Manchester United Transfer News Roundup: Club still in the mix for Barcelona star, Tottenham Hotspur join chase for Red Devils target, and more — 25th January 2021
Manchester United registered another massive win in what has been an impressive season so far with a 3-2 victory over rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford. The FA Cup fourth-round fixture was a significant improvement on the 0-0 the two sides played out just a week ago and the Red Devils progressed to the next round at the expense of Jurgen Klopp's out-of-form Reds.
Ahead of Manchester United's midweek game against Sheffield United back in the Premier League, here is some of the latest Red Devils transfer news.
West Ham lead the race to sign Jesse Lingard
Manchester United might be set to aid former manager David Moyes by loaning Jesse Lingard to West Ham United this winter. The Englishman is currently out of favour at Old Trafford having appeared just twice for Manchester United this season, with both of them being in the EFL Cup.
A new report claims that there is a 'strong chance' that Lingard, currently on a £100,000-a-week deal at Manchester United, joins West Ham on loan until the end of the campaign. The 28-year-old is in search of regular football and could find that at the London Stadium, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is understood to be happy to allow him to depart the club on a temporary deal.
Tottenham Hotspur join the race for Manchester United target
Jose Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur could be set to move for Manchester United target Max Aarons by lining up a bid worth up to £20m, as per reports. The Englishman was said to be on Solskjaer's wishlist after impressing during his spell in the Premier League with Norwich City and is enjoying a great 2020/21 season as well, helping the Canaries reach the top of the Championship table. The Norwegian is on the lookout for options to bolster the right-back slot and to provide competition for Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
While Manchester United were linked with a move for him, it has been reported that Spurs could launch an opening bid to try and bring Aarons to North London. They do, however, also face competition from Everton for his signature. The Toffees had also previously signed Ben Godfrey from Norwich City upon their relegation.
Manchester United still in the mix for Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele has been a name that has been linked with a move to Manchester United for several transfer windows. The French star has endured a few challenging seasons due to several injury concerns, but on his day, Dembele is a terrifying prospect to come up against. While he has featured more regularly under new boss Ronald Koeman, his time at Barcelona could be nearing the end as his contract is set to expire in 2022.
Instead of allowing him to leave on a free, Barcelona could opt to cash in on him come summer, with Manchester United, along with Chelsea, Juventus, and Bayern Munich, all monitoring his situation in Spain. Manchester United came close to signing the 23-year-old on loan last summer until the finally decided against it, and completed deals for two teenage wonderkids in Facundo Pellistri and Amad Diallo instead. Dembele could be available for a significantly lesser fee than the €130m Barcelona paid for him back in 2017.
Also read: Twitter reacts as Bruno Fernandes stunner settles 3-2 FA Cup thriller against Liverpool at Old Trafford