Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton alongside Carlos Baleba, as per The Independent.
After being appointed as the new head coach last year, Ruben Amorim struggled to showcase his best at Old Trafford last term. The Red Devils finished 15th in the Premier League, and this is their worst finish ever.
Still, the club’s hierarchy have kept faith in him and have given the Portuguese boss the licence to make necessary changes to take the club forward. He likes to deploy a 3-4-2-1 formation and doesn’t use natural wingers, so he has decided to keep Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, Antony, and Jadon Sancho out of the team.
They have been told that they should find a new club, and Rashford has only left, although he has joined Barcelona on a loan deal.
Amorim has signed Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo for his 2 No.10 positions, while Benjamin Sesko has been signed to reinforce the centre-forward position following Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee’s below-average displays last term. United are even ready to let Hojlund leave.
Now, the Old Trafford club are prioritising strengthening the midfield department before the end of this window, and the Independent claim that Baleba has been identified as the perfect option.
Baleba & Wharton to Man Utd
However, purchasing the Cameroonian won’t be cheap, and they are ready to make a move for him next year if they can’t secure his service this summer. On the other hand, Man Utd have earmarked Wharton as an alternative option if they eventually fail to buy Baleba.
United hold a long-term interest in making the midfield pairing of Baleba and Wharton so they could even make a move for both of them this summer or next year.
The report state that Wharton could be more expensive than Baleba this summer as the Eagles are set to let Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze this summer. So, they don’t want to part ways with any other key players.
Wharton, valued at around £39m by Transfermarkt, still has four years left in his current contract. Therefore, the South London club are in a strong position to demand a big fee for him.
