Rijo Sam Daniel
Manchester United declined chance to sign RB Leipzig midfielder Amadou Haidara despite having agreement
According to The Express, Manchester United declined the opportunity to sign RB Leipzig midfielder Amadou Haidara despite having an agreement in the January transfer window. As a result, they did not make even one single signing last month, regardless of the issues within the team.
Supposedly, Ralf Rangnick had reached a verbal agreement with Leipzig over a £33million move for Haidara, as per The Mirror via The Express. The player himself was eager to move to Old Trafford, having been a supporter of Man United since his childhood. However, he will stay in Germany for the rest of the season after the board opted against signing him, despite Rangnick’s apparent wish to bring in the talented midfielder.
The Manchester club wanted to wait until the end of this season before spending their budget on incomings. Only time will tell whether this decision on their part was for the better or worse in the coming months.
Missed opportunity?
The management’s decision to wait until the summer before pouncing on signings is reasonable as we do not have a permanent manager yet. Ralf Rangnick took over from caretaker boss Michael Carrick only on an interim basis and as things stand, will make way for a new manager in the summer.
However, one could also question how the Malian could have slotted into our system because of his quality. An able player with the ball at his feet, Haidara is an unignorable presence in defence as well. Moreover, the interest from Newcastle United also causes concerns ahead of the summer transfer window.
There is also the risk of more clubs entering the fray if he continues to perform at this level. After all, Leipzig have been a factory of talent in recent years, seeing the likes of Timo Werner, Joshua Kimmich, Marcel Sabitzer, Naby Keita, and Dani Olmo make a name for themselves on the European stage.
The Mali international is tied down until 2025 and it remains to be seen if we will still pursue him this summer. If so, it would be interesting to see what the price tag is then. It can be said with confidence that United need some quality and depth in their midfield.
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