‘Desperate’ Greenwood could be game changer for Man Utd as £100m transfer is being considered | OneFootball

Man Utd could be set for a huge windfall with Barcelona weighing up whether to make an offer for Marseille forward Mason Greenwood, according to reports.

The Red Devils spent over £200m on new arrivals in the summer transfer window as Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS backed Ruben Amorim in the market.

Man Utd put most of their energy into improving their attack after being the fifth lowest goalscorers in the Premier League last term.

Many supporters and former players were frustrated that Man Utd failed to sign a new midfielder over the summer with the position an obvious area for improvement.

And now there are rumours that they will definitely attempt to sign a midfielder in January but could have to leave a big-money signing until the summer.

But a potential sale of Greenwood could boost their coffers over the next couple of transfer windows as strong interest from Barcelona has been revealed.

Man Utd have a 50 per cent sell-on clause in the deal to sell Greenwood to Marseille and our friends at TEAMtalk claim that Barca are ‘weighing up a surprise move’ for the former England international.

There are rumours that Marseille could demand as much as £100m for Greenwood after contributing 14 goals and four assists in 21 matches in all competitions.

TEAMtalk add: ‘Sources indicate keen interest from the Catalan giants, who see Greenwood’s technical finesse and goalscoring instinct as a fit for their attacking ethos.’

Marseille president Pablo Longoria recently explained how they can increase their economic rights of Greenwood by qualifying for the Champions League.

Longoria said: “On the contractual situation, OM has 60 per cent of the economic rights of the player, 100 per cent of the sports rights with a possibility in case of qualification in the Champions League, to increase by five per cent to reach 65 per cent. We are very happy with Mason’s evolution. It is a daily work of everyone to the athlete, especially in the evolution of his game. We know his talent but the work that De Zerbi does with him is extraordinary.

He added: “Mason is working to improve his level and the way he sees football collectively, which is his biggest evolution. We are aware of having a very important player who puts himself at the service of the collective, we want a continuity with him. It’s hard to have some key players, but you need a collective.”

Marseille head coach Roberto de Zerbi reckons Greenwood has the ability to win the Ballon d’Or one day.

De Zerbi said earlier this month: “I see him every day, he has a huge potential. I don’t see any other players in Europe at the same level. He has the potential to win the Ballon d’Or. It will be up to him to decide whether he wants to do everything he can to fight for it or not.

“At the level of the qualities that nature has given him, that his parents have given him, I think he is worthy of the Ballon d’Or.

“I would like him to be more consistent. I know he needs to press with more intensity, he needs to manage the ball better when the team is in trouble, not lose the ball easily but keep it to allow the team to move up because he has the ability to do it.”

On why he is harder on Greenwood than others, De Zerbi added: “The important thing is that he understands it in three or four years. Not necessarily now, when I will no longer train. When he remembers me, he will say, ‘ah, it was the coach who really took my head every day, but maybe in the end I managed to progress.’

“I have to leave Marseille in a better situation than when I arrived. Greenwood must be better than the Greenwood I took at the beginning.”