The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has served the footballing world a huge financial blow and Man United are not exempt to this. Despite being one of the richest and most successful clubs in the world, the Red Devils are being heavily affected by COVID-19 and could be for the foreseeable future, executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward admitted.
The Man United figure also discussed the issue of transfers. The summer window is yet to open but links and rumors are already doing the rounds as clubs attempt to lay the groundwork for a smooth transaction. Solskjaer’s side have been linked with an array of world talents but Woodward has warned fans not to get their hopes too high over a summer spending spree that will be required to sign the players reportedly on their radar.
“I cannot help feeling that speculation around transfers of individual players for hundreds of millions of pounds this summer seems to ignore the realities that face the sport,” Woodward confessed, as per the Daily Mail.
“Nobody should be under any illusions about the scale of the challenge facing everyone in football and it may not be business as usual for any clubs, including ourselves, in the transfer market this summer.
“As ever our priority is the success of team, but we need visibility of the impact across the whole industry, including timings of the transfer window, and the wider financial picture, before we can talk about a return to normality.”
While there was no mention of any particular player, fans can draw a link between the Man United executive’s comments and the speculation regarding their interest in Jadon Sancho and Harry Kane. Both are immensely talented players; both are set to be on the Red Devils’ radar but both would cost an arm and a leg.
It remains unclear whether Woodward was referring to both players. Sancho is said to be priority no.1 but the Kane rumors have been popping up lately after he admitted he wants to win trophies. Both would cost over a hundred million pounds but it would be a huge blow to the club if they are unable to sign one come this summer.
Several news outlet claim that a deal for Dortmund’s 20-year-old is a matter of when, not if, as the Man City product is reportedly keen on moving to Old Trafford. Solskjaer is in need of a player like Sancho, an assists-master who is also a tremendous goalscoring threat. Time will tell if coronavirus and its financial ramifications prevent Man United from landing one of the hottest players in world football.
