Man Utd and Liverpool are both going after the same £34m player, as Jorge Mendes shares they’re in talks.
Manchester United and Liverpool are both chasing a top winger, as they plan for the 2026/27 season, according to reports. So far, the summer transfer window has been quiet for both teams.
Man United have signed three experienced players: Karl Darlow, Youri Tielemans, and Andrey Santos. Liverpool have only brought in winger Victor Munoz for £35 million from Osasuna.
Since these two big English clubs often compete in the Champions League, they frequently go after the same players. Earlier in July, it came out that both clubs were interested in Roma midfielder Manu Kone, who had a great Serie A season. Roma want to sell the Frenchman to ease financial issues, and the Premier League looks like a likely new home for the 25-year-old.
But Kone isn’t the only player catching their eye. Italian news site Gazzetta says Juventus want to sell talented winger Francisco Conceicao. They agreed to buy Bosnian youngster Kerim Alajbegovic for up to €40 million (£34 million). That’s a big spend for an 18-year-old with just 44 senior games, but Juventus might balance this by selling Conceicao.
The report also says top agent Jorge Mendes has talked with Conceicao, who’s 23, after Man United and Liverpool showed interest. Conceicao was once seen as one of Europe’s brightest young wingers after coming up through Porto. However, his career hasn’t taken off recently.
Last season, the Portuguese international had just nine goal contributions in 42 games for Juventus and scored once in nine Champions League matches. Juventus are frustrated with his lack of goals and want to sell him for €40-50 million.
Conceicao mainly plays on the right wing, and Liverpool might see him as a possible replacement for Mohamed Salah. On the other hand, Man United already have Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo competing for that spot, giving Conceicao a chance to fight for a spot in Michael Carrick’s starting eleven.
To succeed at either club, Conceicao will need to find the form he showed for Portugal at Euro 2024. Former Belgium coach Roberto Martinez once praised him highly. After Conceicao scored a last-minute winner from the bench against the Czech Republic in June 2024, Martinez said:
“Francisco is an example of what it means to deserve being in the team and to be ready to help the group. He shows amazing maturity, has a great instinct for goals, and he proved it. For a coach, seeing him come off the bench and perform like that is very important.”