Manchester United have reportedly lost the chance to sell Mason Greenwood to Barcelona due to demands made during a meeting with the La Liga club. Red Devils directors John Murtough and Matt Hargreaves flew to Spain last week to talk to a number of clubs about Greenwood’s future.
Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo claim that Murtough and Hargreaves had lunch with Barcelona sporting director Deco and one of the topics of discussion was Greenwood. Man Utd wants to resolve Greenwood’s future, after this player impressed in the Getafe shirt.
Getafe is willing to keep Greenwood after the current season but lacks the financial potential to meet the salary or price demanded by Man United. However, Barcelona can spend a relatively large amount of money and they, along with Atletico Madrid, are said to intend to buy the English player.
But Barcelona are no longer interested in more detailed discussions with Man United because Greenwood’s valuation is considered too high. The 22-year-old player is likely to leave Old Trafford, but when Deco asked how much it would cost to buy Greenwood, he received an answer of around £34 million and £51 million.
That amount of money is considered outside Barcelona’s budget and they will not consider continuing to negotiate with Man United for this deal.
Greenwood has 6 goals and 5 assists in 25 appearances for Getafe, after struggling to find a new home last summer. However, Man United may have once again set too high expectations for Grewnood.
Man United are under pressure to sell players to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules. This has caused difficulties for them in the last 2 seasons. Greenwood is seen as an asset they can monetize.
As an academy product, Greenwood helps Man Utd’s financial statements look better if they sell this player. In addition, Sir Jim Ratcliffe can also use this money to bring in new contracts.
But Man United could be wrong to rule out one of the most potential partners for Greenwood in Barcelona by offering too high a price.
Greewnood’s current contract has less than 18 months remaining. Then, the value of the English player will decrease over time. Although Man United reportedly has the option to extend Greenwood’s contract for another year.
With Barcelona seemingly running out of chances, Man United was forced to look for another partner. Murtough and Hargreaves are said to have met Atletico and Real Madrid along with teams in Italy and Portugal.
However, they are lacking specific interest in Greenwood. Surely Man Utd will have to offer a more reasonable price to liquidate Greenwood this summer.