Man Utd keen on late move for £42m “engine”

It has been a quiet transfer window for Manchester United, with just two notable incomings at Old Trafford. The Red Devils have signed Patrick Dorgu from Lecce and Ayden Heaven from Arsenal in the last few days.

There have also been several outgoings on loan, with the two notable moves being Marcus Rashford, who joined Aston Villa, and Antony who made the move to Real Betis until the end of the season.

United might not be done there when it comes to a transfer business, however, and could make a late move for a midfielder.

Man United eye up new midfielder

The player in question here is Juventus and Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz. According to a report from Sami Mokbel of the Mail, the Red Devils ‘have an interest’ in signing the £42m star.

However, Mokbel goes on to report that the ‘prospect of any agreement with Juventus [is] not close’, and with time ticking, it does not seem a guarantee that the 13-time Premier League champions will sign the player before the 11pm deadline.

Why Luiz would be a good signing

Even though a deal might be unlikely for the Red Devils, it is certainly not impossible. Ruben Amorim’s side could do with the “engine” in the middle of the park, as football statistician Statman Dave described the Brazilian.

Opportunities have been limited for the 26-year-old during his first six months or so in Turin. The former Aston Villa star has not had the game time he might have imaged when he first made the move to Juventus, having played just 19 times across all competitions, a total of just 656 minutes.

However, he is a player with bags of ability, as he showed during his time at Villa Park. The Brazilian made 204 appearances during his time in the West Midlands, scoring 22 goals and grabbing 24 assists from a number eight role under Unai Emery.

Should United sign Luiz, he could inadvertently hand Kobbie Mainoo a new long-term role in the Red Devils’ midfield under Amorim.

The England international started as a number ten in United’s recent Europa League win over FCSB, and perhaps this will be a permanent switch for the 19-year-old.

It is fair to say that the United academy graduate thrived as one of the most advanced midfielders, showing off his technical flair in the final third.

As per Sofascore, the Stockport-born sensation managed to score and assist, create three chances and complete four from five dribbles.

Luiz’s ability on and off the ball could see Mainoo move further forward permanently. Not only is he an accomplished ball-winner, but is also a progressive player in possession. In his most recent Premier League season, he made 2.44 combined tackles and interceptions per game and also completed 5.05 progressive passes per 90 minutes, as per FBref.

United could perfectly profile Mainoo whilst adding quality to their midfield in Luiz, who earns £132k-per-week, as per Capology. He has excelled as a box-to-box midfielder before, and could well do so again under Amorim.

Even though this could be a tough deal to do, United might be delighted with such a transfer so late given how it improves their squad.

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