Man Utd to drop £87m offer to sign No.1 target in January who can fix glaring Amorim issue – report | OneFootball

Manchester United are ready to go all out to sign Adam Wharton in January and are willing to pay Crystal Palace a fee worth above and beyond his valuation, an explosive report has claimed, and with our sources revealing the likelihood of such a deal going through.

The Red Devils have improved a little this season, but still would appear to lack the consistency required to maintain a top-four challenge. While they have managed impressive away wins at Liverpool and Crystal Palace this season, frustrating results at home to Everton and West Ham suggest they are far from the finished product.

And while Monday’s 4-1 thrashing of Wolves at Molineux moved Manchester United within a point of the top four, they will be hoping to kick on over the second half of the season and truly show they are making progress under Ruben Amorim.

With a new midfielder now very much the next priority, sources have revealed to our transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, that the club hopes to add two to three new faces to their engine room in a ruthless £250m rebuild and in a radical shift that could even see skipper Bruno Fernandes depart.

Now seen as United’s biggest issue to fix, a report in Spain claims the club will make their first move to amend this by going all out for Wharton in January.

And according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, which admittedly is known for its somewhat far-reaching transfer speculation, claims United are ready to drop a €100m (£87.4m, $117m) offer to prise Wharton away from the Eagles in the January window.

They claim United have now installed Wharton as their number one target, feeling the 21-year-old can ‘offer solutions currently lacking in the squad’ which have been highlighted by Casemiro’s dip in form.

And while they state their playing styles differ, it’s claimed Amorim thinks the young Englishman’s freshness can unlock the team during demanding attacking spells and are now ready to open ‘serious talks’ over his signing.

Man Utd move for Wharton remains difficult, according to sources

Fichajes, in their defence, does note that Crystal Palace are reluctant to part with one of their key players and, with a contract that runs until 2029, are holding firm over his future and ‘would only consider negotiations for an extraordinary sum’.

As a result, the aforementioned offer of £87.4m is seen as the ‘minimum they would accept’ for a player who has fast emerged as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League.

According to our sources, any sort of move for Wharton in January is seen as hugely difficult to pull off and one, most likely, beyond their reach.

When asked if Palace could sell Wharton in January, transfer correspondent Dean Jones stated: “There are no signs of it happening. I just don’t think deals like this are going to happen in January.

“I would love to be able to reveal there was going to be a huge battle to sign him in a mega-money transfer, but all the information I have had on it just doesn’t lead to that.

“I think Palace will keep him at this stage and we will then see what happens at the end of the season.”

Furthermore, Jones has since revealed that, despite United’s desire to rebuild their midfield and get their hands on one of their top targets in January, there is a sense of realism about what is achievable and the likes of Wharton are generally seen as ‘off limits’ in January.

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And while Amorim has made it crystal clear he doesn’t want anyone to leave in January, the sparingly used midfielder could be the sacrificial lamb at Old Trafford to help get in a player seen as a better fit for the manager’s system.

Elsewhere, Fletcher claims United have opened ‘direct talks’ with Roma over the sale of a £36.5m star, though four Premier League sides are also keen on the player and standing by to make rival offers of their own.

On the incoming front, fanciful reports claim United are ‘circling like sharks’ for an Arsenal star of the future, with the Red Devils plotting a sensational move for the attacking midfielder, it has been claimed.