Manchester United Transfer News Roundup: Erik ten Hag's Cody Gakpo disappointment; Red Devils in talks for Axel Disasi, and more - January 6, 2023
Manchester United will welcome Everton to Old Trafford on Friday (January 6) in the third round of the FA Cup. The Red Devils are looking to make it five wins in a row after the 2022 FIFA World Cup break.
Meanwhile, journalist Ben Jacobs has said that new United manager Erik ten Hag is disappointed to miss on Cody Gakpo. Elsewhere, the Premier League giants have initiated talks to sign Axel Desasi.
On that note, here's a look at the key Manchester United transfer stories as on January 6, 2023:
Erik ten Hag disappointed on missing out on Cody Gakpo, says Ben Jacobs
Erik ten Hag is disappointed at Manchester United's failure to sign Cody Gakpo, according to Ben Jacobs.
The Dutch forward was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford for a while, and the Red Devils were expected to complete his signature in January. However, Liverpool announced the 23-year-old's arrival at Anfield, seemingly out of the blue, last month.
Cody Gakpo trains with Liverpool for the first time 🇳🇱 https://t.co/KffuwpofLl
In his column for Caught Offside, Jacobs said that Ten Hag wanted Gakpo, but Manchester United failed to deliver his target.
"It’s crystal clear that, internally, Erik ten Hag wanted the player, and Manchester United started a dialogue on the player’s side to get a full buy-in. Beyond that, however, they didn’t do much – Ten Hag would’ve liked Gakpo, but United didn’t move," wrote Jacobs.
He added:
"This either means they were too slow, or, more likely, the ownership weren’t ready to move because they don’t want to spend too big in January, because there is the feeling that a new owner could be ready to invest soon, in early 2023."
He concluded:
“If the Glazers have this outgoing plan, then it would be logical that they wouldn’t want to spend that kind of money even if Ten Hag wanted the player. Ten Hag wanted to move for Gakpo and is very disappointed that Liverpool signed him."
Gakpo has registered 13 goals and 17 assists in 24 games across competitions for PSV Eindhoven this season.
Manchester United in talks for Axel Disasi
Manchester United have begun preliminary talks with Monaco for the transfer of Axel Disasi, according to The Daily Mail via United in Focus.
However, a move is likely to occur in the summer, with Ten Hag expected to streamline his defence at the end of the season. The Dutch manager has a settled centre-back pairing at Old Trafford, with Rafael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in good form recently.
| Manchester United are eyeing a possible move for Monaco and France centre back Axel Disasi. United are expected to be in the market for a new centre back at the end of the season amid ongoing uncertainty over the long-term future of Harry Maguire.
🚨🇫🇷 | Manchester United are eyeing a possible move for Monaco and France centre back Axel Disasi. United are expected to be in the market for a new centre back at the end of the season amid ongoing uncertainty over the long-term future of Harry Maguire.
[Daily Mail] #MUFC https://t.co/lix9zg5HLl
However, Harry Maguire could consider his options at the end of the season after dropping down the pecking order under Ten Hag.
The Red Devils are already putting together plans for reinforcements in the summer, with funds expected to be available after a likely change of ownership. Desasi is highly regarded in Ligue 1, registering three goals and four assists in 25 games across competitions this campaign.
Joao Felix could move to Premier League in January
Joao Felix could move to the Premier League in January, according to Ben Jacobs. The Portuguese forward is a target for Manchester United this month on a loan deal, with Ten Hag eager to bolster his attack.
However, in his column for Caught Offside, Jacobs added that the Red Devils reckon Atletico Madrid's asking fee for a temporary move is not justified.
"United have had a dialogue with representatives of Joao Felix, as well as Arsenal and Chelsea. At the moment, none of the suitors see value in the deal unless Atletico Madrid’s huge loan fee is reduced, and his wages of £5.3million a year," wrote Jacobs.
In the last few hours, #mufc has accelerated its intention to sign Joao Felix and have launched a first proposal through Mendes until June for four million euros and the full salary of the striker. [@MatteMoretto] https://t.co/TgSrEwiDfk
Jacobs added that the asking price for the player could come down by the end of the month.
"The Premier League is still Felix’s most likely destination, though, and the price is likely to come down towards the end of the transfer window, for two reasons. Firstly, even if the wages are still the same, January is out of the way, so it ends up costing a little less if you sign him right at the end, rather than on January 1st. The monthly cost is still the same, it’s just one month less," said Jacobs.
He continued:
"Another scenario is that Atletico realise they need to offload Felix, to get his wages off their books, but they’ll be more flexible on the loan fee. We’ll wait and see how it progresses, but it wouldn’t surprise me if this one drags out a bit until the end of the window."
Felix has appeared 19 times across competitions for Los Rojiblancos this season, scoring five goals and setting up three more.