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Anorak News | Manchester United bid £21m for Martial a week before the transfer deadline

Manchester United bid £21m for Martial a week before the transfer deadline

by | 5th, September 2015

Florentino Pérez, the Real Madrid president, says Manchester United tried to sign Gareth Bale, Raphael Varane and Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos. They got none of them.

Pérez’s spokesman at Real told media: “If you let one slip through your fingers into the back of the net, ultimately the culpability is yours.”

In addition, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the Bayern Munich president, says Man United had made a “very high” for Thomas Müller, the Germany star.

The Times say:

The litany of failures indicates that United’s stated aim to sign players of the highest calibre every summer may prove rather easier said than done.

Oliver Kay looks at who United did sign:

The word from within Old Trafford is that Van Gaal and Woodward are content with their summer transfer business. Content that United, after five transfer windows post-Ferguson, have still not signed a top-class central defender? Content that, among their attacking options, Wayne Rooney and, at a push, James Wilson and Martial, are the only ones who can play through the middle? Content that they have three international goalkeepers but only one specialist right back, one specialist left back and a variety of injury-prone central defenders?…

Whether on the pitch or in the transfer market, very little of what United have done post-Ferguson — under Moyes or Van Gaal — has been impressive. Their most dramatic, eye-catching, headline-grabbing deals (the signings of Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata under Moyes, the enormous new contract for Wayne Rooney, the signings of Ángel Di María, Radamel Falcao and now Martial under Van Gaal) all reflected desperation and, in many cases, a lack of joined-up thinking…

According to Vadim Vasilyev, the Monaco vice-president, United opened discussions over Martial a week before the transfer deadline, starting out at £21.6 million and hiking their offer in increments of roughly £8 million before ending up at a projected — and frankly absurd — £57.6 million.

Premier League teams are locked in a mad arms race based on greed, greed and did we mention greed. The whole thing is utterly soulless.



Posted: 5th, September 2015 | In: manchester united Comment | TrackBack | Permalink