Eduardo Camavinga celebrates after scoring (Getty Images)
According to a report by The Daily Mail (h/t ESPN), Manchester United have approached Rennes with regards to a potential transfer deal for Eduardo Camavinga. The midfielder has impressed at Rennes and is already a full international for France. United are trying for a €60million deal.
He is in the final year of his deal at Rennes and the club, according to the report, wishes to sell him now instead of risking a free transfer move later. The 18-year-old is one of the hottest young prospects in the world, but is this is a move that Manchester United need right now? Let us find out.
Camavinga is 18 but is already a pinned starter for Rennes and would surely want to be a first-team player at the Red Devils. The club would themselves want him to be a member of their senior squad if they dish out such a big transfer fee. But there might be no space for him to fit in at Old Trafford as of now.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer currently has a long list of midfielders at his disposal. Playing a 4-2-3-1 formation, the Norwegian can only fit in so many central midfielders in his line-up. And for those three starting places in the centre of the park, United have around seven contenders.
Bruno Fernandes is perhaps a regular starter in the No.10 role but even he could have competition for starts given the return of Jesse Lingard from his loan spell. Donny van de Beek, Paul Pogba, Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic, and Fred are the players that vie for starts in the double pivot.
Van de Beek, who was signed from Ajax just last summer, is having trouble finding game time. He had just 4 starts in the Premier League. So much was the competition for starts at one point that influential playmaker Paul Pogba had to play out on the flank to give game time to other midfielders in the middle.
Amid this, it is very hard to think where Camavinga would fit at the moment. Moreover, the club has other areas to strengthen. They are close to sealing a €90million deal for right-winger Jadon Sancho. Apart from that, the club probably needs a few more players to have a better chance of winning trophies next season.
A defender to play alongside Harry Maguire, some competition at right-back for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and a No.9 to compete with Anthony Martial are all options that fans would think United need to address in the summer. But with finite resources at their disposal, it would be hard for United to complete all these deals.
ESPN have claimed that United have around £150million to spend on players in the summer. With Sancho close to signing, if the Red Devils also splash on the 18-year-old midfielder, it is hard to see them have any more money to address other areas on the pitch. There is no doubt that Camavinga is a great prospect.
But United should focus on getting immediate success right now. Without a trophy since 2017 and a league title since 2013, the club should not prioritize the future over the present and unless they can sign Camavinga after addressing other areas on the pitch first, this is a transfer that can wait for a little while.
