Real Madrid have reportedly rejected a €55 million deadline day bid by Manchester United for Marco Asensio.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Diario Gol, Marco Asensio was the subject of a surprise deadline day bid from Manchester United. The Red Devils put a bid worth €55 million for the Spanish forward, which was swiftly rejected by Real Madrid.
Asensio is widely rated as one of the most exciting young talents in Europe at the present moment, having established himself as a key figure in a star-studded Real Madrid first-team setup. 2016-17 turned out to be the breakthrough season for the player at the Bernabeu as he bagged 10 goals and 4 assists in 38 appearances.
Asensio, though, has truly stamped his authority at the early juncture of the current season, finding the back of the net 4 times in just 5 appearances. Suffice to say, his stock has been on the rise over the last year or so, with several clubs lining up to secure his services.
The latest in his line of suitors are Manchester United, who reportedly launched an audacious deadline day attempt to land the player. Jose Mourinho is believed to be a huge admirer of Asensio’s talents, and has been monitoring his progress for a long time now.
Man United have reportedly made a £50M bid for Asensio. Even if this is true, Madrid will never sell for that cheap imo.
Thoughts? #MUFC pic.twitter.com/aWICMIdwCi
— Henrikh Mkhi ? (@MaximumMkhii) August 31, 2017
The Portuguese manager went on record to state on several occasions that he was eager to add another attacking player to his squad, preferably a winger, before the transfer window slams shut.
Manchester United had, in fact, been heavily linked with several forwards over the course of the window, including Ivan Perisic and Gareth Bale. But having failed to make much of a progress in pursuit of any of his attacking targets, Mourinho turned his attention towards Asensio at the eleventh hour, as per the report.
Thus, Manchester United tabled a bid worth €55 million to test Real Madrid’s resolve. However, Los Blancos have swiftly turned down the offer as they don’t intend to sell Asensio any time soon. Furthermore, the offer was considerably lower than the player’s €80 million release clause.
On top of that, the 21-year-old has no intention of calling time on his spell at Santiago Bernabeu either, and is set to pen a new deal with the club. The aforementioned renewal will hike his release clause to €600 million, making it almost impossible for any club to secure his services, unless Real Madrid try to offload him.
For now though, Manchester United will have to wait until the next transfer window at the very least to sign another attacking player who, in all likelihood, will not be Asensio as he is set to enjoy a bigger role at the Bernabeu this season,
