First things first, let’s kill something.
Several times on Tuesday, Sport Witness was asked about a Sport report which apparently says Alvaro Morata to Manchester United is imminent.
Sport is a Catalan newspaper, which should probably be where this stops. It was claimed Morata to Manchester United could be done in 72 hours, and this was all based on an AS article stating a €74m fee had been agreed.
Sport said that AS claim was from Tuesday, but linked to an article from mid June, and none of it, even when mashed together, created anything worthy of the fuss which followed.
And don’t, just don’t, mention Don Balon. More trust should be placed in Indy Kaila than they.
What has been coming from the Spanish media, the more reliable ones who weren’t presenting it as a done deal nearly a month ago, is that Real Madrid feel they have all the time in the world.
Why rush just to help Manchester United? There’s no need to sell so easy-does-it, chill for a while, play the power game.
Oh, we have something you want? Well, remember when you had something we wanted, agreed to sell it to us, and then set us up for an elaborate ruse?
This is Ed Woodward’s problem, last time he was the winner. There were memes circulated all around the football world media. Woodward was THE man, and had managed to keep David De Gea at Old Trafford.
Now Florentino Perez wants to be the winner, so everything is taking a little more time. Other than slapping €90m on the table, Man United will be looking for any sign that Madrid could be pressured to get their skates on.
That may have arrived in the form of Dani Ceballos, best player at the Euro U21s. With a €15m clause at Real Betis, he’s very much available and there’s a supposed battle ongoing between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Wednesday’s edition of Marca reports that Ceballos is keen on Madrid but wants to be shown he has a chance, he doesn’t want to be signed and go on loan.
Marca say ‘The departures of Morata and James are fundamental for his signing’
Morata doesn’t play in the same position, but depending on the set-up Zinedine Zidane chooses from match to match, and the general need to have less quality in the squad if Ceballos is ever going to have a chance, sales are needed.
With other purchases on the horizon, and Kylian Mbappe at arm’s length, winding up Manchester United becomes gradually less important than doing what is best for Zidane’s preseason and start to the season.
Real Madrid’s recent success has partly been built on the lack of a circus around the club, and Morata returning from holiday to be chased by the media in and out of training every day isn’t ideal.
Movement and softening from Madrid is likely, Ceballos developments and others show that, but the situation still needs a new Manchester United offer.
