Report: Manchester United to vie with Real Madrid for wonderkid

Following their worst finish in the Premier League era with an eighth-placed position, the club responded by embarking on a summer spending spree of almost £200million on talented players like Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Manuel Ugarte.

The window also saw Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos team at the helm for the first time and was the first step in what is likely to be a significant rebuild at Old Trafford.

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With the window now closed, the regime will be looking ahead to their next targets, with a report in Spain claiming that the Red Devils could be about to compete with Real Madrid for one of Spain’s most promising young players.

Sevilla’s versatile right-back Juanlu Sanchez was a part of the Spain squad that won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics last month and according to AS, has caught the eye of Manchester United.

Able to operate further forward on the right and in the middle of the pitch, 21-year-old Sanchez has a reported €20million release clause and the Red Devils ‘will continue to monitor’ the player this season in La Liga, but so will European champions Real Madrid.

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Aware of this interest from two teams with deep pockets, Sevilla are believed to be wanting to negotiate a new contract with the player and that would include a higher release clause. Sanchez’s current deal expires in 2026.

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Sanchez, who is valued at €15million by Transfermarkt, appears to be a promising talent. He is capped at Spain U21s level and is clearly piquing the interest of scouts, which is only likely to see his value go up, meaning Manchester United may want to make a decision on whether or not they step up their interest sooner, rather than later.

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