In a week that is usually full of Manchester United trade news, there has been a lot of silence. This could be the calm before the storm.
Raphael Varane, Anthony Martial, and Brandon Williams are already gone, and loan player Sofyan Amrabat is likely to follow them. Young left back Alvaro Carreras was sold to Benfica, and the futures of Casemiro, Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood, Omari Forson, Shola Shoretire, Jonny Evans, and Tom Heaton don’t look like they’ll be back. It’s clear that the team needs to add more players.
Though there have been rumors of offers made by United, they have not come from reliable sources. United made €60 million bids for João Neves of Benfica and Leny Yoro of Lille, but both were turned down. Based on what we know now, neither of these is likely to be true. However, we don’t know how the new owners of Ineos work yet, so anything could happen.
Most sources, though, have said that Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise are the two Premier League stars that United wants to sign this summer.
The Ineos plan calls for two bright young stars who still have room to grow and improve. But are they really the right targets?
Branthwaite was one of the big stars of 2023–24, and the fact that England called him up shows how far he’s come. Being only 21 years old, his addition could give United peace of mind in the right center back spot for at least 10 years.
But the 6ft 5inch star will cost a lot of money to move. United and Everton are still thought to be worth at least £30 million more than each other. Everton is said to want between £70 and £90 million for him, which is a lot of money for someone his age. That price puts him in the same range as Harry Maguire and Virgil van Dijk.
There are more ways to compare him to Maguire than just that. There are some clear differences between him and the past captain, but in some ways he is the same type of player. Branthwaite gives the team a little extra speed, but he’s not Usain Bolt. He’s also probably not as good at playing out from the back as Maguire, who isn’t Lisandro Martinez either. Because they are so similar, it makes you wonder if United could get, say, £25 million for Maguire. Is he a big enough improvement to support a net cost of about £50 million?
Should Maguire stay and fight for his spot, like he did last season? Is there room (or a need) for both players?
Olise has a buyout clause worth €60 million, which is about £52 million. Given his age and skill, this makes him a very appealing possibility. While he is still young, he has already been hurt a lot, and United don’t need another star who gets hurt easily after last season, when the treatment room was busier than the locker room at Old Trafford. The 22-year-old only played 19 times for Palace last season because of injuries.
Four different leg problems in the last two seasons show that the problem is still there.
Another question about buying Olise is whether the right wing should be a top concern. Alexander Antony, Amad, Marcus Rashford, and Alejandro Garnacho have all done well on that side of the field, and Jadon Sancho or Mason Greenwood could still come back. Mason Mount can also play left well. There is only one striker in the senior team, Rasmus Hojlund. Since goal scorers are known to be very expensive, does it make sense to spend £52 million on a spot where United already has a lot of good players?
People in power at United who aren’t as football-savvy probably would never have asked themselves these questions about their move targets. But it’s hoped that Ineos would. When August 17th comes around, neither of these two bookmakers’ favorite players might be wearing the famous red shirt. There are cheaper and stronger players who could be used instead.
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