Manchester United in talks for ex-Ruben Amorim attacker to become first summer buy: report

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick — Manchester United could be set to sign one of ex-boss Ruben Amorim's former players (Image credit: Getty Images)

After an eventful first half of the season, Manchester United are heading to the Premier League finish line in a relative state of calm.

With two matches of the campaign remaining, the club have already sealed a return to the Champions League and look set for a third-placed finish, which will mark their best performance since the 2022/23 season.

With interim boss Michael Carrick set to be rewarded for the progress he has overseen since his January return to the club by being named Manchester United's next permanent boss, attention will now move to bolstering the club’s squad in the summer transfer window.

Manchester United linked with Sporting attacker

As the Old Trafford hierarchy finalise these summer plans, the club could be set to return to Portugal and land one of ex-boss Ruben Amorim’s former players.

According to Portuguese outlet A Bola, the Red Devils are one of three Premier League sides to have held ‘exploratory talks’ with versatile Sporting star Maxi Araujo’s representatives about a summer move.

Maxi Araujo of Sporting CP (Image credit: Getty Images)

Araujo is coming off an excellent campaign, which included some eye-catching performances in the Champions League, where he made 11 appearances, scoring twice and laying on one assist, primarily playing from the left-back position.

Chelsea and Tottenham are the other Premier League sides said to be looking at the 26-year-old, but this English interest is set to be challenged by front-runners Atletico Madrid.

Juventus have also been in touch, with all six clubs said to have held talks with the left-sided player’s agents, although the report adds that all of the interested parties want to ‘avoid a price inflation’ as they fear an auction for the Uruguay international’s services this summer.

When it comes to Araujo’s price tag, Sporting are said to want his suitors to meet the €80million release clause that is in the player’s current contract.

There is some doubt as to whether any of these interested parties will meet this price, but Sporting will be confident of at least returning a healthy profit on the player who cost them €13.7million from Mexican side Toluca in 2024, shortly before Amorim departed for Old Trafford.

Sporting's Maximiliano Araujo — Araujo has won 28 caps for Uruguay (Image credit: Alamy)

In FourFourTwo’s view, it is little surprise that Araujo has a number of admirers across Europe, given his performances in the Champions League this season.

Araujo is valued at €25million by Transfermarkt and the more pressing question is how highly Manchester United rate him and whether they believe he could immediately come into the team as Luke Shaw’s successor.

If they believe he is ready to make the step up then he could be a player worth pursuing.

TOPICS

For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.