Bharath Rammr
It is certainly incredible that Manchester United are only six points behind second-placed Arsenal. Even though the club are in the sixth spot, Jose Mourinho may have reasons to be quite happy with the performances in recent months. However, it seems that he is not entirely happy with the squad at his disposal. Manchester United have been linked with a number of new players in January, despite spending more than £150 million on new players like Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the summer. Benfica defender Victor Lindelof, Roma defender Manolas, and Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann are some of the players consistently linked with a move to Old Trafford.
Yet, former defender Rio Ferdinand is of the opinion that the club would be better off signing Antoine Griezmann and Gareth Bale more than any other players. The former is expected to cost in the region of £95 million, while Real Madrid have yet to put a figure on Gareth Bale’s signature. It is no secret that United were after Bale before he moved to Madrid, and the club were even reportedly ready to offer a package much higher than what was offered by the Spanish club. Even then, it is expected that if any club to sign Bale, it may be for a world record transfer fee. Ferdinand, though, reckons that Manchester United have the financial resources to pull off both transfers at the same time. He said:
“Manchester United have got the money, I’d go get both,” Ferdinand told Squawka. “They’re great players but I don’t think they’re comparable to be honest. They’re different players.
“Gareth could play anywhere across the front-line. He’d be effective anywhere – from the right to the left, central. If they became available, Manchester United have to be in that.”
The transfer money spent on new players by Manchester United since the retirement of Alex Ferguson is almost £500 million. As a result, the club have been spending more than £100 million in each summer. Yet, they are still far away from being in a regular title challenging position. Ferdinand, who won several titles including the Champions League with the Red Devils, says that United will not encounter any issue with the UEFA Financial Fair Play even if they make the double swoop, which would end up costing the club close to £200 million.
Bringing in the duo would help Manchester United go a long way towards replacing Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney. Both players do not have much shelf life left in them, and United would have certainly started the process of looking at replacements. Griezmann is expected to come in the summer, as United are prepared to activate the release clause in the player’s contract. The release clause is rumoured to be in the region of £95 million, while the player will be given a package in excess of £ 250,000 per week.
Some, though, would argue that the club should bring in more creative players.
