Manchester United enter ‘extraordinary’ £87m race to sign Semenyo replacement

It has been one other curler coaster for Manchester United, with a yr stuffed with deception beneath supervisor Ruben Amorim.

Within the Premier League standings, the Purple Devils are in thirteenth place with 12 wins from 36 video games and 46 factors. It isn’t sufficient, however there isn’t any doubt that we have seen indicators of progress within the final month or two.

Bruno Fernandes continues to be the membership’s vivid mild, however it’s a disgrace that his 2025 marketing campaign was reduce quick too quickly after choosing up a uncommon harm within the current 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.

May this have modified United’s switch plans? The signing of Manchester Metropolis-bound Antoine Semenyo is at present underway, however it will not be far-fetched to recommend that the middle of the park is a precedence place for INEOS heading into the January market.

Manchester United’s January switch plans

Fernandes’ hamstring harm will change Man United’s winter switch technique. Certainly, the 30-year-old captain is just not anticipated to be sidelined for lengthy, however it’s unlikely we are going to see him once more till the brand new yr.

That is maybe the chance Koby Mainu has been ready for for a very long time, however the proficient 20-year-old suffered a calf harm in coaching and may very well be out for the subsequent few weeks himself. It was simply his luck.

In response to talkSPORT, United technical director Jason Wilcox is already eyeing a substitute for Semenyo, with RB Leipzig’s Yann Diomande additionally being thought-about.

Diomande, 19, has began his life in Germany effectively and turned out to be fairly the rising star. His expertise was plain and his employers transfer-listed him for a whopping £87 million.

He undoubtedly has an excellent larger ceiling than Semenyo and given the circumstances, he would possibly show to be a signing for Amorim’s personal Fernandes on the Theater of Desires.

Why Yann Diomande is ideal for Manchester United

Diomande is a two-faced winger who has established himself as probably the most scientific youngsters in Europe this season. He joined RB Leipzig from Spanish facet Leganes this summer season, however solely performed 10 video games in La Liga final yr, scoring two targets.

With seven targets and 4 assists already this season, the participant described by journalist Antonio Mango as a “particular, particular footballer” has the potential to grow to be a celebrity, suggesting he may very well be a brand new model of United’s talismanic Fernandes.

This argument is additional strengthened by the truth that the Portuguese will arrive in January, simply as he did when he moved from Sporting Lisbon in 2020 for an preliminary switch payment of £47 million.

Diomand is harmful and direct. Though he’s not stylistically much like Fernandes, his prolificity and talent to ship one thing distinctive suggests he may get pleasure from related influences. In any case, he is without doubt one of the most enjoyable offensive skills on the planet.

Moreover, he ranks within the prime 6% of his place mates in shot-created actions, prime 3% in progressive carries, prime 1% in take-on makes an attempt, and prime 12 in tackles per 90 over the previous yr, in response to FBref.

There isn’t any query Diomande has celebrity potential and given United’s vested curiosity in Semenyo over the previous few weeks, it is clear he matches the mould set by Amorim’s long-term plans.

The Ivory Coast worldwide has shortly established himself as an elite expertise and though it will price a big amount of cash to convey him to Outdated Trafford in 2026, there is no such thing as a doubt that Man United will get a great return.

Identical to they did with Fernandes.