Recent reports from the Daily Mirror suggest that Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior has been offered to Manchester United as a part of the deal that will see Raphael Varane move to Old Trafford in the coming days.
Florentino Perez has demanded a cut-price fee of around £68.5million for the Brazilian superstar as he is trying to balance the books to try and fund a move for Paris Saint-Germain sensation Kylian Mbappe.
The report further states that The Red Devils have shown interest in the player; however, they are not willing to pay the humongous price tag. As a result, an initial loan deal with the option to buy could come into play.
The 21-year-old has been left disappointed with the fact that Los Blancos are willing to part ways with him, especially given that new coach Carlo Ancelotti wanted him to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Vinicius Jr’s Growing Frustrations At The Spanish Capital
The 21-year-old winger joined Real Madrid from Brazilian club Flamengo in the summer of 2018 for a fee of around £36 million; however, with just 15 goals in 118 appearances across all competitions, it’d be fair to say that he has been quite unreliable in front of the goal.
With six-goal contributions in thirty-five La Liga appearances, Vinicius managed to put some very mediocre numbers on the board as he averaged 1.1 shots, 0.9 key passes, 1.3 dribbles, 0.2 crosses and 0.3 long balls per 90 minutes in the Spanish top-flight. As evident from the stats, he hasn’t been as impressive as the price-tag suggests, although his off the ball movements and rapid acceleration has the potential to terrorize even the best defences in the world.
The Right Choice For Solskjaer?
A couple of months ago, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer emphasized the need to sign players if United want to compete for the Premier League title next season.
“We are looking at the squad, the players who are going to stay, those who might be leaving and I hope that we’re going to strengthen with a few.. two or three players that we definitely need to challenge higher up in the table.” – The Norwegian tactician stated.
“We’re still too far behind to think it is just going to come by itself.”
Jadon Sancho’s signing has definitely strengthened the squad; however, with reports suggesting that Marcus Rashford could be out till October, it seems as if quality re-enforcements are needed to fill the hole – and Vinicius Junior fits the bill perfectly. If he arrives on a loan deal, he’d be the perfect short-term replacement for the 23-year-old England international.
He might not be the most consistent player on the pitch, but his experience at Real Madrid will definitely help the Red Devils going forward. Hence, Solskjaer must try his best to get the deal over the line this summer if the Spanish giants set suitable terms.
(Stats from WhoScored)
