‘Have a chance’ – Man United can still hijack ‘world-class’ Ancelotti target, says reliable transfer insider | OneFootball

Man Utd transfer news has found itself inundated with reports around Bayern Munich players of late. And not without good reason.

Erik ten Hag’s objectively failed policy of pursuing former Ajax players – who found themselves on the offload list at Säbener Straße – saw the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui join in the summer transfer window.

Meanwhile, football gossip saw former teammate Alphonso Davies repeatedly linked with a switch to Manchester amid United’s struggles in the fullback positions.

Whether those links will continue under Ruben Amorim’s leadership ahead of the January transfer window, however, remains to be seen.

Man Utd Transfer News: Chance for Alphonso Davies to move to Old Trafford

(Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Christian Falk now exclusively notes that the INEOS-led outfit has a ‘chance’ of bringing Davies to Carrington.

The latest transfer news on the matter would suggest it’s quite a small chance, given United’s qualms over wage expenditure.

“Manchester United have a chance, but he’s not really cheap. Davies wants a minimum of €15m a season and a sign-on fee of around the same amount. I’m not sure if United are willing to pay this money,” the BILD reporter wrote for CaughtOffside’s Daily Briefing.

“You see when they brought in Noussair Mazraoui he was a really cheap option. I know that their first option would have been Jeremie Frimpong but he was too expensive (with a release clause of €40m for United). I’m not sure if they want to spend so much money on a left-back.

“Real Madrid really want Davies, so if United want to get concrete they have to pay this money. I wonder if other positions might very well be more important for the club. Alphonso Davies, I think, would be open to the move, but Real Madrid are a little bit closer.”

What kind of fullback would Ruben Amorim want?

There’s every chance that Manchester United may need to concede defeat in their pursuit of the Bayern Munich defender.

For one, La Liga giants Real Madrid are persistent when they identify a top target in the transfer market. And there’s nothing to suggest they’ll spare the competition an inch of room for a player Hansi Flick once described as ‘world-class’ (Bundesliga.com).

Then there’s the incoming United manager, Ruben Amorim, to consider as part of the equation.

Amorim’s time in Portugal has seen him generally favour a back three, for instance, with dynamic wing-backs that are integral to his style of play. The Manchester United managerial target wants to see them contribute creatively and push up high into the opponent’s third, but be prepared to drop deep in defensive phases to form a back five.

Can Alphonso Davies help fire Manchester United back into the Champions League?

At 23 years of age, you’d expect Davies to have the engine to carry out Ruben Amorim’s potential demands.

However, some might reasonably wish to raise concerns over the Bayern Munich fullback’s creative capabilities judging by his statistical profile.

The Canada international can clearly be trusted to progress the ball (97th and 99th percentiles in progressive carries and successful take-ons). However, he would need to significantly improve his stats (courtesy of FBref) as far as xAG is concerned. That said, there is some promise on display in his shot-creating actions (two offensive actions directly leading to a shot).

Courtesy of FBref

Take Nuno Santos’ stats at Sporting CP as a direct comparison of what is expected.

If the Premier League giants are hoping for output, prior rumours circulating around Bayer Leverkusen’s goal contribution monster Jeremie Frimpong might be worth dipping into.