Man Utd prepare offer to sign ex Man-City player

Manchester United will be hoping they can turn around their form this season. The Red Devils have been in disappointing form under new manager Ruben Amorim, and are facing an uphill battle to make something of this season.

The new man in the hot seat at Old Trafford has had 15 games in charge, winning six, losing seven and drawing the remaining two.

There have been ups and downs, including a fantastic 2-1 win against Manchester City, but also some disappointing home defeats, most recently a 3-1 loss to Brighton.

As a result, United could well look to bring in some new faces in the January transfer window and are reportedly targeting one attacking star.

Man United target new attacker

The player in question here is Real Madrid attacking midfielder Brahim Diaz. It has been a mixed season for the Morocco international, who has suffered from injuries at times and could now depart Los Blancos.

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According to reports coming out of Spain, United ‘see the player as a top-level reinforcement’ this January, as they search for attacking acquisitions to help boost themselves up the table. The Red Devils view Diaz ‘as the ideal player to bring creativity to the team’.

A potential price for this transfer has not currently been made public. However, United are believed to ‘be willing to make a significant investment to secure his signing’.

He is currently valued at £29.5m by Transfermarkt, which is a fee that could be used as an estimate for how much Diaz could cost United.

Why Diaz would be a good signing for Man United

It has been a bit of an up-and-down season for Diaz. He has played 24 times in all competitions, with three goals and five assists so far.

However, injuries have played a part in his campaign, and he has played just 1073 minutes so far, the equivalent of just 11.9 full 90 minute games. Thus, his eight goals and assists stack up well with his full 90 minutes.

Last season, Diaz was fantastic, playing 45 times for Madrid, scoring 12 times and grabbing nine assists. His performances, which included a key goal in the Champions League last 16, perhaps went under the radar compared to stars like Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.

Controversially, a move to United for the Moroccan international would be a return to Manchester. He is a graduate of Manchester City’s academy, and played 15 times for the club, scoring two goals, both coming in a Carabao Cup game against Fulham.

Interestingly, he has previously been compared to another City academy graduate, Phil Foden. During Diaz’s successful loan spell to AC Milan in 2022/23, Joleon Lescott claimed that “if it wasn’t for a young Phil Foden”, he would be playing for City.

Indeed, the former Citizens defender explained that the Madrid star and City’s number 47 “are of a similar mould”.

That is certainly high praise given Foden was the Premier League’s Player of the Year in 2023/24, but the stats from last season and indeed this season in top-flight football suggest the comparison is fair.

The pair really are neck and neck in several stats last term. For example, both players averaged 0.9 goals and assists per game, and Diaz’s ability on the ball outshone Foden. He averaged 3.2 completed take-ons each game, compared to the City star’s 1.5 take-ons completed per 90 minutes.

Diaz, described as a “fearless” player by Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane, could be a brilliant addition for United. He would bring creativity and flair to the ball, just as Foden does for City.

This could be exactly the signing United need to help spur them on and improve their results this season, which have been far from good enough so far.

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