Manchester United seem to have already moved on from the Cristiano Ronaldo drama, after the Portuguese had heavily slammed the club in his interview with Piers Morgan. Manager Erik ten Hag as well as the club’s owners, the Glazers family too weren’t sparred by Ronaldo, wo accused them of ‘betraying’ and ‘not respecting’ him. There was no coming back from there, as both the parties knew what was the next step. And even before Ronaldo kicked a ball at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, he was a free agent after terminating his contract with the Red Devils.
Meanwhile, Ten Hag is not wasting his time, and has already asked the club to bring in a new striker in the January transfer. United too had anticipated the situation and have already shortlisted a few names. Moreover, an extra £20-£30 million has been injected in the club’s budget, thanks to Ronaldo not asking for his pay-out while agreeing to mutually terminate the contract. United plan to use the extra amount wisely as they look to swoop in more signings to help Ten Hag.
Manchester United prioritise one more signing alongside a striker
While its almost impossible to replace a player of Ronaldo’s stature at Old Trafford, Manchester United have identified a striker to bring in who won’t disappoint either. According to Spanish outlet Nacional, the Red Devils are plotting an audacious move to lure Real Madrid star Karim Benzema to Old Trafford next summer. Benzema has been in full throttle despite being 34, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
He almost single handedly dragged led the Los Blancos to their 14th Champions League title last season, scoring a staggering 15 goals in 12 games, including the famous hat-tricks against PSG and Chelsea in the knockouts. Another 27 goals in 34 La Liga games by the striker crowned Real as the Spanish Champions. Add to it, he emulated the same form with France, netting a brilliant 10 goals since the EURO2020 last year, also guiding them to a Nations League triumph.
There was no guessing as Benzema lifted the Ballon d’Or, to become only the third player in the era of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to win the prestigious award. However, a hip injury last month ended his dream of playing the World Cup, as he is still recovering from the knock. With his contract expiring next summer, Nacional understand the 34-year-old is ready to pursue a new challenge, where Manchester United enter the frame. The Red Devils are planning to entice him with a ‘crazy salary’, which they saved on Ronaldo, and are ready to build a team around him.
Although 34, the Los Blancos’ president Florentino Perez himself had stated that Benzema still has at least two more years at the top and that he would love the striker to spend those at Santiago Bernabeu. However, Benzema might have other plans as he is reportedly unfazed by trying a new challenge somewhere else. Furthermore, Manchester United want to couple a potential deal for Benzema, with Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae.
Ten Hag wants to bolster his defense as well, despite having the likes of Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof at his disposal, and the £57 million arrival Lisandro Martinez. Min-jae has been one of the highly rated defenders this season, after delivering some solid performances for the Italian side. He has been instrumental in the Naples side sitting atop of the Serie A table, and also to their five wins out of six, including the one over Liverpool, in the Champions League this season.
While the South Korean’s current deal with Napoli runs until the summer of 2025, it won’t be easy for Manchester United to bring him at Old Trafford. First and foremost, the 26-year-old, in his prime, would demand regular playing time, which he is getting at Napoli, and has few chances enjoys the same at United. However, according to Fichajes, United are ready to splash a fee in the range of £47 million to try and lure Napoli into selling the player, who arrived in Italy last summer only.