Man Utd Transfer News
United Stunned As Porto Demand £36m For Rodriguez
Manchester United have received a blow their pursuit of Columbian winger James Rodriquez after Porto increased the players asking price to a staggering £36m
Despite the transfer window being closed, there is always transfer gossip doing the rounds in the papers and we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest news during the coming months. Today, Man Utd receive a blow in their pursuit of James Rodriguez.
Manchester United have received a blow their pursuit of James Rodriquez after Porto increased his asking price to a staggering £36m, according to the Daily Mail.
Sir Alex Ferguson has been tracking Rodriguez for months and has had the Columbian winger watched on several occasions, including Porto’s 5-0 thrashing of Maritomo on Friday night. The 21-year-old put on a scintillating display in front of the watching United scout as he set up 1 and scored 2 during the rout at the Estadio do Dragao.
Regarded as one of South America’s hottest prospects, Rodriguez has earned the nickname as the ‘South American Cristiano Ronaldo’ and was voted as the best player of the 2011 Toulon Tournament. He joined Porto from Argentine club Atletico Banfield in 2010 and has been a huge hit, scoring 20 goals in 48 games.
Fergie has identified the highly-rated winger as the ideal replacement for the unsettled Nani, but have been left shocked when Porto told them the players latest valuation.
The Mail claim that United made an enquiry in the summer and were told it would take £24m to land the player. However, Rodriguez is believed to have recently renegotiated his deal with the Portuguese champions and agreed to an increased release clause being inserted into his contract.
When United made contact with Porto recently they were stunned to be told the winger’s price-tag now stood at £36m. The deposed Premier League champions are not able to pay that amount but are thought to be willing to offer Nani in a player plus cash deal.
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While Porto are open to the idea of taking Nani back to his homeland, they will struggled to meet his £130,000-a-week wages, leaving Fergie desperate to find ways to fund his move for Rodriguez, with selling Nani now a priority.
Would United fans like to see Rodriguez at OT? Get involved in the comments section.
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