Man Utd BLOCKED €120m double transfer to avoid repeat of Casemiro and Antony mistake

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 14 Sept 2024 10:22 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United blocked moves for two of their top transfer targets this summer, with the club keen to learn from the mistakes of signing Antony and Casemiro for inflated fees.

United spent more than €200 million on players this summer, with the likes of Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte and Matthijs de Ligt being brought in, along with Leny Yoro and Noussair Mazraoui.

The plan over the summer marked a significant change from previous years, with new directors Dan Ashworth and Omar Berrada insisting on a strict pricing strategy rather than overpaying to get the club’s top targets.

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ESPN have revealed that, while Zirkzee was the club’s top choice up front, a move for Ivan Toney was also considered before being quickly ruled out due to Brentford’s asking price, with the 28-year-old eventually being sold for €42 million to Al-Ahli.

United also walked away from a deal for Jarrad Branthwaite despite a strong interest after Everton demanded more than €80m for the defender, prompting Berrada specifically to end negotiations.

The report claims that there are ‘concerns’ at Old Trafford over the financial impact of Casemiro and Antony’s signings in 2022, with panic over United’s poor start to the season leading to ‘ill-thought out agreements’ in the fees for both players.

Man Utd used Branthwaite example to lower Ugarte fee

United believe their evolved stance of sticking to their valuations allowed them to sign Ugarte for cheaper than anticipated, with Paris Saint-Germain initially asking for a fixed fee of around €55m for the midfielder.

However, United are said to have referenced their decision to walk away from Branthwaite as a precedent being set and PSG eventually lowered their demands out of fear that they would be stuck with a player they didn’t want.

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United also had deals for the likes of Jonathan David and Sofyan Amrabat lined up if negotiations with Zirkzee and Ugarte failed to manifest into concrete transfers, such was the club’s desire to avoid being held to ransom.

Consequently, while United were unable to sign a top target in Branthwaite or consider an alternative striker in Toney, the club feel their summer was a ‘considerable win’ after signing almost all of their targets for below the anticipated asking price, with Yoro described as the only exception.