Manchester United successfully saw off a tricky Nottingham Forest side in their first semi-final leg of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, with new January loan signing, Wout Weghorst, finding the net in a United shirt for the first time.
The 20-time PL champions have adapted quickly to life under new manager Erik ten Hag and are actively in the hunt for four trophies, despite recent setbacks against Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
The Red Devils found themselves desperately lacking reinforcements in the attacking department during these disappointments, as Ten Hag was forced to rely upon the youthful exuberance of Alejandro Garnacho to create any meaningful impact off the bench in attack.
Given Jadon Sancho’s absence from first team proceedings, and Antony’s lack of form, United have often had to bank on Marcus Rashford’s incredible run of goalscoring to get them through some sticky situations.
The Red Devils are unlikely to add to their squad at the moment, with a sale looming over the horizon, but plans for the summer have begun in earnest, with the club scouting profusely across various leagues in multiple countries.
A number of names have been linked as United look to solve their attacking woes, but it seems one of their more coveted targets might well be on his way to Spain.
Real Madrid have supposedly entered the race for Dani Olmo, that is according to Defensacentral, who claim Los Blancos have marked the 24-year-old out as a key man for the future.
The versatile forward has been in sparkling form for RB Leipzig this season, with two goals and four assists to his name in his twelve Bundesliga appearances.
Olmo was a graduate of the famed La Masia academy, Barcelona’s prized production line which continues to churn out the goods for Real’s archrivals with great fervour.
The current Spanish International finished top scorer in four of his six seasons at the “Farmhouse”, but would opt against continuing with the Blaugrana, in an attempt to accrue more playing time.
He eventually signed with Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb in 2014, raising many eyebrows at the time, but it would prove to be a shrewd decision by both club and player.
Aged just 16, Olmo would make his debut for Dinamo and in the blink of an eye, the teenager cemented his place in the first team.
He greatly contributed to five title winning sides, playing in a variety of positions, earning envious glances from Europe’s elite.
Soon enough, RB Leipzig and Julian Nagelsmann came calling, and Olmo would make the substantial jump to the German top flight in January of 2020.
Once more, he thrived, and his performances since, for club and internationally for Spain, have made him a constant source of interest in the gossip columns.
Olmo’s contract runs out in 2024, and Leipzig will be aware that holding on to him will be difficult, with bigger and better prospects on the horizon.
A price of around 60 million euros has been bandied out, and it is unlikely to be much of a stumbling block for clubs the size of Real Madrid and Manchester United.
The Glazers’ unwillingness to spend this window is bound to have ramifications on how well United can perform this term, but come summer, with the possibility of a new ownership in the works, United will be actively on the hunt to fill the gaping holes in their squad.
The Red Devils will be aware that tempting a Spanish player out of a move to the Santiago Bernabeu will be a task and a half, but stranger things have happened.
One to watch out for.
