Manchester United are unlikely to pursue France forward Kylian Mbappe, despite reports last week that the Red Devils could turn to the Paris Saint-Germain man to replace Cristiano Ronaldo.
David McDonell of The Mirror claimed that the Red Devils had identified Mbappe as the perfect replacement for Ronaldo.
Having burnt his bridges with the club during an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo is expected to leave the club during the January transfer window – if not before.
And McDonnell believes that United are prepared to use their “financial might” to launch a £150m+ bid to sign the star.
Offering the 59-cap international a £500,000-a-week contract would also be no issue according to this narrative.
However Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Seth sees this as highly unlikely, telling GiveMeSport:
“All the information I’m getting when we talk about Mbappe and Manchester United is that United actually did overspend their budget in the summer.
“Quite how much money they’ll have for any player, let alone the outlay it would require for Kylian Mbappe, is questionable.”
United spent around £227m to help reshape their squad in new manager Erik ten Hag’s image and while further investment is needed, it is unlikely to come so heavily or so early.
And while United may well need to sign a forward in January to ease the burden on the attackers currently in the squad, a move for Mbappe goes beyond the ridiculous.
The Frenchman signed his current €50m-a-year deal in the summer after performing a sensational U-turn that left Real Madrid fans disgusted.
Should United plan to replace Ronaldo in the winter window, they will surely need to set their sights on more attainable targets.
