Romano reveals truth behind Man Utd's centre-back pursuit
Tom Weber
- 21 Nov 2023 10:30 CST
- 3 min read
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester United are indeed in the market for a new centre-back in January, but one man is not among the Red Devils' list of targets.
Erik ten Hag remains keen to strengthen his backline as he already had been in the summer. Harry Maguire didn't leave for West Ham, however, and thus Man Utd could not muster the necessary resources to acquire a defender more suited to the Dutchman's style.
Maguire has recently been brought back into the fold and it is now apparently World Cup winner Raphael Varane who could be on his way out. The Frenchman's persistent fitness issues have seen him lose his spot to the likes of Maguire and 35-year-old Jonny Evans and he could be on the move in January.
Saudi clubs have a long-standing interest in the former Real Madrid man but now Bayern Munich and even Chelsea are said to be in the mix for the 30-year-old. Either way, it's clear that there will be some upheaval in Ten Hag's defence come the winter transfer window.
On the incoming front, the likes of Jean-Clair Todibo, Antonio Silva, Goncalo Inacio and Edmond Tapsoba have regularly been associated with Man Utd, while Robin Le Normand of Real Sociedad has also been mentioned. The latter, however, is not a target, according to Fabrizio Romano.
No interest in Le Normand
Speaking to CaughtOffside, the transfer expert shed light on the centre-back question at Man Utd: “Robin Le Normand - despite some reports, I’m not aware of any new centre-back targets for Manchester United other than the names I’ve already mentioned, like Jean-Clair Todibo and Goncalo Inacio,” the Italian said.
Romano proceeded to reference the fact that there is bound to be significant personnel turnover in the upper echelons of United with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's impending acquisition of a 25 per cent stake, which has already seen CEO Richard Arnold depart while director John Murtough is also expected to be axed.
“Also now new people will join the Man United board and they will decide on targets with the manager Erik ten Hag, so we will see many links, but there’s nothing concrete so far for Le Normand and United.”
