Man Utd face big setback just hours before Ipswich game as club says no to deal for top target
Manchester United have hit a roadblock in signing one of their top transfer targets after making an initial move.
This Sunday afternoon, United will host Ipswich Town at Old Trafford, with the match kicking off at 4:30 pm.
Michael Carrick’s team lost their first Premier League game of the season 2-0 to Hull City last weekend. They’ll be eager to bounce back against another newly-promoted side.
Since then, United secured the £70 million signing of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, joining new arrivals Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos in midfield.
But United are still looking to strengthen other areas, with a new left-back being a high priority.
On Saturday, Sky Sports News reported that United had asked about Aston Villa’s left-back Ian Maatsen, who joined Villa from Chelsea two years ago.
Maatsen, a 24-year-old Dutch international, is one of several players United have targeted to challenge Luke Shaw for a starting spot.
However, after Villa sold Lucas Digne to Paris Saint-Germain, they’re keen to keep Maatsen to avoid losing their natural left-back so late in the transfer window.
Reports now say Villa has no plans to sell Maatsen and will offer him a new contract to keep him at Villa Park.
In his latest YouTube update, Fabrizio Romano said there are “no doors open” for United to sign Maatsen.
United’s main target for left-back seems to be Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, but the Magpies aren’t willing to sell after already losing key players this summer.
There have also been talks about Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde, but the Spain international prefers to stay at Camp Nou unless the club decides otherwise.
Romano shared that selling Balde would require a big sum of money, and while a loan might be possible later, Barcelona isn’t currently open to loan deals.
“As of today, Barca are not accepting a loan, and Balde wants to stay at Barcelona,” Romano said. “If United come for Balde, it could be interesting, but a permanent transfer is complicated because of salary and transfer fee.”
Another option for United is their own young left-back Harry Amass, who’s been playing for the U21s after loan spells with Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich last season.
But speaking before the Ipswich match, Carrick didn’t seem sure if Amass would stay at Old Trafford beyond the transfer deadline.
“At this stage of the window, there are always different scenarios,” he told reporters. “We try to do what’s best for each player while keeping the team strong. We’ve been really pleased with Harry; he had a good pre-season, though it ended with an injury. He’s done well in pre-season.”