There were several reports in the British media on Wednesday saying that Manchester United had agreed to pay the release clause of Nicolas Otamendi, which currently stands at €50m. We did a little tracing on the reports and they originate from Deportes Cope Valencia (radio) who claimed that the Spanish club had held talks on the possibility of selling Otamendi to Manchester United and decided that would be the case.
Deporte Valenciano have picked it up and they explain that the radio programme said that the Spanish club's president Amadeo Salvo and the club's general manager Rufete have talked through the scenario, which would be a good financial deal for Valencia. Although the club don't need the cash with the recent investment from Peter Lim, they do need to stay on the right side of FFP and this is one way of doing that and leaving money available for summer purchases.
The meeting between the two men would be largely cosmetic if Manchester United do put forward the €50m clause. That should make a transfer automatic and whilst clubs can be awkward about it and threaten to have extra tax added, it's not a likely scenario and that kind of stance is usually adopted only by Athletic Club Bilbao - as Manchester United will be well aware.
Manchester United would need the will of the player on their side and it's claimed that Otamendi was tempted during the winter transfer window because he was offered a higher salary by the Old Trafford club. Several Valencia sources, including the one mentioned above, now confirm that Manchester United made a €35m bid during the winter window.
There need be no more talks ahead of the transfer being completed, other than personal terms, as long as Manchester United would pay the clause. That's where the doubt has to hang - €50m for a central defender (which works out to be £36m) is huge - but needs must, and Manchester United certainly need
No comments:
Post a Comment