Sancho and Antony OUT, Raphinha IN at Man Utd
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 14 Sept 2023 13:12 BST
- 4 min read
Manchester United could come to the aid of Barcelona in the January transfer window as the uncertainty over the futures of both Jadon Sancho and Antony at Old Trafford continues to linger.
Erik ten Hag might have felt comfortable with his wing options going into the new season, but after barely a month of the season Antony is out of action for the foreseeable future due to non-sporting reasons while Sancho has publicly blasted the manager for making him a “scapegoat” in a now-deleted Instagram post.
MORE: Asking price for ‘sluggish’ Sancho revealed
Quite what the next few months hold for both is uncertain, yet Sancho, in particular, seems likely to move on, with the former Ajax head coach having treated subordination seriously in the past. Even Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t survive: why should a misfiring Sancho?
Enter a Barcelona that remain increasingly troubled by financial problems but who still have a wealth of disposal talent in their squad.
MORE: Man Utd summer signing set for TENSE Ten Hag talks
Man Utd should target Raphinha
The emergence of Lamine Yamal opens a new door for Man Utd to investigate – not in terms of the prodigious winger, who will surely remain at Camp Nou for the immediate future after a blistering start to his professional career, but instead for Raphinha.
The Brazil international is set to be the player who loses out thanks to Yamal’s emergence. After he was sent off on the opening day of the season, he was merely a substitute against Osasuna last time out.
Xavi may appreciate the former Leeds star, but the potential to raise valuable funds for the good of the club means that a sale will surely be considered. Raphinha, after all, is a player who has struggled to attract unanimous praise since joining the club in 2022.
His return of 10 goals and 12 assists is not embarrassing, but in 52 games, Barca might have hoped for more given the effort they went to beating Arsenal and Chelsea to him and outlay involved in a €58m move.
Raphinha, meanwhile, has expressed interest in moving to Man Utd in the past.
Speaking in February, he opened the door to a deal by saying: “I think they are two of the best teams in the world. Barca had a bad time in recent seasons and Manchester United did too. All clubs go through difficult times but you have to change your mind to be the best again.”
A good deal all round
Raphinha, meanwhile, is a ready-made replacement for Sancho, with a similar profile to the England man both in terms of playing style and physicality.
And a deal appears attainable, even with Man Utd stretched financially, which posed them issues in the summer transfer market.
If they were to raise Sancho’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €45m, they could buy Raphinha at his ETV and still have €8m change left over. They even had a much bigger offer from the Saudi Pro League in the summer.
Everyone would win: Sancho would get out of a club where he has a difficult relationship with the manager, Ten Hag’s headache would clear, Barcelona’s immediate debt would be eased and Man Utd would emerge with a profit. Easy, right?
