Man United transfer ‘within reach’, wage demands not as high as first thought

The closer we get to the January window, certain transfers that appeared to be pipe dreams for Italian clubs are becoming more and more achievable.

One of these happens to be Manchester United’s Memphis Depay, who is being tracked by half of Serie A if all reports are to be believed, but one in particular stands out.

AS Roma’s reported interest has been the most consistent, and Corriere dello Sport make it sound like it’s definitely doable in their print edition on Thursday.

The Italian newspaper explain that while the player isn’t in Mourinho’s plans at Old Trafford, the Premier League club would prefer to sell him rather than send him on a series of loans. 

Aware that this might not happen in January, one six-month loan could be enough to spark some interest in the Dutch winger, and this would suit Roma perfectly.

Realistically, they just want him to replace Mohamed Salah during his time at the African Cup of Nations, and a loan with an optional view to buy could suit all parties.

Manchester United want to see if there’s anyone out there who would be willing to spend €20-25m on a player they spent €30m on in 2015, and that could be Roma if the player impresses on loan.

This all sounds like a win-win for everyone, and even the wages have suddenly become manageable, with Corriere reporting that Depay’s base wage at United is actually ‘within reach’ for Roma, with performance bonuses (which he obviously hasn’t met) taking the contract to ‘expensive’ territory.

It all sounds so promising, doesn’t it?