Chapter 339: Manchester United’s Transfer Plans

Chapter 339: Manchester United's Transfer Plans

While the global media continued to revel in Portugal's European Championship victory, and the Portuguese players were still sleeping off their night of celebration, Bruno, as always, woke up early. He was ready to greet the first visitor to congratulate him on their triumph.

"Good morning, Jassim!" Bruno greeted Manchester United's new owner, Jassim, in the private café of the hotel where the Portuguese team was staying.

Accompanying Jassim were Bruno's agent, Jorge Mendes, and Jassim's senior personal assistant, Cristiano Giaretta. Giaretta, noted for his excellent work at Udinese in recent years, had been poached by Jassim and was likely to become the new CEO of Manchester United.

With new leadership comes new management. Although Jassim hadn't immediately cleaned house upon purchasing Manchester United, he had allowed the existing management to continue their roles until the end of the season. However, with the team's unsatisfactory performance, the original management team, including the CEO and head coach, was dismissed. Jose Mourinho was appointed as the new head coach, and Giaretta was already acting in the capacity of the club's CEO.

"Congratulations!" Jassim said, shaking Bruno's hand firmly with a smile.

Mendes had informed Bruno about Jassim's visit after the match last night. Besides congratulating Bruno on winning the championship, Jassim also wanted to discuss Manchester United's plans for the new season with him, as Bruno was seen as the key player for their future success.

Manchester United had already reached an agreement with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the only confirmed signing in this transfer window so far. The Swedish striker, who had just ended his contract with Paris Saint-Germain, would join United for free, signing a "1+1" contract with a reported weekly wage of £220,000.

In Bruno's memory, Manchester United's transfer progress was lagging behind that of another timeline. Initially, Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan should have already agreed to transfer to Manchester United by this time. However, due to the change in ownership, and despite Mourinho remaining as head coach, these transfers had not yet taken place.

Bruno had a significant influence in this. Based on his memories, neither of these transfers was considered successful. While both players had talent, Bailly was injury-prone, and Mkhitaryan struggled to adapt to the Premier League. Furthermore, with Bruno's presence, there was no need for Mkhitaryan, whose role overlapped with Bruno's.

Bruno suggested that Jassim consider bringing in N'Golo Kante and Harry Maguire. However, acquiring these two players would not be easy, especially Kante.

As the defensive core of Leicester City's title-winning team, Kante was a hot commodity in the transfer market. He had already proven himself at Udinese and Leicester City, with the added accolades of Premier League, Serie A, and Champions League titles. His market value, according to Transfermarkt, was around €35 million. Given his age of 25, any transfer deal for Kante would likely be in the region of €50 million.

Multiple top clubs, including Manchester United and Chelsea, were highly interested in Kante.

"I met with Kante privately the night before last. He told me that if you join Manchester United, he would be willing to transfer there as well," Bruno informed Jassim.

In the competition to sign Kante, Manchester United had several advantages. Firstly, Kante's agent was Mendes, who also represented Bruno and Mourinho. Additionally, Kante and Bruno had a close personal relationship. Kante also admired Mourinho, knowing he would have an important role in Mourinho's system. With an attractive personal offer from Manchester United, Kante's transfer seemed likely.

Reuniting with Kante was exciting for Bruno. With Kante behind him, Bruno could focus entirely on attacking, without having to worry about defensive responsibilities, as he had to at Udinese and with the Portuguese national team.

"Our defense will also improve with Maguire's transfer," Giaretta added, updating them on the current transfer efforts.

"We've contacted Maguire's agent, and he's eager to join Manchester United, especially to continue playing alongside you," Giaretta told Bruno.

Bruno smiled, remembering how he had influenced Maguire's move from Hull City to Udinese. Over the past two years, their relationship had grown strong. At the end of the last season, Maguire had asked Bruno about his plans, and Bruno had assured him that he was likely heading to Manchester United.

Currently, Manchester United had a solid squad. Their attack featured stars like Rooney, along with promising talents such as Depay, Martial, Januzaj, and Rashford, and the addition of Ibrahimovic strengthened their frontline. The midfield was also strong, with players like Carrick, Mata, Herrera, Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin, Fellaini, and Lingard, and now Bruno and Kante.

The weakest area was their defense. With Smalling, Phil Jones, Blind, Darmian, Luke Shaw, Ashley Young, and Valencia, only Shaw was considered top-tier, but his future was uncertain due to a severe leg injury. Therefore, strengthening the defense was crucial. Besides the nearly secured transfer of Maguire, the club was actively seeking more defensive targets. However, top-level central defenders were rare and highly sought after.

Jassim had stated that Manchester United would spend at least €200 million on new signings this summer. However, considering Bruno's likely transfer fee, this amount seemed insufficient. Before the European Championship, Bruno's market value was already €135 million. His outstanding performance in the tournament would undoubtedly increase his value to over €150 million.

Many media outlets predicted that Bruno's transfer fee could reach astronomical figures, potentially exceeding €200 million. Thus, Bruno alone might consume the entire budget. Adding Kante's estimated €50 million and Maguire's €20+ million, Manchester United's spending could easily exceed €300 million.

Selling surplus players wouldn't generate much revenue either, as surplus players typically don't fetch high prices. Bruno believed that selling last season's European Golden Boy winner Martial and Dutch winger Depay could be a good option. Martial's market value, bolstered by his recent accolades, could reach €60 million, and Depay's value was around €35 million. Selling both could easily bring in €100 million.

Currently, it was the best time to sell Martial and Depay. Martial was a typical case of "peaking at debut," and his future performances might decline. Holding onto such a player long-term could prove detrimental. As for Depay, although his performance last season was underwhelming, he hadn't hit rock bottom yet. Delaying his sale could result in a significant drop in his value.

Bruno had many thoughts on player transfers, but he only mentioned Kante and Maguire to Jassim. As a player, getting too involved in the team's transfer operations was not advisable.

Afterward, Bruno and Jassim had an in-depth discussion about the transfer. Jassim explained that there were no significant issues with Udinese, and the next steps involved negotiating the details of the transfer, especially regarding Bruno's sponsorship deals.

Bruno had nearly ten major sponsors. A move from Udinese to Manchester United could cause conflicts with existing sponsors. The best solution was to have all sponsors negotiate and agree on mutually acceptable terms.

There were many such details to be addressed, which would require long and protracted negotiations. Jassim planned to form a dedicated negotiation team led by Giaretta to handle the transfer's details and expedite the process.

(End of Chapter)

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