Looking to boost their midfield options, Manchester United are close to roping in Benfica starlet Renato Sanches in a deal worth around £45 million according to reports from Portugal.
Manchester United’s performances have been criticised by the fans, who would clearly like to see more attacking impetus from the team. A number of them have also been calling for manager Louis van Gaal to be sacked. According to various reports in the English media, Manchester United are set to appoint Jose Mourinho as their manager from the 2017/18 season.
The Portuguese manager has been hugely impressed by Renato Sanches’s performances at Benfica, and reportedly wants the 18 year old at Old Trafford when he takes over at Manchester United, according to Portuguese newspaper A Bola.
According to the report, Benfica want £45 million for the player, paid out in three different phases. £30 million is to be paid upfront. The remaining £15 million would be performance-related bonuses and is to be paid out in two installments of £10 million and £5 million each.
Valencia want £50 million for Andre Gomes
Manchester United are looking at different options to boost their midfield, and Valencia’s Andre Gomes is also one of them. However, according to a report in TalkSport, Los Che want around £50 million for the young Portuguese player.
This is another transfer that could happen if Jose Mourinho joins Manchester United some time in the future. Ironically though, Gomes is also being courted by Mourinho’s former club Chelsea, who are looking to improve their own midfield.
Juventus are also said to be interested in the player, and have already launched a bid of around £23 million for the Valencia player. Valencia, who were originally said to be wanting £30 million for Gomes, have now increased the asking price to £50 million after realising the high demand for the player.
Gomes a more proven choice for United?
While both the players are relatively young and have time to grow into future stars, the element of risk with signing Sanches could be a little more than that of Gomes.
Of course, Sanches has attracted a lot of attention with his performances at Benfica, but he is playing his first season at the club and needs more time to prove that he can churn out good performances on a consistent basis.
On the otehr hand, Andre Gomes has already played in Portugal, and is now in his second season at Valencia. This means that the 22 year old has more experience playing in different conditions than Sanches, and has a better chance of adapting to the Premier League.
