Man Utd: ‘Dream’ club ‘watching Greenwood since August’ plan transfer as Ratcliffe eyes £100m fire sale
Barcelona have reportedly been watching Manchester United attacker Mason Greenwood from the minute he joined La Liga side Getafe.
Last February, two charges including attempted rape and assault against Greenwood were discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service.
He did not return to the Red Devils set-up and was loaned out to Getafe on deadline day in the 2023 summer transfer window.
The move came after United made the decision not to reintegrate Greenwood back into the first-team squad.
He has been pretty successful in Spain, scoring five and assisting four in 19 appearances across all competitions for Getafe.
There has been a lot of talk about Greenwood’s future and it looks like he is going to remain in Spain, but not for his current club.
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La Liga champions Barcelona – who are reportedly the 22-year-old’s ‘dream’ destination – have been very strongly linked in recent weeks.
Xavi’s side appear to be leading the race but they are not alone in the pursuit of the Manchester United loanee.
According to iNews, Atletico Madrid and Valencia ‘are also in the running’ as ‘several La Liga clubs keep tabs’ on Greenwood’s situation.
The report claims new Red Devils owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to offload £100million worth of players in the summer, ‘starting with Greenwood’.
Selling the homegrown attacker would massively benefit United, who can bring in pure profit from the sale, which would go a long way amidst their profit and sustainability struggles.
The reception was very mixed when Greenwood moved to Getafe – whose fans welcomed him with open arms – but the report states that signing the youngster is seen as ‘less of a risk now’, even if clubs are reluctant to let their interest publicly known.
A ‘Spain-based insider’ told the website: “Of course a move for him may be problematic, with clubs unwilling to comment on any links at this stage.
“But Barca have been watching him from the minute he arrived, as have other teams.”
Another youth graduate the Red Devils are open to selling is Scott McTominay, while Hannibal Mejbri and Alvaro Fernandez – who are both out on loan – have buy options in their deals, the report adds.
United’s football director John Murtough visited Saudi Arabia during December’s Club World Cup in an attempt to sell the club’s unwanted players.
The ‘possible options’ put forward by Murtough were Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Casemiro, Jadon Sancho and Antony, ‘with no clubs as yet preparing offers’.
While Sancho’s performances on loan at Borussia Dortmund present an opportunity to get a fee for him in the summer, it is added that Antony’s woeful form this term ‘won’t have phones ringing off the hook’.
It is clear that Ratcliffe wants to change United’s inability to get decent fees for players available for transfer, and it is possible he can rake in £100m from sales at the end of the season, it is added.
He is also eager to offload Casemiro after ‘identifying him as the epitome of everything that is wrong about United’s transfer policy’, due to his age, salary and transfer fee from Real Madrid.
The Brazilian midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr, where he would reunite with former Madrid and United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.
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