With the clocks now having been put back and the winter nearly upon us, it won’t be too long before the January transfer window rolls around and the rumours have been spicing up of late.
Dominating the headlines this week have been reports claiming that Neymar to Manchester United could become a realistic possibility in the next few transfer windows but a fair few of our resident Red Devils are still refusing to get excited by these stories.
Elsewhere, the rumour mill continues to rumble on linking Louis van Gaal’s side with players from seemingly every position bar the goalkeeper and another that’s surfaced of late is Barcelona’s exciting young talent Sergi Samper.
A long-term transfer target of Arsenal, yesterday the Daily Star claimed United are now interested in the 20-year-old whose current release clause only stands at an affordable £8.5 million.
Hyped as one of the finest young talents to emerge from La Masia, Samper still hasn’t made a full breakthrough into Luis Enrique’s senior ranks and with the likes of even Rafinha and Gerard Gumbau being ahead of him right now, he could do a Cesc Fabregas or Hector Bellerin and defect to the Premier League to further develop.
With this in mind, we’ve devised a list of five players who could be following the young Spaniard to Old Trafford in January.
[ffc-gallery]
Click on the image below to reveal the five players who could follow Sergi Samper to Manchester United in January.
Saido Berahino
A short while ago this month, The Mirror referenced Daily Star reports that claimed Saido Berahino is still on Louis van Gaal’s radar for the January transfer window.
Infamously remaining at West Bromwich Albion on summer transfer deadline day where chairman Jeremy Peace blocked the Baggies striker’s move to Tottenham, the England Under-21 international has got his head down to score three Premier League goals this term.
Not scintillating form by any means, we all know what Berahino is capable of having watched him develop over the past couple of seasons and having seen him register against the likes of United and Chelsea, he’s proved he can score against all levels of opposition.
With United still light up top with only James Wilson remaining behind Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney, adding another striker such as Berahino may be a sensible move to get United over the line if they are still in touching distance of first place come the New Year.
Paulo Oliveira
Midway through October, we read in Metro that Sporting Lisbon centre back Paulo Oliveira was flattered by being linked with a Manchester United switch.
Having burst onto the scene at the Jose Alvalade a year ago, Oliveira is now a firm fixture in Sporting’s starting eleven while also winning his first senior international cap for Portugal this year.
With United having failed in high profile swoops for both Sergio Ramos and Nicolas Otamendi in the summer, they could certainly do with an additional defender given Daley Blind has had to fill in a lot this term so a move for the likes of Oliveira makes sense.
What’s more, surely he would be far more attainable to boot with United having previously raided the Portuguese capital club for Marcos Rojo’s services last summer.
Sadio Mane
With Manchester United having sanctioned a bid for Southampton’s Sadio Mane in the summer, the Red Devils’ interest in the Senegal international is clear.
What’s more, the former Red Bull Salzburg player has gone on to impress even more so far this term with the player being notably impressive in the Saints’ fantastic victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Having developed his game against the top opponents to boot, Mane is a player most United fans in the tavern rate but prising him away from St Mary’s Stadium this January will again prove an ambitious task.
Ronald Koeman won’t want to lose one of his star performers but the fact still remains; when the price has been right, Southampton have proved they’re a selling club and if United need ready-made talents to hit the ground running in January, they could do a lot worse than Mane with their financial resources.
Domenico Berardi
Also linked with Manchester United’s arch-rivals Liverpool of late, Domenico Berardi is somebody who we’re becoming a little more acquainted with in the tavern.
The Sassuolo striker is the star man at his Serie A side and the club’s hierarchy have already came out and claimed he won’t be going anywhere in January but if Manchester United were bullish in their pursuit, perhaps this coule force the Italian club’s hand.
An Italian Under-21 international who performed at the European Championships this summer, Berardi has an impressive strike rate of 44 goals in only 104 games for Sassuolo.
With high profile strikers in short supply in terms of availability, perhaps a left-field option like Berardi may suit Louis van Gaal to give him more firepower given Wayne Rooney has dried up in front of goal.
Youri Tielemans
Nearer the start of October, we read in the Daily Mail that Manchester United have been checking on Anderlecht wonderkid Youri Tielemans recently.
Having made his Champions League debut at just 16, the box-to-box midfielder has been making waves in the Belgian top flight and is sure to be making a move to one of Europe’s elite sides in the near future.
But could that be United who are reportedly lining him up as somebody to take over after Michael Carrick has moved on from Old Trafford.
Also interesting Chelsea, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund too, the fight to sign Tielemans won’t be easy but for whoever wins the race, they’ll be landing a hugely talented footballer who is ready to play first team football in the here and now, not to mention for years to come thereafter.
