Manchester United will reportedly offer Marcos Rojo plus cash in hopes of securing the signature of the Villarreal star in the January transfer window.
Fans have heard the term ‘cultural reboot‘ multiple times ever since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over the reins at Manchester United. Ed Woodward has been one of the most prominent userss of the phrase, while the manager is the one tasked with its successful implementation.
19th of December will mark two years as United boss for the Norwegian. And the scrutiny concerning his tenure will be immense on the back of the occasion. After all, he is yet to deliver a trophy for the Red Devils.
While discussing his time at the club, some of the main talking points will be United’s leaky back-line, the capture of Harry Maguire for a transfer fee of £80 million and the hierarchy’s hesitancy in altering their defence with a new signing over the latest summer transfer window.
Manchester United’s defence has been one of the biggest reasons for their recent failures, conceding 17 goals already from 11 matches in the Premier League this season. Although they did manage a rare clean sheet against Manchester City in the weekend.
Some of the centre-backs are not seemingly ready for the competitiveness that the club demands, while the boss has completely lost his faith in others. But what could be a piece of promising news for Solskjaer is that the January transfer window is knocking on the door.
According to Duncan Castles, the Red Devils are pondering upon offering Marcos Rojo as part of an offer to lure Pau Torres from Villareal to Old Trafford in the window transfer window.
Speaking on the latest episode of Transfer Window podcast, Castles mentioned how United are willing to offload the 30-year-old Argentine and sign one of their most desired defensive targets in one swoop.
He stated:
"“[Solskjaer], as he wanted in the summer, is looking and asking for a left-footed centre-back to try and improve their defending, try and compensate for Harry Maguire’s obvious issues.“I can tell you that there have been discussions with Villarreal over a deal for Pau Torres, their Spain international, who is now 23 years of age, recently signed a contract last year until 2024.“He is liked by Barcelona but probably out of Barcelona’s price range at present unless they achieve a big sale, because his contract includes a €50million release clause with a further €25m I understand of bonuses included in that clause, should a club buy out his contract.“The interesting part of this is that Manchester United’s discussions with Villarreal, I’m told, have involved offering Marcos Rojo to Villarreal as part of the deal.”"
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Pau Torres, 23, has been a crucial part of Villarreal’s successful start to the 2020-21 campaign under the guidance of new manager Unai Emery. They are currently 4th in La Liga, having lost just one game thus far.
The Spanish international has played 14 games across all competitions this season, having scored twice, thanks to his aerial prowess. On the other hand, Rojo is going to be a free agent in June 2021. And it is unlikely that he will even put on the United jersey ever again.
As a result, he could be a great sweetener in the deal but the Red Devils will still have to pay a significant transfer fee to secure Torres’ signature.
If fortune favours the Norwegian gaffer, United could end up landing the 23-year-old. And his arrival could go a long way in solidifying their leaky backline.