Man Utd Transfer Collapses Despite Player Saying Yes; Tottenham Deal To Take Its Place
Man Utd midfielder Fred and Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele
A key Man Utd sale that has ramifications for Sofyan Amrabat has run aground, and a trusted reporter has confirmed a Tottenham deal is being explored instead.
Fiorentina’s Amrabat, 26, has emerged as Man Utd’s No 1 target in the holding midfield position. The Independent claimed United could torpedo Liverpool’s plans for Romeo Lavia, while Sky Germany insist Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka is being considered.
However, it’s Amrabat who United will try to sign above all others and a move for the Moroccan first hinges on selling a player or two to free up funds.
To that end, Fabrizio Romano reported one or both of Fred and Donny van de Beek must make way. Van de Beek is the subject of talks with Real Sociedad, while reports in Turkey claimed Fred said yes to joining Galatasaray.
The Turkish champions want two midfield additions before the window slams shut and have already secured the first.
Kerem Demirbay has joined from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth approximately €6m. For the second arrival, Galatasaray have narrowed their search down to Fred and Tottenham flop, Tanguy Ndombele.
But while Fred is on board with signing up, the latest from Fabrizio Romano suggests the deal is taking on water.
Indeed, the trusted transfer guru tweeted a move for Fred “looks complicated for Galatasaray”. Furthermore, Romano confirmed no agreement has been struck and proceedings are now on stand-by.
While not stated by Romano, one explanation for the deal running aground could come from the numbers Galatasaray are prepared to bid.
Indeed, news from Turkey suggested Galatasaray will struggle to serve up anything more than €10m (approx. £8.6m).
For a player Man Utd signed for a whopping £47m, such a lowly sum would obviously be a barrier to forging an agreement.
Ndombele deal takes centre stage
With Fred’s switch to Galatasaray on ice, Romano reported signing Ndombele will now be explored instead.
The Turkish giant have asked to be informed of what it’ll take to sign the Frenchman who is out in the cold at Tottenham.
Whether a deal can be agreed may well depend on how big of a loss Tottenham are prepared to accept.
Ndombele cost even more than Fred when setting Spurs back £55.45m when plucked from Lyon back in 2019.
Given Galatasaray seemingly only have around €10m to spend, Spurs would be on the hook for an eye-watering loss if accepting a bid.
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