Man Utd have failed to sign top Erik ten Hag target Denzel Dumfries
Manchester United have been given the opportunity to sign a long-term Erik ten Hag target as part of a swap offer for Aaron Wan-Bissaka but have incredibly turned it down, according to a report.
Wan-Bissaka has been on Man Utd’s books since July 2019, when they paid Crystal Palace a huge £50million to sign him. He has gone on to make 177 appearances for the Red Devils, with their only piece of silverware in that time being the 2023 League Cup.
The right-back previously struggled at Man Utd, but he has since emerged as an important player for Ten Hag. He has played 17 games in all competitions so far this season, and that would have been more if it weren’t for a hamstring injury which kept him out of action between September 20 and October 29.
Despite Wan-Bissaka playing regularly, it could be argued that the new INEOS chiefs at Man Utd – headed up by Sir Jim Ratcliffe – need to bring in a new right-back who can compete with the Englishman and Diogo Dalot for a starting spot.
After all, while Wan-Bissaka is solid defensively, he lacks composure in the final third. And this is shown by his record of just two goals and 13 assists in those 177 matches for Man Utd.
One player Man Utd have been heavily linked with since Ten Hag arrived as manager is Denzel Dumfries, due to the Dutch connection. Unlike Wan-Bissaka, he is an attacking full-back – who can also play as a right midfielder – that loves to bomb forward and help his right winger out.
The likes of Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool have previously been told they will have to pay €50million (£43m) to snare the Inter Milan ace. But in a stunning turn of events, it has been claimed that Man Utd have been offered the chance to sign Dumfries by offloading Wan-Bissaka.
According to The Sun, Inter have come forward with a shock swap offer that would see Dumfries link up with Ten Hag and Wan-Bissaka move to the San Siro.
Man Utd ‘not interested’ in stunning transfer opportunity
However, the report states that Ratcliffe and Man Utd ‘are not interested’ in this proposal. They are happy to stick with Wan-Bissaka for now, even though his attacking influence is way down in comparison with the Netherlands star.
The reason Inter have drawn up this surprise bid is that Dumfries is in the middle of a contract stand-off. His current deal expires in June 2025 and talks are ongoing about an extension, but there is disagreement over what his new wages should be.
The 27-year-old wants £80,000 a week, but Inter are in a tricky financial situation and are only willing to go up to £35k per week.
Perhaps Man Utd are waiting for Dumfries to get closer to the end of his contract before making their move and trying to sign him in a cut-price deal. But if Man Utd have truly rejected this swap proposal, then it would represent a staggering turn of events.
Man Utd could have offloaded a player who is no longer worth anywhere near the £50m they originally paid for him, while also bringing in one of Europe’s deadliest full-backs. But Ratcliffe appears to have different plans, and he will need to sign some big names this summer to get the Man Utd faithful on board.
