Manchester United successfully beat a tough Nottingham Forest side in their opening Carabao Cup semi-final match on Wednesday, with new January loan signing Wout Weghorst finding the net in a United shirt for the first time.
The 20-time PL champions have quickly adjusted to life under new manager Erik ten Hag and are actively seeking four trophies, despite recent setbacks against Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
The Red Devils found themselves in desperate need of reinforcements in the attacking department during these disappointments, as Ten Hag was forced to rely on the youthful exuberance of Alejandro Garnacho to create a significant impact off the bench in attack.
With Jadon Sancho’s absence from first-team proceedings and Antony’s lack of form, United have often had to rely on Marcus Rashford’s incredible run of goals to get them through some tough situations.
The Red Devils are unlikely to add to their squad at this point, with a sale looming on the horizon, but plans for the summer have begun in earnest, with the club looking lavishly at various leagues in multiple countries.
Several names have been linked as United look to sort out their attacking woes, but it looks like one of their most coveted targets could be on its way to Spain.
Supposedly, Real Madrid have entered the race for Dani Olmo, according to Defensa Central, who claim that the Whites have marked the 24-year-old as a key man for the future.
The versatile striker has been in top form for RB Leipzig this season, with two goals and four assists to his name in his twelve Bundesliga appearances.
Olmo graduated from the famed La Masia academy, Barcelona’s prized production line that continues to churn out products for arch-rivals Real Madrid with great fervor.
The current Spanish international finished top scorer in four of his six seasons at the “Cortijo”, but would choose not to continue with the blaugrana, in an attempt to accumulate more minutes.
He eventually signed with Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb in 2014, which raised a lot of eyebrows at the time, but would turn out to be a shrewd move by both club and player.
At just 16 years old, Olmo would make his debut for Dinamo and in the blink of an eye, the teenager consolidated his place in the first team.
He contributed heavily to five title-winning teams, playing in a variety of positions, earning envious glances from Europe’s elite.
Soon enough, RB Leipzig and Julian Nagelsmann called, and Olmo would make the substantial leap to the German top flight in January 2020.
Once again he thrived and his performances since then, both at club and internationally with Spain, have made him a constant source of interest in the gossip columns.
Olmo’s contract ends in 2024, and Leipzig will be aware that keeping him will be difficult, with bigger and better prospects on the horizon.
A price tag of around €60m has been proposed, and it’s unlikely to be much of a stumbling block for clubs the size of Real Madrid and Manchester United.
The Glazers’ unwillingness to spend this window is sure to have ramifications on United’s performance this term, but come summer, with the possibility of new ownership in the works, United will actively look to fill the gaps in their squad.
The Red Devils will be aware that tempting a Spanish player into a move to the Santiago Bernabéu will be a chore and a half, but stranger things have happened.
One to keep in mind.
