Federico Valverde might be on the transfer list as Man Utd gets a chance for a smart swap deal.
Manchester United might have a chance at an unexpected swap deal, as reports say Jose Mourinho wants to sell Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde.
Since taking over from Alvaro Arbeloa at Santiago Bernabeu in June, Mourinho has brought in several new players. Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, and Ibrahima Konate have arrived from Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool, while Denzel Dumfries joined from Inter Milan. More changes are expected at Real Madrid before the 2026/27 La Liga season begins.
Spanish news source El Nacional says Mourinho is open to selling Valverde, who is under contract until 2029, because the club “doesn’t see him as untouchable anymore.” The Portuguese manager wants to rebuild the midfield and doesn’t think Valverde fits the profile he needs.
A sale of Valverde could help Real Madrid try to sign Bayern Munich’s winger Michael Olise. However, Real Madrid released a statement in June denying any direct contact with Bayern or Olise about a transfer. They emphasized their good relationship with Bayern and said any player deals between the two clubs would be handled officially and respectfully.
Though a deal for Olise funded by selling Valverde seems unlikely right now, there’s still a chance Valverde could be part of a swap. Manchester United has been linked with Valverde for a while and are looking for another midfielder after signing Ederson from Atalanta this summer. United also showed interest in players like Elliot Anderson, Mateus Fernandes, and Sandro Tonali. However, Manchester City signed Anderson, and Spurs secured Fernandes and Tonali.
On July 4, Spanish outlet Fichajes reported that Real Madrid is watching United’s midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, even though he extended his contract with United until 2031 in April. They say Real thinks they will eventually need a young, physical player who can grow in La Liga, and Mainoo fits that description.
With Real interested in Mainoo and United interested in Valverde, a swap deal might be possible, though it’s not clear if either club would want to do that right now. When Ruben Amorim was at Manchester United, Mainoo didn’t get much playtime, but under Michael Carrick, he’s had a bigger role. There were also reports that Mainoo was thinking about moving abroad.