Manchester United Transfer News Roundup: Red Devils turned down Adrien Rabiot, club received no offer for Danish ace, and more - September 3, 2024
Manchester United enter the international break in 13th place in the Premier League table. Erik ten Hag's men have lost two of their three games so far, conceding five goals.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils turned down the chance to sign Adrien Rabiot this summer. Elsewhere, the English giants didn't receive any offer for a Danish midfielder.
On that note, let's look at the major Manchester United transfer stories from September 3, 2024.
Manchester United reportedly turned down chance to Adrien Rabiot this summer
Manchester United turned down the option to sign Adrien Rabiot this summer, according to acclaimed journalist Fabrizio Romano. The French midfielder is a free agent at the moment following the expiration of his contract with Juventus.
The Red Devils were looking for midfield reinforcements last month and Rabiot had popped up on their radar. The 29-year-old is an experienced figure who could have been an upgrade on Casemiro in the middle of the park.
However, the Premier League giants decided against the move and opted to put all their efforts into securing Manuel Ugarte. The Uruguayan midfielder ultimately arrived at Old Trafford from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on deadline day.
Red Devils received no offer for Christen Eriksen this summer, says Fabrizio Romano
Manchester United didn't receive any official offer to offload Christian Eriksen this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Danish midfielder has entered the final year of his contract at Old Trafford and hasn't been offered an extension yet.
Recent reports have suggested that the Red Devils were willing to let the 32-year-old leave this summer for a nominal fee. It was also suggested that Ajax were plotting a move for their former player. However, Eriksen ended up staying with the English giants.
On his YouTube channel, Romano insisted that none of Eriksen's suitors followed up with a concrete offer for the Dane.
"We heard many different rumors from Saudi, then we started hearing rumors also about the opportunity for Ajax, the comeback of Christian Eriksen to Ajax, but that was never a concrete negotiation," said Romano.
He continued:
"Many United sources guarantee they never received an official bid from Ajax for Christian Eriksen, so this is a very romantic story to see Eriksen back to Ajax one day - but for this summer, they never received an official proposal. So that's the position of Manchester United."
Eriksen has struggled for game time under Erik ten Hag of late, with Kobbie Mainoo now ahead of him in the pecking order at Old Trafford.
Manchester United discussed signing Raheem Sterling
Manchester United considered a move for Raheem Sterling this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano. The English forward was deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea and eventually joined Arsenal on loan.
The Blues were also in talks with the Red Devils regarding a temporary move to Jason Sancho. It was suggested that Chelsea were looking to include Sterling as part of a deal that never materialized.
Speaking on the Here We Go podcast, Romano added that Manchester United preferred a loan with an obligation to buy, instead of a permanent deal involving Sterling.
“So Man United, to take one of the players who are not part of the Chelsea project, Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling, or any other, they considered this possibility," said Romano.
He continued:
“But it really took 24–48 hours for Man United to say no thanks, we prefer to discuss a different formula for Jadon Sancho, so a loan, with an obligation to buy rather than doing a permanent transfer now, but not signing a player they don't trust 100% internally the club, including the management and the manager."
He concluded:
“So they decided against signing Raheem Sterling, all respect for the player but the idea at Manchester United was to complete the squad just with the outgoing of Jadon Sancho, not including any other player, despite also the possibility to sign Ben Chilwell.”
Sterling is yet to make his debut for the Gunners, having joined them on deadline day. He was present at the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal played out a 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend.