Manchester United ‘planning £160m deal for Jack Grealish AND James Maddison’
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly looking to sign Jack Grealish and James Maddison this summer for a combined £160million.
The Manchester United manager is looking for fresh attacking options following a tricky season which currently sees the Red Devils six points off the top-four in the Premier League.
As a result, The Sun is reporting that Solskjaer will target Aston Villa captain Grealish and Leicester City midfielder Maddison and is hopeful the pair’s close relationship will work in his favour.
Aston Villa skipper Jack Grealish has impressed so far this season in the Premier League
James Maddison has also caught the eye at Leicester and both are wanted by Man United
Maddison (centre) and Grealish (R) with Ben Chilwell in Dubai during the winter break
Manchester United fan and music artist Stormzy recently met up with Grealish (pictured in picture on the left) and Maddison (pictured on the right in picture on the right) in Dubai
The report details that the Red Devils could splash the cash on the pair if they offload Paul Pogba, who has not played since December due to injury.
Pogba will just have one more year left to run on his current Old Trafford deal in the summer but United do have the option to extend it by a further year.
United will do so to ensure they can get around the £150m mark for their star man with both Real Madrid and Juventus big admirers of the Frenchman.
Should the French World Cup winner be sold, Solskjaer would be given the go-ahead to pursue Grealish and Maddison.
The pair were in Dubai recently, pictured alongside Leicester left back Ben Chilwell, as they enjoyed downtime during the winter break.
They also posed for pictures with music artist and Manchester United supporter Stormzy.
The 24-year-old Grealish has been a linchpin for Villa this season, as they battle to avoid the drop.
He has been at the club he supports since the age of six, but may need to move on in order to guarantee himself Premier League football and in order to feature regularly for the England national team.
Maddison, meanwhile, has flourished for Leicester in the top-flight since his move from Norwich in the summer of 2018.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to add reinforcements to his attack
Solskjaer will be hoping Maddison’s friendship with Harry Maguire can help land his target
The 23-year-old has played an integral part in the Foxes’ stellar season, scoring six Premier League goals and working in tandem with Premier League top scorer Jamie Vardy.
Maddison is close friends with Manchester United club captain Harry Maguire so Solskjaer will be hoping their bond will bring the Leicester man to Old Trafford.
Solskjaer added to his midfield in January, completing the long-awaited signing of Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon for £68m.
The Norwegian has targeted young, hungry players since taking over the permanent reins of the club.
He brought in Brits Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire in the summer before signing Fernandes in January.
Former Watford striker Odion Ighalo arrived at the club on a deadline day loan but he is seen as a stop-gap signing to fill in for the injured Marcus Rashford.
Solskjaer has targeted young Brits in the past with Aaron Wan-Bissaka arriving from Palace
United also brought in Welsh starlet Daniel James from Swansea City in the summer
Solskjaer said ahead of last summer’s transfer window on the type of players he wants to bring to the club: ‘You have to have a certain kind of attitude about you to make you a Manchester United player.
‘You have got to have the qualities and our fans want to see exciting players.
‘Of course we want to get up from our seats. We want to see defenders who defend like they’re doing it for their lives, that’s the most important thing.
‘We’ve tried to educate our players and our kids to be proper people. In my view, the best players have always been the best people.
‘It’s always been in our culture. You have to have that work ethic and we’re scouting the market, trying to find the right ones.’
And executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward this week said United would be spending big again in the summer.
He said in a meeting: ‘The signing this week of Bruno Fernandes and return of key players from injury will be a boost to Ole and the squad as we head into the second half of the season.
‘We remain in contention in the Europa League and the FA Cup, as well as for Champions League qualification, so there is still lots to play for.
‘However, as a club and a board, we do recognise that we are not yet where we want to be. It is the overwhelming priority of everyone at the club to get us back to regularly challenging for Premier League and Champions League titles. Although progress may not always be smooth, everyone across the club is focused and committed on playing their part in helping achieve those aims.
Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has vowed to spend big again in the summer
‘Significant work has already been done — and investments made — to strengthen the academy and we’re pleased with the progress being made behind-the-scenes to ensure we have the right players, the right infrastructure, and the right culture to sustain long-term success.
‘Similarly, there has been extensive work on our recruitment process, with considerable investment in scouting, data and analytics. The recruitment department is working to a clear plan and philosophy, along with Ole and his coaching staff.
‘Our focus is on bringing in a combination of experience and the best young players with potential to develop further, fusing graduates from our academy with high-quality acquisitions.
‘Our recruitment process focuses on analysis and selection of players over the course of a season, with a view to the following summer transfer window. As part of the rebuild we see this coming summer as an important opportunity.’
United, who are currently on a winter break in Malaga, are next in action on Monday night when they face top-four rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
