Manchester United given green light on £40m “joy to watch”

Manchester United had another busy summer in the transfer window and will be hoping that their business has significantly improved the squad this season.

Ruben Amorim had his first proper opportunity to attack the market after joining the club in November 2024, having not been given much to work with in the January window.

Senne Lammens, Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have all made a great impact in their opening games for the Red Devils.

A victory over Liverpool at Anfield last weekend will have hugely boosted confidence in the dressing room ahead of their upcoming fixtures, but there is still plenty of work to do to get back to consistently competing.

After missing out on Europe this season, there is a great opportunity for Amorim to lead the squad to a better finish in the Premier League, with European qualification a realistic target and a good run in the FA Cup also desired.

Still, there is room for improvement in the goal-scoring department, with only eleven league goals tallied so far, fewer than every team above them in the Premier League apart from Sunderland (9).

Whether the January transfer window will be viewed as an opportunity to strengthen further remains to be seen, but the club is already being linked with more striker options to support Sesko.

Crystal Palace ace Jean-Philippe Mateta has been named as a target for United even before the summer, and their interest appears to be building momentum once again.

The talented striker’s contract runs until 2027, which has caught the attention of several clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

Now, a new report from Football Insider has revealed Palace’s stance on Mateta’s future, and it’s great news for United.

According to the publication, Palace will likely consider selling the Frenchman if they cannot reach an agreement to extend his stay beyond 2027.

The club are increasingly being pushed into a corner as the contract situation continues, and although they have no intention to sell in January, they may reconsider in future windows.

It certainly wouldn’t hurt United to add more Premier League experience to their squad, especially if they are serious about competing with the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the near future.

The 28-year-old – hailed as “a joy to watch” by Troy Deeney – has proven he is more than capable of being a consistent threat in front of goal for Palace.

Despite a slow start in South London, Mateta has gone from strength to strength, scoring 53 goals and registering 11 assists for the Eagles – equating to a goal contribution every 153 minutes so far.

This level of output would be warmly welcomed at Old Trafford, with consistency a real problem for Amorim’s men, and could provide a huge boost to their current trajectory in the Premier League.

It has been widely reported that the asking price would be £40m for Mateta, which feels reasonable when you consider the current value of the striker market.

Alexander Isak cost Liverpool £125m, Viktor Gyökeres cost Arsenal £55m, and Sesko joined United for a fee of £74m, so if Palace were willing to sell for that price, it would be a huge coup.

With that being said, a move for Mateta will definitely be one to watch for United supporters over the coming months, although it remains unlikely that Palace will be forced into a sale in January.

Rebekka Arnold is an experienced writer with a strong background in digital media, PR and football journalism.

Since 2021, Rebekka has written opinion pieces and match reaction content for Football Fancast, part of the Snack Media network, building on her growing presence in the football community through viral Twitter content and podcasting.

Now at Transfer Tavern, Rebekka brings her sharp eye for analysis and deep passion for the game to deliver engaging football opinion and breaking transfer news content.