Man Utd to seal wonderkid deal thanks to INEOS connection

Tom Weber

Updated: 9 May 2024 09:19 BST
3 min read

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Man Utd, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Manchester United are poised to use their INEOS links to snap up Simone Pafundi, according to Italian media.

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The Italian talent entered the record books in 2022 as one of the youngest-ever debutants in senior international football when he made his first-team bow for his country at just 16.

18 months on, Pafundi is playing his club football on loan in Switzerland after a strange January move. Despite being one of Europe's most highly-rated prospects, the youngster left Serie A side Udinese to join Lausanne-Sport, with the Swiss club securing a €15 million purchase option.

Upon closer inspection, however, the move looks much less strange, albeit no less questionable. If Lausanne were to trigger that purchase option, Pafundi would absolutely annihilate the Swiss Super League transfer record, which currently stands at just €6m.

Swiss clubs usually can't spend €15m on players - most Bundesliga sides can't even do that - but Lausanne can because they are owned by INEOS. When the transfer was announced, it looked as though Pafundi had essentially been signed simply to already have him in the INEOS network before moving him on to Nice or Man Utd.

Pafundi to Man Utd?

This suspicion appears to have now been confirmed. Tuttomercatoweb claims that Lausanne will trigger their option this summer and then shift the 18-year-old attacking midfielder on to Man Utd further down the line, though it is not clear whether this will already transpire in 2024.

It has been asserted that Red Devils co-owner and INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a fan of the Italian. With Pafundi on the books at a sister club, Man Utd can save money in the future given that they won't have to pay his actual value if he does indeed hit the heights he has been tipped to hit.

Moreover, if Lausanne sign him for €15m this summer rather than Man Utd, the Red Devils will have more wiggle room with regards to the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules. The teenager has notched a goal and two assists in 14 outings for Lausanne.