Manchester United are targeting a summer move to sign £40m-rated Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn after he caught the eye of legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, according to reports via the Daily Mail.
United are in the market for midfield reinforcements as Paul Pogba could leave on a free transfer when his contract expires in June with the French international no closer to signing an extension at Old Trafford.
Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata are also expected to depart when their deals run out in the summer while Nemanja Matic turns 34 this year so a long-term replacement is needed for the Serbian international.
Interim boss Ralf Rangnick is hoping to bring in another midfielder this month but Man Utd chiefs are reluctant to invest too much in the winter market as they’d prefer to wait until the summer when their prime targets will be more easily attainable.
While Declan Rice has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent months, the Daily Mail are citing a report from The Telegraph that claims Manchester United are also targeting a move for John McGinn.
The newspaper says the Scottish international has been recommended by compatriot Sir Alex Ferguson with the legendary former manager a big fan of McGinn. Sir Alex is still an employed by United as a non-executive director and remains an influential figure at the club. Technical director Darren Fletcher has also been been hugely impressed by McGinn’s performances during his time at Villa Park.
Fergie recommendation
McGinn has proven to be an excellent signing for Aston Villa since joining from Hibs in 2018 as he’s scored 16 goals in 129 goals and played a pivotal role in their promotion from the Championship in 2019.
The 27-year-old’s leadership qualities are also believed to have appealed to United chiefs as the Manchester giants are currently lacking characters in the dressing room.
Steven Gerrard will be desperate to keep hold of McGinn and Aston Villa are trying to tie him down to a new contract but The Telegraph says that hasn’t deterred Man Utd from plotting a summer swoop for the £40m-rated midfielder.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming months but McGinn would be an excellent addition to United’s squad if they could get a deal agreed. He has bags of Premier League experience and would be an upgrade on the likes of Matic, Fred and Scott McTominay so I’m sure he’d be warmly welcomed by the Old Trafford faithful.
