REPORTER CLAIMS WEST HAM INTEREST IN £47M MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYER
West Ham United are showing an interest in signing Manchester United midfielder Fred as they prepare for life after Declan Rice.
Fred has emerged as a West Ham United target with the Manchester United man likely to move on this summer.
That is according to 90Min reporter Graeme Bailey, who has been speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast.
Bailey claimed that West Ham have ‘sniffed’ around Fred as they explore a potential move.
Bailey noted that Fulham and clubs in Saudi Arabia are interested in Fred, with United seeking a fee worth around £20million.
It’s ultimately unlikely that the Red Devils will be able to bring in that kind of money but the mounting interest will be a boost for them.
Fred needs to leave Manchester United
Fred was a major signing for United back in 2018 as they forked out a £47million deal to sign him from Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Brazilian maybe hasn’t quite lived up to expectations but has done a job in the United midfield, providing energy and tenacity.
Fred has now turned out more than 200 times for United but his role maybe isn’t quite as big as he would want.
Fred started just 12 Premier League games last season and it’s hard to imagine him getting many more this coming season.
A move to West Ham would surely give Fred more playing time – especially with Declan Rice on his way out.
West Ham will be assessing a number of midfield options
Rice is set to join Arsenal in a huge £105million deal and confirmation of his exit should spark West Ham into life.
West Ham may chase two midfield additions this summer with the aim of replacing Rice’s ball-carrying and defensive abilities.
A whole host of names have been suggested so far this summer with Alex Scott, Joao Palhinha, Amadou Onana and Denis Zakaria.
Fred is now another name to add to the list but we would suggest that West Ham look elsewhere.
Committing money – both in fees and wages – to a 30-year-old Fred just wouldn’t feel like great usage of a huge cash windfall from Rice’s exit.
West Ham should be looking to invest in more players they can grow and develop over the coming years, rather than go down the route of signing 30-somethings again.
Leave a Reply