Innocent AndrewManchester United have less than eight days to complete any business before the closure of the January transfer window.
It was nearly a perfect weekend for the Reds on the pitch as United overcame West Ham 1-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon with Arsenal and Tottenham both dropping points which gave United’s top four hopes a large boost.
It has been a very quiet transfer window for United in terms of incomings with the club monitoring many midfielders but refraining in making any concrete moves.
Boubacar Kamara
Kamara is a young and talented central midfielder who can also be very effective at centre-back and would cost United just ten million. The Frenchman is 22 years old and has racked up over 130 appearances for Marseille since making his debut for the club back in the 2017/18 season.
Standing at six feet tall, Kamara fits the bill of a typical Ralf Rangnick midfielder with his tenacity and strength in a tackle. The transfer looks like a bargain for United with the player out of contract in the summer and Marseille not willing to risk losing him on a free transfer.
In the league, Kamara plays almost one key pass every game but is yet to register any league assists this season.
Lower tiered reports have been flying around over the past few days linking Kamara with a move to United, but a move looks unlikely as the Reds do not want to take any risks in January due to the managerial situation.
Some sources suggest that United have opened talks with Marseille for Kamara but nothing is advanced as of yet with other clubs interested such as Aston Villa and Leeds United.
Amadou Haidara
Haidara is a player that is appreciated by Rangnick after their time working together when Rangnick managed RB Leipzig. The 23-year-old is a versatile midfielder who can be effective in many roles but his preferred role is to be a box-to-box midfielder – arriving late into the opponent’s penalty area.
The Malian has only played 833 minutes out of a possible 1800 in the Bundesliga this season with him starting ten matches and coming on as a substitute three times.
Haidara completes at least one dribble per 90 in the Bundesliga compared to Fred who completes 0.5 per 90 in the Premier League.
Haidara would be more of a complicated deal for United with him competing in the AFCON with Mali. It is believed that he has a £33 million release clause that activates in the summer but not in January.
It is unlikely that United will pay anything over the odds for a player in January with the risk attached to the new permanent manager in the summer.
Sources suggest that United won’t make any move for Haidara until Wednesday or Thursday due to his involvement in the AFCON and United hope that Leipzig drop their asking price by that time.
Denis Zakaria
Zakaria was one of the main names being touted with a move to Manchester United early on in the window but since then, interest from the Reds has died down. The majority of the noise was being generated by German correspondents with Zakaria’s agent aiming to secure him a move away from Borussia Monchengladbach.
Gladbach are asking for a fee of around seven million euros with Zakaria also out of contract in the summer. The 25-year-old has played 1395 minutes in the Bundesliga this season in a struggling Gladbach side that sit 12th in the table.
Zakaria looks more likely to move to the likes of Juventus, Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund. United spoke to his new agents back in December and were not encouraged and since then have decided not to move for the Swiss international.
Outgoings have been the focus of the window with Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard being the likely departures from Old Trafford.
Anthony Martial
Anthony Martial’s agent revealed in late December 2021, that Martial wanted to leave United and was ready to depart in the January transfer window.
The news upset lots of fans with Martial hardly featuring in this campaign and being made surplus to requirements but in the last few hours and days, reports are starting to suggest that Martial wants to move to Sevilla on loan until the end of the season. The 26-year-old wants to make this year’s World Cup and feels that a move abroad is the best way to achieve that.
Sources suggest that the Frenchman is on the verge of joining Sevilla and that the final few details are being ironed out. A move to Spain will guarantee first team football and give Martial a platform to perform and get back to his brilliant best.
Allowing Martial to go, will free up some wages at the club which could open the door to a potential incoming transfer.
Martial’s Manchester United story has been a mixed bag – when he was signed from AS Monaco for €50 million back in 2015, there was real optimism that the Reds had signed a potential world beater but 175 league appearances later, it hasn’t worked out as well as some would’ve hoped.
The 2019/20 season was Martial’s standout year with United where he scored 17 goals and helped United finish third in a campaign that was marred by coronavirus. The 26-year-old’s figures with the Red Devils read as 79 goals scored in 269 appearances.
Unfortunately, Martial’s time with United looks to be coming to an end with his desire to leave stronger than ever. Some of his best moments include his first game against Liverpool, the winner in the semi-final against Everton in the FA Cup and him winning four trophies whilst being at Old Trafford.
Jesse Lingard
Jesse Lingard looks set to leave also with Newcastle United confident of bringing him in on loan within the next 48 hours. The loan is expected to last until the end of the season when Lingard becomes available as a free agent and can pick his next permanent destination.
Lingard had an incredibly successful loan spell last season with West Ham where he nearly took the Hammers to Champions League football but just narrowly missed out.
The 29-year-old has been made surplus to requirements at United and has only played 269 minutes this season. The move will give Lingard an opportunity to play regular football and give him the best chance to get back into the England squads.
Lingard has been at United since the age of seven and broke into the first team back in 2015 under Louis Van Gaal. Lingard’s journey at United has been a difficult one with him never really being a guaranteed starter and in the past few years, has struggled with his mental health and has been very courageous in raising awareness and being open enough to talk about his own experiences.
The departure of Lingard will be an unfortunate one because he wants to play for United but just can’t get above other players in the pecking order. Ultimately, the move will be the best for Lingard and his career.
Donny Van De Beek
It was earlier confirmed by Fabrizio Romano that Van De Beek would be remaining at United until the end of the season. United have taken this decision due to the arrival of a new manager in the summer and they don’t want to risk losing the 24-year-old permanently in case the new manager wants to utilise the Dutch international.
Van De Beek is yet to start a Premier League game this season and has only played a total of 69 minutes off the bench. The dutchman was close to joining Everton on loan last summer but United denied him the move. The fans are becoming increasingly frustrated with his lack of game time and are suggesting that he moves for the good of his career.
Amad Diallo
There is also expectation that Diallo will leave on loan in the final dew days of the window with United open to a loan move for the 19-year-old. Derby County were one of the interested teams alongside Feyenoord but Diallo’s preference is to remain in the UK.
The two likely outgoings of Martial and Lingard could mean that United make a late move for a midfielder but with just eight days left, the Reds have to move quickly.
Innocent Andrew
