maguire story settled down, but Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy is known to be a tough negotiator.
There were brief reports of Yerry Mina of Barcelona and Jerome Boateng of Bayern but there was no concrete advances. Mirror recently reported that Spurs were initially holding out for £75m, but a price of £60m had been agreed between the clubs.
However, Goal now reports that Tottenham are currently looking for a replacement for Toby and once that deal happens, Alderweireld should be free to join United. This looks like the most like deal to go through before the end of the Transfer Window.
#1 Willian to Manchester United
This is the transfer which United needs the most because it is for the position where United are very weak. The right wing has been a cause of concern for the whole of last season and the deficiency was still evident in the preseason games.
Willian, despite his age, was rightly targeted as he is a natural fit for the position and he is also proven in the Premier League, plus he has worked with Mourinho before. United have been pursuing him all through the summer with little to show for and Metro recently reported that United were willing to offer Martial as a part of the deal to bring the Brazilian to Old Trafford.
However, after the Community Shield defeat at the hands of Manchester City, Willian seemed to indicate that he was staying at Chelsea. This was bad news for United fans. Yet, in another late twist, Goal now reports that Willian has stated he wants to play for Mourinho again, adding further fuel to the rumours. This is another saga that will go down to the wire, but there are very good chances of the deal coming through.
