Manchester United could be about to land two of the most scintillating young stars on the planet, thanks to their new investor
(Image credit: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
Manchester United could be about to land two of the most exciting young superstars in world football, thanks to their new investor.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is waiting for the approval of his £1.3 billion bid for 25 per cent of Manchester United, the club he's supported all of his life. The INEOS billionaire will take care of the sporting side of the business – and that could mean a squad overhaul.
According to talkSPORT, Ratcliffe plans to install a sporting director, but already two new players have been linked with the Reds Devils.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to invest in Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images)
Sport in Spain have claimed that Newcastle United want to rival Man United for the signing of Bayer Leverkusen superstar, Florian Wirtz, who is widely regarded as one of the best young footballers in Europe right now.
Furthermore, Athletic Bilbao star, Nico Williams, is a target on a free transfer, as cited by TEAMtalk.
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Should United manage to land both, it would be a huge statement of intent from Ratcliffe, who has criticised the club in the past for spending "dumb money".
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Williams and Wirtz could theoretically replace Jadon Sancho and Antony, who have both hugely underwhelmed after landing at Old Trafford for over £150m combined. Sancho is currently exiled from the side, while Antony has only just rejoined it, following time away from the team to address allegations of assault.
Nico Williams is on Manchester United's radar (Image credit: Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Wirtz would no doubt be an expensive signing, though, given that he currently has a contract that runs until 2027. With Leverkusen flying high in the Bundesliga, they would not want to lose him and could command a similar fee to the £72 million they got for Kai Havertz.
Williams, however, is a free agent from next summer.
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
