This summer, the European football transfer market is bustling with activity, especially Manchester United’s reinforcement dynamics, which has become the focus of fans’ attention.Among them, the transfer rumors of Sporting Portugal striker Zhekai Lesh is the most striking.Originally everyone thought he might join Manchester United, but recent news shows that things are not that simple.
According to several media reports, Zhekai Lesh seems to have decided not to go to Manchester United.Some sources say that he was actually using the Red Devils to “raise the price” during his contact with United, with the ultimate goal of moving to Arsenal.This may sound like a negotiation tactic, but it’s not uncommon in the soccer world.
The link between Zekeresch and Manchester United is a long one.Famous Italian transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that United have been actively following up on the player’s situation, communicating with Sporting Portugal and his agent on a daily basis.However, the end result was a surprise – United found themselves as just one of the alternatives.
Why is Zhekai Lesh not willing to go to Manchester United?According to the analysis of Portuguese newspaper Record, there are several reasons.The first is financial problems, United have invested a lot in the transfer market in recent years, but the team’s results have not improved significantly, which has deterred some players.The second is that they didn’t qualify for Europe next season, which is an important consideration for many top players.This, coupled with the fact that United have been dubbed the “spherical black hole” over the years, where big name signings have not worked out so well, has also given Zekeres some cause for concern.
Instead, Arsenal became his preferred option.The UK Times also confirmed that Zhekai Lesh has communicated with Arsenal manager Arteta, the two sides exchanged well, and he also preferred to join the Gunners.However, Arsenal’s attitude is not yet firm, and they are also considering other options, such as Leipzig’s young striker Benjamin Schezko.
Although Zhekai Lesh wants to move to Arsenal as soon as possible, the matter is not fully finalized yet.Arsenal’s first offer of £55 million was rejected by Sporting Portugal, but they are ready to make another higher bid.It looks like the deal could still be possible if the price is right.
It’s worth noting that Zekerysh’s agent is no slouch either.When he moved from Coventry to Sporting Portugal in 2023, there was said to be a special agreement between the two sides: if the club rejected an offer of more than £51 million, the agent, Hassan Setinkaya, would get a 10% cut of the subsequent transfer.However, it has recently emerged that the agent has denied that he has any written evidence of an acceptable £59m transfer fee.
There is a liquidated damages clause of up to €100 million in Zekeresch’s contract, and Sporting Portugal have made it clear that they will not ask a buyer to pay the full amount, but their psychological price tag is probably around the €80 million mark.So whoever wants to take the star striker will have to be prepared to pay at least that amount of money.
Since Zhekai Lesh might not be able to go, Manchester United has also started looking for a replacement.According to the UK’s Daily Mirror, they have set their sights on Bundesliga’s Eintracht Frankfurt’s French striker Hugo Ekitiuk.The 22-year-old scored 22 goals last season and performed quite brightly.However, Eintracht Frankfurt’s bid for him isn’t too shabby at £80 million and they are in no hurry to sell.The team’s sporting director, Markus Kroescher, bluntly stated, “If the price is not right, we will keep him.”
In addition to Ekitiq, United have listed several other possible targets, including Crystal Palace’s Mikel Mateta and Ligue 1’s Lille’s Jonathan Davey.Of course, none of these players are cheap and difficult to bring in.
Interestingly, United’s top brass are also hinting to Amorim (Sporting Portugal boss) that if they really can’t find a suitable center forward, perhaps Zirker Zee would be a good choice.It was even suggested that Hoylund could play at a high level in a better tactical system.In other words, what management may be saying is, “The players we have are actually pretty good, we don’t necessarily need to spend a lot of money on new guys.”
In addition to the Zhekai Lesh line, United also wanted to bring in Brentford winger Mbemo.But now the situation has become complicated again.Because Tottenham Hotspur has just appointed former Brentford boss Thomas Frank as manager, and he and Mbemo have worked together for many years and have a good relationship.In this way, Tottenham Hotspur also joined the battle, forming a “triangular relationship”.
ESPN analysts believe that despite the fact that Tottenham’s involvement has made the situation more unpredictable, United remain confident that they will be able to sign Mbemo.If that doesn’t work out, they still have two Plan B candidates: Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and Crystal Palace’s Eze.
Eze is an England-based player with excellent technique who helped Crystal Palace win the FA Cup last year.Crystal Palace bid £65 million for him.And although Semenyo is a Ghanaian international, his performance in the Premier League is getting more and more eye-catching, and Bournemouth has offered him a high price of £70 million.Neither of these two players are easy targets to deal with.
On top of that, United have a hidden target in Semenyo’s teammate Jostein Kluivert.The Dutch winger is 26 years old and has a relatively low price tag of around €50 million to €55 million.In fact, Manchester United were interested in him back in 2017, when Jose Mourinho was still in charge and had a chat with the young Kluivert after the UEFA Cup final.Now years on, Kluivert Jr. is doing well in the Premier League, having scored 12 goals this season, and Ten Hag is looking to bring him to Leverkusen to replace the outgoing Wiltz.
Overall, Manchester United have not had an easy road to reinforcements this summer.They have to face strong competition from their rivals as well as deal with the use of internal players.Whether or not they end up signing Zhekelash or other targets, the next few weeks will be crucial.
For the fans, the main concern is for the team to actually make up for their strengths and not just rely on hype and rumors.After all, the real battle still depends on the performance on the pitch.
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