Manchester Untied were left scrambling when their deal for Barcelona winger Pedro crumbled, but it apparently hasn’t taken long for them to find a new target. Despite an amusing tale of a massive bid for Thomas Müller, a more likely and attainable candidate has emerged: Southampton winger Sadio Mane.
Manchester United looking to add speed with Sadio Mane
After missing out on Pedro, Manchester United have quickly moved on to targeting a new speedster to add to their attack.
The Senegalese speedster would bring much-needed pace to Manchester's attack, and the Red Devils have reportedly already lodged a bid to try to secure his services. The size of that bid isn't known, but it'd certainly have to represent a healthy profit over the £12 million fee Southampton paid to acquire Mane just a year ago to even interest them in selling another player to Manchester this summer.
Why it makes sense
Mane has electric pace out on the wing, which is something Manchester United badly need right now. They've looked awfully stagnant at times in the early goings of this season, lacking any real ability to stretch a defense and create danger on the break. Adding his speed to the attack would make Manchester a much more dangerous and well-rounded attack to have to face, and could be a vital element as they look to push closer to a title challenge this season.
Manchester and Southampton also have a good relationship built up when it comes to transfer business. Morgan Schneiderlin has made the journey from the coastal city to Old Trafford since the start of last summer, and that kind of familiarity could make it easier to get a deal done quickly. Speed is of the essence with the end of the window approaching quickly, as Southampton will want plenty of time to bring in a replacement.
Why it doesn’t make sense
Southampton would be loathe to give up the man who’s arguably their most consistent goalscoring threat, especially since Mane is their one attacker with lethal pace. This late in the window, replacing that pace would be tricky for them to do unless Manchester United give them a mind-boggling amount of money for him.
There’s also a nagging feel that, while Mane is a very good player, Manchester should be looking to do better than him, especially at the likely-high fee it would take to pry him away from Southampton. It’s not that Mane isn’t good enough, he probably is, but for Manchester to get the kind of impact they’re looking for, they should be trying to buy someone at or close to an elite level. Mane is many things, but he is not elite.
Likelihood it happens
While there’s plenty of reason to like the deal for Manchester United, with Mane’s explosiveness being just what the doctor ordered, Southampton’s likely unwillingness to sell one of their most important players means we can only give this a 4/10 chance of happening.
This is a post from our transfer rumors section. For news, analysis and more, check out the main SB Nation Soccer page.
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