Man Utd: Romano reveals truth about Mount to Arsenal rumours and loan move for Antony
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has addressed claims Man Utd winger Antony could move to Flamengo on loan, the Red Devils’ pursuit of a left-back and reports that Mason Mount was very close to joining Arsenal in the summer.
The Red Devils face a lot of upheaval in the summer with new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe already choosing to make a number of changes at the club.
Man Utd’s summer plans involve a new left-back
Ratcliffe and INEOS have appointed Omar Berrada as the new CEO from arch-rivals Man City, while they continue to negotiate a deal with Newcastle to make Dan Ashworth their new sporting director.
The British billionaire also wants Crystal Palace’s Dougie Freedman as their new head of recruitment and Southampton’s Jason Wilcox as technical director.
And transfer expert Romano has been discussing summer plans at Man Utd, whether Antony will be allowed to leave on loan next season and how close Arsenal were to signing Mount in the summer.
Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “As previously reported, Manchester United are going to be exploring the market for left-backs in the summer transfer window, and most likely they will try to bring in a talented young player in that position. It’s also an area Chelsea are expected to look into, with both clubs having injury problems in that position this season.
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“However, there are no specific names to mention yet as it’s still early, but I’m sure both clubs are looking at left-backs. It’s difficult to mention names at this stage as there are no concrete talks ongoing but interest is there and both clubs want to cover that position.
“For United, it remains the case that bringing in a new sporting director and finalising the structure of their new board will be crucial to determining who to target and how much to spend this summer.
“There have been further reports about Antony’s situation at Manchester United, with claims from Brazil that Flamengo are analysing a possible one-year loan move for the winger.
“I would take this with a pinch of salt, however, as Antony firmly rejected any option from Brazil in January. Let’s see if that changes in the summer, but right now there’s nothing taking place and I’m not even sure he would change his mind and accept that just five months later.
Mason Mount to Arsenal?
“Finally, there was also an interesting United story involving Mason Mount, with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta alleged to have told confidants that the Gunners were very close to signing Mount from Chelsea.
“My understanding is that there were contacts with both Arsenal and Liverpool while his situation remained uncertain at Chelsea, but this was not in the summer, it was around April when clubs started to ask about Mount deal conditions. That’s it, but Man United was always the priority for the player.”
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