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Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, the go-to mantra for the Glazers has been signing high-profile names for big-money irrespective of their utility in the manager’s chosen plan.
The Red Devils missed out on a number of young gems over the years but things are expected to improve now that INEOS are on board with Sir Jim Ratcliffe even claiming that the club will shift away from the old policy and target young, upcoming stars instead.
According to Bild, the Old Trafford side are preparing to launch a transfer offensive for Winsley Boteli, the “top jewel” of Borussia Mönchengladbach’s academy.
The 17-year-old emerged as the top scorer in the U19 Bundesliga West with 21 goals in as many games. For the reserves, the Swiss U18 international scored four times while creating another in only 314 minutes of action.
Gladbach academy ace
The Bundesliga side are keen to agree a new professional deal with the striker as soon as he turns 18 in a few days time. However, the English giants might have other plans.
Mitchell van der Gaag, Ten Hag’s current assistant coach, contacted Boteli’s advisor Christopher Mandiangu, an ex-player he had coached during his time at FC Eindhoven.
Juventus have also been courting the Swiss star for quite some time now but Van der Gaag’s involvement could shift things in United’s favour.
Gladbach cannot hope to compete with United’s riches and would be powerless to stop Boteli from leaving. The prospect of playing in red would be a huge challenge worth taking for the player.
“BILD learned that on Monday (after Juventus had also been courting Boteli for some time), Manchester United launched a transfer attack on Boteli!
Van der Gaag holds the key
“Mitchell van der Gaag (52), assistant coach at United under head coach Erik ten Haag (54), had made contact with Boteli’s advisor Christopher Mandiangu (32).
“If Man United really gets serious in the next few days, Gladbach will no longer have a good hand in the Boteli poker game – the club cannot compete with the European heavyweight either in sporting or financial terms.”
United would only be liable to pay compensation and could get the academy gem on the cheap should INEOS play their cards right. And Boteli would not be put under immediate pressure to make an impact in the first team and could take time adapting in England while plying his trade for United’s reserves, who are crying out for a top-class striker.
Van der Gaag’s own future remains far from certain with the Red Devils targeting Rene Hake of Go Ahead Eagles while Ruud van Nistelrooy is also in talks about rejoining. Whether that plays a part in the eventual outcome of a planned deal remains to be seen.
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