Man United to 'miss out on £16.6m bargain' as major transfer change expected

Manchester United are back in action this week as they kick off their Europa League campaign.

Erik ten Hag’s side endured a frustrating evening against Crystal Palace in their last outing and had to settle for a point with the game at Selhurst Park ending in a 0-0 draw. The stalemate brought to an end a good run of goalscoring for United, who had found the net 10 times in the previous two games.

United take on FC Twente in the Europa League on Wednesday night, with the Dutch side travelling to Old Trafford in the first league games of the competition. After that, eyes will turn back to the Premier League with Tottenham the visitors on Sunday afternoon.

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While the transfer window may be closed, it doesn’t stop talk around United and comings and goings that could happen when the window re-opens in January. Plans will already be being made for the winter window behind the scenes.

With that in mind, MEN Sport have taken a look at a couple of the stories doing the rounds. We’ve also given our own take on the situation.

Barcelona transfer blow

Barcelona youngster Marc Bernal is set to sign a new contract with the Spanish giants this week, despite Manchester United showing an interest in triggering his release clause, according to ESPN.

Despite being just 17 years-old, the defensive midfielder started all three of Barca’s opening games in La Liga this season. He, however, suffered a major injury blow in the closing stages of the victory over Rayo Vallecano, where he suffered a tear to his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL).

The teenager is now undergoing rehabilitation but faces a significant time on the sidelines. Despite his injury, United were said to be showing an interest in signing the midfielder, who is reported to have a €20 million (£16.6m) release clause in his current deal. However, it is said that he is set to sign a new contract with Barca this week. In what would be a blow to United and Newcastle, who were also said to be interested.

MEN Sport says: Despite his injury, if United were able to pay just £16.6 million for a teenager with so much potential, then it would have been a no-brainer. But a new contract with what could be a huge increase in any release clause makes any potential deal really difficult.

The good news for United is that there is no longer an urgent need for a defensive midfielder. The deadline-day signing of Manuel Ugarte means that the club have brought in a relatively young player who they hope will be able to hold the position down alongside Kobbie Mainoo for years to come.

Transfer window change

The Premier League have approved plans for next summer’s transfer window to close before the start of the new season, with the league hoping that the rest of the top European leagues follow suit.

According to TalkSPORT, executives from the European Club Association (ECA), which represents clubs from England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France, are all keen for the window to close before a ball is kicked for the 2025/26 season. The campaign is due to kick off on Saturday, August 16, with the Premier League having plans in place for the window to close on the night of Friday, August 15.

Chris Woerts, who is a prominent figure in the ECA, said: “The clubs are working hard to get the decision made on this within the entire ECA. Next year, the transfer window must close on August 15, before the leagues kick off.

"Everyone is getting frustrated and annoyed by the fact that players are still being sold for weeks while the competitions have started.

“One major club in Spain caused a problem so it couldn’t happen this year. That was FC Barcelona. Because of all their financial problems they were not able to make moves on the transfer market until a very late stage. So they broke the pact of the ‘Big Five’.”

MEN Sport says: It makes sense for the window to close before the start of the season, but it should only go ahead if the rest of Europe follows suit. Having the distraction of a potential move away from a club after the season has started is far from ideal for the players and the managers trying to manage through the early games while a potential transfer saga is going on.

It would make it easier all around if the window closed before a ball is kicked. However, if other European leagues are not in line, then it would only cause the same problems for English clubs, with overseas sides potentially making moves for players with clubs then unable to bring in replacements.