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In the wake of Manchester United stepping away from the Manuel Ugarte deal, the Red Devils are now re-evaluating previous and new midfield targets.
A recent report from Ben Jacobs has claimed that United are now looking at Wolves’ Joao Gomes and Fluminense’s Andre.
With United unwilling to part ways with the €60 million (£51.4 million) Paris Saint-Germain wanted for Ugarte, it’s unlikely that United are going to agree to a deal for anything like this kind of fee.
A deal for Andre could potentially cost the club €35 million (£30 million), however Gomes would set the Red Devils back €70 million (£60 million), making this a lot less likely.
However, Chris Winterburn, writer for Marca, has reported that he believes it’s unlikely United will now make a major midfield signing by the end of the transfer window.
He has instead, highlighted an English talent in the Championship who has recently been profiled by INEOS’ recruitment team.
INEOS profile Coventry’s Ben Sheaf
The report explained that at the start of the summer, United’s recruitment team looked into Coventry’s Ben Sheaf as a potential target.
The 26-year-old came up through the Arsenal academy and while there had a series of loans to Stevenage, Doncaster and Coventry, before finally leaving Arsenal to settle at Coventry in 2021.
Since then, Sheaf has made 143 appearances for Coventry, grabbing nine goals and nine assists across all competitions.
More recently, Sheaf has been graced with the captains armband on a regular basis, including in Coventry and Manchester United’s famous 3-3 FA Cup Semi-Final match back in April 2024.
The game United go 2-0 up at halftime, with a third coming within 13 minutes of the second half starting. Unfortunately for United, Coventry managed to bring it back, scoring three in the final 20 minutes of the game to take it to extra-time.
It came down to penalties in the end, with United winning 4-2 in the shoot-out, and unfortunately for Sheaf, taking the fourth spot kick for Coventry, he missed the goal, with Rasmus Hojlund scoring straight after him to seal the win.
With a number of strong performances to his name, Sheaf has shown his capability in the Championship and is a cheap option to bring in with summer. With a low value on the midfielder, it can also be said that he’s low risk, with no real expectations of him taking the club by storm, however he could step up and impress.
If United do go for the 26-year-ld but it ultimately doesn’t work out, the fact that Sheaf is English and a product of an English youth academy means that he’ll have a good re-sale value.
Ultimately, with United’s purse strings still held tight, with limited funds to get any deal across the line, a cheaper option like Sheaf may be what we see the Red Devils going for by the end of the summer.
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