Sridhar Bhamidi
Manchester United are keen to revive their interest in Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches. The Guardian opines that Jose Mourinho is plotting a move for the unsettled midfielder.
Our interest in Sanches is as old as his reputation. Our scouts were one of the first to identify him as a wonderful talent even before the Euro 2016 Championships. His success in the continental Championships meant that he had many clubs chasing his signature with Bayern eventually succeeding.
Mourinho believes that had he taken over at United earlier, Sanches would have joined United. There is a bit of truth in that as the midfielder shares a close rapport with his fellow Portuguese. With the Red Devils busy welcoming Mourinho, Bayern took a leap of faith and took him to Germany.
But things did not go according to plan for Sanches and Bayern, since his big money move from Benfica. After all the hype around his arrival, Sanches’ first season was a disaster. He played just 615 minutes and was largely innocuous in his 17 appearances for the club.
Even with Xabi Alonso gone, Sanches is behind the likes of Arturo Vidal, Thiago Alcantara and Javi Martinez in the pecking order. With Joshua Kimmich making waves with his recent performances for Germany, Carlo Ancelotti will have to keep Sanches on the bench.
There is still optimism within Bayern that Renato is a player for the future – especially when Vidal hangs up his boots. But till then, they may be willing to send him on loan for him to gain some first-team minutes.
Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge already gave enough hints that Sanches needs game time and will be loaned out this summer. AC Milan were reportedly interested in the player but their bid fell way below Bayern’s expectations around £40million.
Sanches definitely fits our midfield requirements, even if it is on loan. Mourinho too believes that he can extract more from the midfielder than Ancelotti – a clear sign that at the right price, he would be interested.
