Manchester United transfer news: United set to loan out Adnan Januzaj to PSG and could make room for Gareth Bale - if a move firms up
The sale of Januzaj could make room for Bale, if the prospect of him joining United next summer firms up
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United are ready to let Adnan Januzaj leave on loan next month, with Paris Saint-Germain emerging as the club where the 19-year-old believes he will be playing from next month.
The French side may seek an option to buy Januzaj next summer, which could pave the way for United to move for Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale then.
Januzaj has started only four Premier League games for Louis van Gaal this season, despite the huge relief United felt at tying him to a £30,000-a-week, five-year deal in October last year.
Van Gaal seems to have doubts about Januzaj, while signing the teenager could allow PSG’s Qatari owners to satisfy their ambition when buying the club to unearth a future talent who would be one of the world’s best players by the age of 25.
Januzaj would be eligible to play in the Champions League for PSG and could be confident of getting substantially more football in Laurent Blanc’s 4-3-3 system, than he has for Van Gaal, whose use of wing-backs reduces his opportunities.
The prospect of a loan deal for a player of Januzaj’s ability is hugely attractive to the French side. Spending limitations created for PSG by Financial Fair Play and the club’s pessimism about the prospects of offloading Edinson Cavani or Javier Pastore next month make a big-money buy impractical for them.
Van Gaal is unlikely to oppose the departure. His uncertainty about Januzaj seemed to be illustrated when the winger was immediately removed from the Manchester derby in November, after Chris Smalling’s dismissal demanded a reshuffle.
The sale of Januzaj could make room for Bale, if the prospect of him joining United next summer firms up. The 25-year old has no wish to leave Madrid and, despite suggestions to the contrary, his family are not unsettled in the Spanish capital. But the chance of United trying to sign him again next summer – two years after the club’s unsuccessful efforts – may materialise if Real president Florentino Perez is influenced by supporters’ apparent indifference to him as a player. Perez likes to renew Real’s superstar component every summer.
Januzaj has a virus and was unavailable to face Newcastle on Boxing Day, but he has not started for United since four consecutive games at the end of October– his only starts to date, this season.
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