Man Utd transfer: INEOS to make ‘stunning bid’ to hijack Liverpool offer for Mbappe’s ‘main victim’

Joe Williams
Man Utd transfer target Rodrygo
Rodrygo has been linked with Man Utd and Liverpool.

Man Utd are ready to spend big to bring Real Madrid forward Rodrygo to Old Trafford in the summer transfer window, according to reports.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS completed a deal to buy 27.7 per cent of the Premier League club from the Glazer family earlier this year and they have taken over football operations as part of the agreement.

Ratcliffe, INEOS are looking to overhaul the recruitment department

Erik ten Hag’s side have struggled this season after a promising first campaign under the Dutchman, in which they reached an FA Cup final, won the Carabao Cup and finished in the Premier League’s top four.

But their dramatic 4-3 loss to Chelsea on Thursday now means potential Champions League qualification now looks like a distant dream for Man Utd with the Red Devils 11 points off fourth-placed Aston Villa.

Ten Hag is coming under increasing pressure and there’s a chance he might not be in the dugout next season, while Ratcliffe and INEOS are keen to take control of transfers away from the manager.

There will be more responsibility on the recruitment department with Ratcliffe hoping to appoint Dan Ashworth as new sporting director if they can agree a fee with Newcastle.

READ MORE: Ten Hag worse than Moyes as Man Utd dealt Sir Alex Ferguson ‘retribution’ vs Chelsea

And now Spanish publication Fichajes claims that Man Utd ‘are preparing a stunning €120 million bid to secure the signature’ of Real Madrid forward Rodrygo this summer.

Rodrygo has contributed 15 goals and seven assists in all competitions for Real Madrid this season but his future at the Bernabeu ‘has been questioned lately, especially with the possible arrivals of Kylian Mbappe and Endrick to the club’.

Man Utd see the Brazil international as ‘an attractive option to improve’ their forward line and INEOS are ‘determined to strengthen their team with the addition of a player of Rodrygo’s calibre’.

The Red Devils are ‘expected to start with an initial investigative offer of €120m (£102m) for Rodrygo, but are willing to increase the figure to €150m (£129m) if necessary’.

Previous reports have heavily linked Liverpool with Rodrygo and there have been claims that the Merseysiders recently upped their bid from €60m to €80m for the ‘main victim’ of Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid.

Erik ten Hag: Defeat to Chelsea was ‘unacceptable’

Cole Palmer scored two injury time goals on Thursday night as Man Utd chucked away a 3-2 lead against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and Ten Hag described it as “unacceptable”.

Speaking after the match, Ten Hag told reporters: “We started the game poorly but I had the feeling we were dominating. We got ourselves into a winning position, with some brilliant football, scoring some great goals and we didn’t manage the game in stoppage time.

“You have to do your job. The players know their jobs and they didn’t make the right decisions. We didn’t react quickly enough [for Palmer’s winner]. We have to make better ­decisions. We have to read when to keep the ball, to pass and move and switch the play when we are winning.

“We made individual errors that cost us the game. We have to learn from it. When you are a Man United player you should already know how to deal with this circumstance. In five days we dropped five points. That is unacceptable. We gave away a game we should have won.”