All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag is close to making another signing and the player in question is set to travel to England to finalise his move to Old Trafford, according to reports.

Who are Man United linked with?

In truth, the Red Devils have endured a little bit of a strange window as they aim to bring additional depth into the building at Old Trafford to supplement the squad.

As per Transfermarkt, Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund have all joined the club and look likely to be key players over the coming seasons for Manchester United; however, there is a growing sense of frustration that they may need more depth to compete on both domestic and European fronts properly.

Nevertheless, problems with being able to shift players off the books has harmed their ability to solicit further arrivals. Football Insider report that Ten Hag is keen to strengthen both his defensive line and midfield options before the close of play in the market, though player sales will need to occur to make this a reality.

It had previously been hoped that selling Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay to West Ham United could provide the 'requisite' financial gain needed to put the finishing touches to their business; nevertheless, both deals have since collapsed and complicated matters for Ten Hag.

ESPN claim that Manchester United are also eyeing a goalkeeper to help bolster depth in the last line of defence, but similarly, the outlet indicate that player sales will be necessary to initiate market activity.

Matej Kovar and Nathan Bishop have been sold to Bayer Leverkusen and Sunderland, respectively. Red Devils number two Dean Henderson could depart to either Crystal Palace or Nottingham Forest before the end of the window, while veteran stopper Tom Heaton is carrying an injury, signifying that Manchester United need to bring in another goalkeeper imminently.

Which goalkeeper are Man United signing?

According to Haber Turk via Sport Witness, Manchester United and Fenerbache have reached an agreement with goalkeeper Altay Bayindir for a fee in the region of €7 million (£5.9 million).

The report states that Bayindir travelled to Greece to complete a medical examination ahead of his move to Old Trafford and he will very soon land in England to officially join Manchester United.

Previously, The Athletic journalist David Ornstein reported that Bayindir had undergone a pre-medical due to an injury issue as Manchester United continued to mull over the 25-year-old, but it looks as if things have gone smoothly on that front and the deal will now go through.

Spending most of his career at Turkish giants Fenerbache, Bayindir has managed to rack up 145 appearances in all competitions, keeping 44 clean sheets in the process, as per Transfermarkt.

Bayindir made 57 saves in total over the duration of last campaign in the Super Lig and maintained a save percentage of 66.7% in the Turkish top flight, as shown on FBRef. Football Scout Jacek Kulig labelled Bayindir as "one of the most interesting U-23 goalkeepers in Europe" back in 2021 and it is easy to see why Manchester United are keen to bring him to the North West.

In light of their dearth of options in the goalkeeper position, Bayindir could be a good fit for Ten Hag and would be able to deputise for Onana.

Tottenham Hotspur may have been on the end of a wrong decision as an image has emerged showing they perhaps should have been playing against 10 men.

The Lowdown: Spurs fail to impress once again

Spurs can have no excuses last night about being dumped out of the FA Cup embarrassingly by Championship side Sheffield United as the Blades put up a good fight and even squandered a huge chance in the first half.

Christian Stellini decided to bench star striker Harry Kane last night and when he came on he did very little to impact the game apart from missing a free header late into the second half.

However, some Tottenham fans may well be fuming that John Brooks didn’t make the pretty obvious decision to send off George Baldock for his late and reckless challenge on Ivan Perisic.

The Latest: Refereeing decision may have changed the game

Brooks clearly thought that Baldock didn’t make sufficient contact with Perisic as he didn’t even award Baldock a yellow card which is quite crazy judging by the image below.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-4/” title=”Tottenham latest news” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cropped-tottenham-fans.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The score was indeed all square at the time of this tackle and many will know that if Spurs were playing against a Championship side and held a numerical advantage then it would have been a major shock for them to not progress into the quarter-final.

The Verdict: A clear red card ignored

We believe that this challenge is deserved of a red card. The Sheffield United player clearly has his studs showing and foot raised high enough to make contact with the shin area, as well as flying into the tackle at force which endangers the Tottenham man.

While Tottenham can have no gripes about the result and performance with Stellini even claiming some of his players lacked the energy required to win, this decision could have changed their season.

If Tottenham had ended up playing against 10 men for the majority of the game then many would have fully expected them to progress into the next round and then they’re one win away from Wembley and just two away from a final in May.

However, Spurs have now been dumped out of the FA Cup, have no chance of winning the Premier League by sitting 15 points off top spot, face an uphill battle against AC Milan in the Champions League as they head into the second leg 1-0 down and look set for yet another trophyless season.

Football pundit and legend Rio Ferdinand has come to the defence of Arsenal summer signing Kai Havertz, drawing comparisons with Mason Mount.

What's the latest on Arsenal and Kai Havertz?

The Gunners spent big in the transfer window to bring the German over from Chelsea, paying a notable fee of £65m to get the deal done.

However, the player has faced criticism very early on at his new club, with this even dating back to pre-season when he struggled in a skills challenge while on Arsenal's tour of the US.

Unfortunately for the German, he has been unable to silence his critics with either a goal or an assist in any of his first three Premier League outings for the club and struggled to impress most recently in the 2-2 draw with Fulham.

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

In that game, at one point, the Emirates crowd even seemed to turn on Havertz – as pointed out by journalist James Benge.

Indeed, he took to Twitter to report on the incident, saying: "That cry of frustration when Havertz misplaced a simple pass felt very redolent of the time when this ground had very little patience for certain players."

However, in response to this, former Manchester United defender Ferdinand has somewhat surprisingly defended the German, slamming supporters for not showing more patience.

Speaking on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel (via football.london), the pundit said: “You guys [Arsenal fans] are all over the place. With Havertz, I understand that he might not have hit the ground running, bit like Mason Mount at Man United

"But the way that you guys are absolutely like: ‘get him out’, I don’t get it. If it was 10, 15 games, do you know what, I could see what they’re saying.

"But it’s three games you know. People need time to adjust.”

It's interesting that Ferdinand uses the case of Mount in his defence, as the midfielder also left Chelsea in the summer – although joined Man United instead.

The new Red Devils hasn't exactly settled in fast at Old Trafford either, and notably came into heavy criticism for his "insubstantive" efforts in the defeat away at Tottenham Hotspur.

With all this in mind, it will certainly be interesting to see how things play out when Arsenal host Man United this weekend at the Emirates Stadium.

What happened with Kai Havertz?

To be fair, Havertz probably will take more time to adjust to Arsenal as he's been asked to operate in a new role this season.

Last term at Chelsea, he played the bulk of his games (29 times) as a striker for the Blues. This time around, however, he has started all three games with the Gunners as part of a midfield trio.

What's more, criticism seems quite overblown. After all, as per WhoScored, he's still managed a reasonable if not brilliant 6.57 average rating – with the likes of Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale registering worse scores.

Of course, his lack of goals and assists doesn't look great but, as mentioned before, he's playing in a deeper role so it's unfair to judge him solely on just that.

Instead, looking at over stats, as per WhoScored again, you can see he has won more aerial duels (2.7 per game) than any other Arsenal player, and only Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard have made more key passes than his 1.7 per game.

Derby County are thought to be in talks to sign Sheffield Wednesday striker Michael Smith, according to Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett.

What’s the latest Derby transfer news?

The Rams and Paul Warne have been busy in the transfer market ahead of the manager’s first full season in charge at Pride Park, which begins this afternoon at home to Wigan Athletic.

In total, seven new players have arrived at the club in Curtis Nelson, Callum Elder, Joe Ward, Sonny Bradley, Josh Vickers, Conor Washington and Kane Wilson.

More could be on the way, though, with the domestic deadline not set to close until September 1. Another new forward appears to be on the agenda for Derby and Warne, with Smith, who has scored two goals against the Rams during his career, a target.

Senior Sky Sports reporter Dorsett took to Twitter in the last 48 hours to share news on Derby’s search for a striker. He said that the Rams are in talks over a move for Smith and are also interested in free agent and former forward Martyn Waghorn.

“#dcfc and #blackpoolfc both interested in a deal for free agent Martyn Waghorn, who left #ccfc in May. Derby also in talks with #swfc over Michael Smith, and unlikely to sign two strikers, so Blackpool hopeful they can steal a march with Waghorn.”

Dorsett then added a further update on the pair, with Smith appearing to be the key target.

“Slight tweak: #dcfc MAY sign two strikers, but #Blackpoolfc hoping to sneak a deal with Waghorn while the Rams focus is primarily on Smith.”

Who is Michael Smith?

Smith is an out-and-out centre-forward who has plied his trade from a number of Football League clubs over the years. The 31-year-old came through the ranks at Darlington and has gone on to play for Charlton Athletic, Accrington Stanley, Newport County, Colchester United, AFC Wimbledon, Swindon Town, Barnsley, Portsmouth, Northampton Town, Bury, Rotherham United and Sheffield Wednesday.

In total, the striker has made 70 appearances in League Two, 257 in League One and 89 in the Championship. Smith has scored 113 goals in the Football League and has registered 38 assists.

Smith was hailed as a “game-changer” by former Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore following his performance in an FA Cup win over Mansfield Town last season, who said:

“Michael Smith is a game-changer today. The quality showed at the end of it, and that’s what Michael is. He was in the right place at the right time and that’s what quality strikers do.”

He appears to be a proven third-tier forward who has netted 34 times in the division over the past two seasons, helping Rotherham and Wednesday to promotion.

Therefore, Smith seems to be a smart target for Warne, and who knows, he could look to make it three in a row with Derby, should a transfer go through.

Derby currently have Washington and James Collins as their centre-forward options, so Smith would provide a proven and experienced third option, making this a deal to watch over the coming days.

Tottenham Hotspur are now discussing sacking Thomas Frank, with an “intelligent” manager emerging as a major target following the disappointing defeat at Nottingham Forest.

Frank under pressure after City Ground defeat

Tottenham fell to their third loss in their last five Premier League games on Sunday, with Forest emerging as 3-0 winners at the City Ground, but Frank called for patience in the wake of the defeat, which leaves them 11th in the table.

The Dane said: “I was also very honest, today was a very bad performance. No two ways about that, but also know that to change this, this will take some time.

“No one will want to hear about that. It’s just reality. I think the ones who have followed the club and the team, I think it’s fair to say there’s been a few not too consistent performances, and that’s the thing. We are working very hard.”

Losing so heavily against a relegation-threatened side will be very concerning, and things won’t get any easier in the coming weeks, with tricky fixtures against Liverpool and Crystal Palace coming up before the start of 2026.

As such, Frank is now under serious pressure, according to a report from Spain, which states Tottenham are now openly discussing sacking their manager if results don’t improve ‘immediately’, with ENIC particularly worried about the lack of a clear playing style.

Xavi Hernandez has now emerged as one of the main targets to replace the 52-year-old, with the board eager to start a new era by bringing in a manager with a distinct style of play.

There is concern that no real progress has been made since Frank replaced Ange Postecoglou in the dugout, and the Spaniard is currently available, having been out of work since leaving Barcelona back in 2024.

"Intelligent" Xavi lauded by Rafa Benitez

Rafa Benitez is a big fan of the ex-Barca manager, describing him as “intelligent”, and he did a good job at the Camp Nou, winning the La Liga title in the 2022-23 season, while also lifting the Spanish Super Cup.

The 4-3-3 attacking manager also won six trophies during his time as Al-Sadd SC manager, so he would arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a proven track record of winning silverware.

Tottenham now hold serious interest in signing £70m Premier League striker

Spurs are keen on signing a new forward, who has been in fantastic form this season.

ByDominic Lund 2 days ago

Frank, on the other hand, has never won a trophy in his managerial career, and the result at the City Ground is very alarming, with his side looking very poor from an attacking point of view, recording an xG of just 0.33.

With Spurs languishing in mid-table, and the manner of the recent loss particularly concerning, it is difficult to see how Frank survives much longer, and Xavi could be an exciting replacement.

Leicester City may have strengthened well this summer as they gear up for a charge towards promotion, but their most impressive investment was improving the infrastructure of their academy.

In 2020, the Foxes unveiled their stunning £100m training complex, boasting 21 training areas, 14 full-size training pitches and a 499-seater pitch for youth team matches.

The purpose of this investment is to discover the biggest young talents and unearth the next Ben Chilwell, Harvey Barnes and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who are the most successful graduates from the academy in recent years, with the former two earning big money moves to Chelsea and Newcastle while Dewsbury-Hall is currently a vital cog in Enzo Maresca's winning machine.

Kasey McAteer was the latest academy star to burst onto the scene this season, becoming a revelation down the right wing for the Foxes, scoring three goals in four Championship appearances.

While McAteer is now one of the most exciting young prospects in the second tier, there is another who is looking to follow in his footsteps and that is forward Amani Richards.

Who is Amani Richards?

Richards may be just 18-years-old, but he is already making a name for himself in the Midlands for his impressive attacking displays in the youth sides.

The highly-rated youngster was poached from Arsenal's youth academy in January 2022 and the Gunners could live to rue the decision to let him go.

Operating down the right flank or as a striker, Richards became one of the most tantalising young prospects in the U18s setup, chalking up an eye-watering 24 goal contributions in 36 appearances and has since translated that form into the U2's after making the step-up this season.

He even came back to haunt his old club in their U18 meeting with Arsenal in March, scoring both goals for the Foxes in a 2-1 win as scouts from Newcastle and Brentford gazed their eyes on the sensational teen, and would have been in awe of his talents.

The teenage prodigy is garnering attention from a whole host of clubs and that attention is only going to be heightened after beginning his U21 campaign with one goal and three assists in his first four appearances.

With Leicester keen to extend his contract which currently expires in 2024, he's a player they can ill afford to let go given the high ceiling he possesses.

Who could Richards replace at Leicester?

Leicester's attacking output has largely come from wide areas this season with wingers McAteer and Stephy Mavididi scoring five goals between them, shouldering the responsibility in place of the misfiring Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho.

While Vardy opened the scoring against Southampton inside 21 seconds, that was his first Championship goal of the season and with the Englishman seeing his output decline rapidly in recent years, Maresca will need someone to replace him in the near future.

The 36-year-old only mustered up three goals in the top flight last term, which is a barometer for how quickly he's dropped from the peak of his powers, having reached double digits for goals in eight of the last nine seasons prior, winning the Golden Boot in the 2019/20 season.

With Vardy reaching the tail end of his career, someone has to deliver consistent returns in his place and as evidenced by the performances of Iheanacho this season, he isn't likely to produce the goals that Leicester need.

Instead, Maresca could turn to his academy and unearth the exciting and skilful Richards, providing his side with the baptism of fire they need in a similar vein to McAteer.

Chelsea are attempting to complete a major midfield overhaul before their opening game of the season against Liverpool on Sunday.

The Blues have been relentlessly chasing Moises Caicedo all summer, and it is understood that talks have progressed well this week.

Last night, the 2021 Champions League winners submitted a £48m bid for Romeo Lavia and will await to see how Southampton proceed.

However, a storyline that has massively swooped under the radar is their interest is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

What’s the latest on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea?

According to the Guardian, Chelsea have been linked with the 24-year-old gem, but Leicester City do not want to sell the midfielder.

Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…

Reputable journalist Simon Phillips provided an update on the situation, stating that contact with his agent has occurred. The player is reportedly ‘happy’ to stay at the King Power Stadium and help them get back to the Premier League, but if the west Londoners accelerate their attempts to sign the midfielder, he’s ‘likely to want the move.’

Phillips also revealed that ‘at least’ eight top-flight sides are keenly tracking Dewsbury-Hall, including Liverpool, who similarly Chelsea, are prioritising midfield reinforcements.

Would Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall be a good signing for Chelsea?

Since making his Premier League debut in August 2021, the £20k-per-week livewire has established himself as one of Leicester’s most consistent and effervescent assets.

During this time, he has become renowned for his intoxicating energy, industrious work-rate and intricate dribbling. Over the past 365 days, compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, the tenacious engine ranks within the top 12% for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90, as well as the best 1% for blocks per 90.

Ahead of Leicester’s unenviable task of targeting promotion, Dewsbury-Hall has already emphatically demonstrated that he is a key performer for Enzo Maresca. In the first game against Coventry, the 5 foot 10 dynamo netted twice in a 2-1 comeback victory with a towering header and a ferocious strike that nestled in the top corner.

He also completed three key passes, five accurate long balls, two tackles, and won 80% of his duels, as per Sofascore.

This performance generated huge praise from opposition manager Mark Robins, who said Dewsbury-Hall could be “one of the best players at this level” this season.

When assessing his style of play, Brendan Rodgers summarised it by saying:

“He is very honest to the game. He has great industry. He runs, works and presses, and he has quality. As a No 8, his job is to create goals and score goals. He’s made a real impact with his honesty and quality.”

As a hybrid between a box-to-box midfielder and an advanced eight, Mauricio Pochettino could develop Dewsbury-Hall in the same manner that Christian Eriksen gloriously flourished under the Argentine coach.

In 255 appearances under Pochettino in North London, the Dane was scintillating, recording 134 goal involvements.

Eriksen’s role was particularly important, acting as the link between the ruthless attacking triumvirate of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Son Heung-min, and the formidable defensive pivot of Moussa Dembele and Victor Wanyama.

In the Argentine's current Chelsea set-up, Dewsbury-Hall, who has been described as “top-class” by Rodgers, could be afforded a similar role, whilst providing more defensive stability.

The next step of Dewsbury-Hall’s career is to pinpoint some elusive output, which could be unlocked in an exciting new era for the Blues.

Liverpool's need for midfield reinforcements in no secret, even after they overcame the odds to defeat Newcastle United at St James' Park and extend their unbeaten run to start the season to three Premier League games.

The Reds were, of course, on their way to a fairly successful transfer window, with the arrival of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, but the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia threw a spanner in the works.

Since then, they have welcomed Wataru Endo, but it could be argued that a more high-profile name is still needed.

With that said, though, the club have reportedly ruled out signing one particular midfielder.

What's the latest Liverpool transfer news?

As the summer transfer window edges closer and closer to slamming shut, Liverpool are scrambling for the extra reinforcements needed to ensure that Jurgen Klopp has a side capable of returning to the Premier League's top four, after missing out last season.

The name at the forefront of their current list of targets seems to be Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch, who the Bavarians could reportedly soften their stance on in the coming days.

As Gravenberch rises to the top of Liverpool's list, however, it is Sofyan Amrabat who has reportedly been ruled out altogether.

According to Manchester Evening News, who were reporting on Manchester United and Liverpool's interest in Amrabat, the Reds have clarified that they will not be making a move for the Fiorentina man this summer.

This news comes at a time when Amrabat has been frozen out at the Serie A club, with La Viola dropping the Morroco international from both first-team games, and training until his future is resolved, as per Fabrizio Romano.

Should Liverpool sign Sofyan Amrabat?

Liverpool's stance on Amrabat is a surprising one, given their need for midfielders, and Fiorentina's reported price-tag of just €30m (£25.6m) this summer.

Statistically speaking, too, the Moroccan would be an upgrade on the options that Klopp waved goodbye to this summer.

According to FBref, Amrabat outperformed Henderson in some key areas throughout the previous campaign.

Player

Progressive Carries Per 90

Blocks

Pass Completion Rate

Tackles Won

Sofyan Amrabat

1.62

23

88.8%

24

Jordan Henderson

1.61

21

83%

23

Meanwhile, the 27-year-old earned plenty of praise during the 2022 World Cup, as he helped Morroco to reach the semi-final stage, in the surprise of the tournament.

Alan Shearer praised the midfielder, saying on BBC's Match of The Day, via the Liverpool Echo: "He gets it and then he can feed the ball in, and you can see him go back there. He’ll be reluctant to get forward as he wants to protect, he’ll want to do that.

"He really enjoys that and he’s really good at that – ‘get off the ball, I’m having it’ – and he’s setting his team forward. He’s been key. He does that, he protects, he can get out there and help his full-backs, and that’s what he’s in that role to do – to stop, and be a spoiler – he’s excellent at it. Then he drives forward and they’re on their way. He’s been magnificent, he really has."

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

Nonetheless, despite the praise and the stats, Liverpool reportedly remain unlikely to push ahead for Amrabat's signature this summer.

In the short term, failure and bad decisions are often magnified to a much higher extent, whereas success is often only truly appreciated in the long run and with the benefit of hindsight.

For a newly-promoted Premier League side like Burnley, you are not afforded the benefit of hindsight and there is no room for error.

The squad has to become curated to the best of your abilities and incomings need to be logical, purposeful, and impactful.

The Clarets are certainly a team in this boat and their summer business has signalled their desire to retain their top-flight status.

Vincent Kompany's men have already spent £78m and their recent £12m coup of Sander Berge from promotion rivals Sheffield United is indicative of their intent.

This signing looks to have defused the flame of the Albert Sambi-Lokonga rumours, which could be the best eventuality for both parties…

Are Burnley signing a new midfielder?

At the end of July, as per the Evening Standard, Burnley had been leading the race to sign Albert-Sambi Lokonga either on loan or as a permanent deal.

Kompany was said to be driving the interest in the young Belgian, who he worked with whilst he was in charge of Anderlecht.

However, it was recently reported by Sacha Tavolieri that Burnley didn’t meet the player’s expectations regarding personal terms and the deal has become ‘complicated.’

As a result, Monaco has also expressed an interest in the midfielder but ‘nothing concrete’ has materialised.

How good is Albert Sambi-Lokonga?

Lokonga joined Arsenal in the summer of 2021 for £17.2m, but in two years he has managed just 14 Premier League starts, and last season he only accumulated nine domestic appearances before joining Crystal Palace on loan in January 2023.

This was supposedly meant to signal a fresh start for the £50k-per-week man, but Palace failed to win any of the six Premier League games that he started.

Palace’s abysmal form meant that Roy Hodgson was reinstated as the manager, but the veteran coach was reluctant to deploy Lokonga in the club’s battle to distance itself from relegation as he was an unused substitute in eight of the final ten outings.

Statistically, it is clear to see Lokonga’s failed impact as he ranks within the lowest 33% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for shot-creating actions, progressive carries, and successful take-ons per 90, as well as the bottom 14% for tackles and blocks per 90.

His inability to stamp any meaningful authority at either end of the pitch is a worry for a club like Burnley, which require players to immediately acclimatise to avoid the drop zone.

Roy Keane has previously described his form as a “big concern” and with his Arsenal career seemingly written off, Burnley could make far more astute steps in the market.

They may have already done so with Berge, who has two seasons of consecutive, gruelling Championship football under his belt – the second of which saw Sheffield United secure promotion back to the top flight. Lokonga, however, does not have that in his locker and it would be a mistake to think he could make a desirable impact at this level.

Indeed, for the Belgian, the next step of his career may need to come outside English football as a relegation scrap at Burnley doesn’t seem the ideal environment where he can thrive.

Manchester United and astute transfer dealings are two things that don't appear to belong in the same sentence, with the Red Devils having erratically splashed the cash over the last decade or so.

With Erik ten Hag currently in charge of the most expensively assembled squad in Europe – totalling almost £1bn – the Old Trafford outfit look little closer to closing the gap on treble-winning rivals, Manchester City, with it now ten years since the club last tasted Premier League title glory.

What has perhaps been even more frustrating than the scattergun nature of United's transfer business is the fact that there also a number of figures who the club's hierarchy passed up the chance to sign, only to be forced to watch them blossom elsewhere.

The most blatant example of that fact was the failure to land Erling Haaland for a fee of just £4m during his time at Molde, with the Norwegian powerhouse now spearheading Pep Guardiola's City side to devastating effect, after hitting 52 goals in his debut season last time out.

Those woes were also laid bare with regard to fellow striker, Benjamin Sesko, with United having reportedly deemed the Slovenian's £2.5m fee as 'excessive' back in 2019, albeit with the 20-year-old having only recently sealed a £55m move to RB Leipzig.

Those two cases will likely have supporters tearing their hair out, although perhaps the most infuriating example of a player who got away is World Cup-winning superstar, Kylian Mbappe, with the Red Devils having failed to strike while the iron was out in the recent past.

Did Man United want to sign Kylian Mbappe?

While some reports may at times need to be taken with a pinch of salt, in the case of the dazzling Frenchman it would appear that there was genuine interest from those at the Theatre of Dreams, amid his promising career beginning at AS Monaco.

According to club legend Ryan Giggs, the Welshman had seemingly recommended that United make a move for the the-teenager – as well as current Arsenal man Gabriel Jesus – with the pair likely to have cost just £5m apiece at the time.

As per the Times, the 13-time title winner revealed: "I watched Mbappe play. I was watching him and Gabriel Jesus with the chief scout and it was a no-brainer. It was just like, Get them. It would have cost £5million or something – get them, loan them back and that's where the recruitment could have been better.

"I know what a Manchester United player looks like."

At a time when United notably splashed out an initial £36m on Anthony Martial from the Ligue 1 outfit back in 2016, to have fluffed the potential opportunity to sign the striker's compatriot is a blunder that the Premier League giants will likely never be able to recover from.

Why didn't Man United sign Mbappe?

United's failure to get snap up the promising forward for such a lowly fee was made even more apparent in the summer of 2017, with The Guardian reporting at the time that Jose Mourinho and co had launched a £72m bid in an attempt to prise the then-18-year-old from Stade Louis II.

That ultimately unsuccessful offer had coming following a breakthrough 2016/17 campaign which saw the Paris native score 15 times and register 11 assists in just 29 Ligue 1 outings as Monaco claimed the title.

It was on the European stage that a young Mbappe truly announced himself, however, after scoring six goals in just nine appearances in that season's Champions League, memorably running Man City ragged with a goal both home and away against Guardiola's men in the last-16 stage.

That lightning start to his senior career had ensured that Monaco were able to easily fend off the £72m approach from those in Manchester, with the selling club having been holding out for more than £100m at the time.

As it proved, the fleet-footed speedster did eventually depart in that same window on an initial loan move, joining rivals Paris Saint-Germain on a deal that included an option to make the switch permanent for an eyewatering £165m fee – blowing any rival interest out of the water.

What is Mbappe worth now?

What has followed since that move to the Parc des Princes has been glittering success for the 24-year-old, with the seemingly "unstoppable" talent – as described by compatriot Rio Mavuba – now boasting a haul of 219 goals and 98 assists in just 264 games for his current side.

Arguably the "best player in the world" when in full flow, according to Mavuba, the 5 foot 10 whiz has been a dominant force both domestically and on the international front, despite still longing for that elusive Champions League crown.

2015/16

1

5

2016/17

15

5

2017/18

13

7

2018/19

33

10

2019/20

18

17

2020/21

27

11

2021/22

28

4

2022/23

29

17

2023/24*

7

1

Total

171

77

Now the captain of his country despite his relative youth, the one-time Bondy youth asset already has 40 goals in just 71 appearances for Les Bleus to date, having previously been integral to his nation reaching the final of the last two World Cups.

In 2018 in Russia, the explosive wideman became the youngest player to net in the tournament's showpiece since Brazilian great, Pele back in 1958, memorably scoring in the 4-2 thrashing of Croatia.

The PSG talisman then hit even bigger heights in Qatar last year after scoring eight times in the competition in total, including a breathtaking hat-trick in the final against Lionel Messi's Argentina side to help take the game to extra-time.

While it was ultimately the South American outfit who emerged victorious during the subsequent penalty shoot-out, Mbappe yet again illustrated why he is a possible successor to the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at football's top table.

Such a talent is thus worthy of a sizeable valuation, with the player having only recently been the subject of a £259m offer from Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal – a stunning increase of 5080% in relation the reported £5m fee that United could have signed him for years prior.

While Ten Hag's side may still have lingering hopes of snapping up the £1.1m-per-week asset next summer when his current contract reaches its expiry, a move to Real Madrid looks to be the most obvious scenario, ensuring that Mbappe is likely to remain 'one that got away' for the Red Devils.