£93m Man Utd star wanted by UCL giants in repeat of Fergie’s big mistake

The January transfer window is huge for Ruben Amorim and Manchester United if the 39-year-old is to push the side and his tenure in the right direction.

For too long, the Red Devils hierarchy have splashed the cash recklessly, often resulting in numerous big-money additions failing to make the grade at Old Trafford.

Antony is arguably the best example of such dealings, costing £86m in the summer of 2022, after following former boss Erik ten Hag in swapping the Netherlands for England.

He’s since only scored 12 times in 94 matches, rapidly dropping down the pecking order as a result, leading to various rumours about his future including a move to Greek side Olympiacos.

Outgoings are certainly needed to cut the hefty wage bill before Amorim can make his own mark on the side, but one player shouldn’t sold amid recent speculation about his own future.

LaLiga side interested in landing £93m-rated Man Utd star

In recent days, journalist David Ornstein confirmed that the United hierarchy would consider offers for Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho should they receive any acceptable offers for the pair.

The duo both flourished in the academy, before making the step up to the first team effortlessly last season – remaining as members of Amorim’s side after his appointment.

However, talkSPORT have confirmed that Champions League outfit Atlético Madrid are interested in a move to re-sign the Argentine winger

, but it’s unclear how much they would be willing to offer for the 20-year-old and secure a return just a couple of years after departing the LaLiga giants.

The winger, who’s valued at €112m (£93m) by CIES Football Observatory, has scored eight and registered four assists in 2024/25, boasting one of the highest returns of any attacker in the Red Devils squad.

Whilst he’s been left out of various matches in recent weeks, his future shouldn’t be under consideration, potentially making an error in letting him go, as they did with another star under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Why Garnacho could be a Pique repeat for United

As previously mentioned, United signed youngster Garnacho from Atletico back in October 2020, but the recent news could see him return to his former side – leaving a huge hole in the forward line.

However, it wouldn’t be the first time the club sold a player back to a side they arrived from, with the same situation occurring with centre-back Gerard Piqué back in the summer of 2008.

The Spaniard originally moved to Manchester in 2004, making just 15 first-team appearances before ultimately returning to Barcelona – the club where he undoubtedly made a name for himself during his professional career.

After leaving Old Trafford, the defender would go on to make over 600 appearances for the Catalan club, winning countless trophies such as three Champions Leagues, eight LaLiga triumphs and a World Cup win with his nation.

Pique will forever be a club legend in Barcelona for his iconic partnership with Carles Puyol at the heart of the defence – made even more impressive by the fact United sold him to them for just £5m – certainly going down as one of Ferguson’s biggest mistakes during his tenure as manager.

Whilst Garnacho would undoubtedly command a much more significant transfer fee, selling him back to his former club would be a huge mistake and one that Amorim could rue, similarly to how Sir Alex did with Pique.

The 20-year-old still has bags of time on his side to develop further into a world-class talent, with a move away from Old Trafford seeing the hierarchy losing a player who could have a huge part to play in their future success.

Should they receive a fee close to his market valuation, it would be a club-record fee received – which obviously would spark interest in accepting – but if he can build on his start to life as a professional, the Argentine would undoubtedly be worth a whole lot more down the line.

As seen by the Pique deal, there would certainly be a risk in moving the winger on, while the lack of attacking threat within the current squad would make Amorim’s task of transforming the side even harder than it already is.