As Jadon Sancho edges closer to finally bringing an end to his Manchester United nightmare, he could hand the Red Devils a parting gift in the form of the perfect upgrade.
Man Utd transfer news
Whilst those at Old Trafford are yet to officially get their summer business underway, deals for both Joshua Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt are reportedly on the cards with the two Dutchmen now in a position to decide their futures after being knocked out of Euro 2024 at the semi-final stage by England.
The latter represents the perfect replacement for Raphael Varane who left at the end of his contract last season following two seasons which were often disrupted by spells on the sideline.
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Meanwhile, Zirkzee should add the attacking spark that the Red Devils have so desperately been lacking in the last year or so and provide Erik ten Hag a fresh face as Sancho nears a summer exit. The England international has endured a nightmare spell at Old Trafford and his public fallout with Ten Hag perfectly encapsulated his struggles before a rejuvenated loan spell at Borussia Dortmund.
Now, according to reports in Italy, there are talks of Manchester United signing Federico Chiesa in a swap deal that will see Juventus sign Sancho this summer. United would be killing two birds with one stone in quite the deal by finally showing Sancho the door and welcoming an instant upgrade in Chiesa, but although the Englishman has said "yes" to the Old Lady it remains to be seen whether it's a proposal that the two clubs can reach an agreement on.
If Sir Jim Ratcliffe wanted to steal the headlines this summer, then welcoming Chiesa whilst ending Sancho's Old Trafford spell to forget would certainly do exactly that. What's more, when the Italian is at his best, he could throw Marcus Rashford's starting place into significant doubt.
Why "direct" Chiesa is better than Sancho
Whilst it's been clear for some time that Sancho desperately needs a permanent move away from Manchester United, the same can be said for Chiesa at Juventus.
The Italy international struggled to rediscover his best form once again last season, as Juventus finished over 20 points behind Serie A winners Inter Milan. Now, with Thiago Motta seemingly looking to show him the door, Chiesa needs a summer switch and the chance to challenge for Rashford's starting place on Ten Hag's left-hand side.
Goals
9
7
Assists
2
2
Key Passes
54
23
Ball Recoveries
62
81
Even in a disappointing season, Chiesa's output was still fairly impressive and is the type of goal involvement that United needed to spark their season into life last season.
The winger already has some fans in the Premier League too, including Rio Ferdinand, who previously told the Metro: "He’s just a fantastic footballer. The intensity with which he plays with, we saw in the Euros he was the main goal threat for the Italians who went on to win the tournament.
"It’s his pace, his drive. He’s the one who is the threat, he’s potent, he wants to run in behind. He’s that modern day striker who can play anywhere across the front line and he’s as comfortable out wide as he is through the middle. He unnerves defenders with that pace, he’s so direct."