Manchester United owners INEOS have finally decided to give their approval to a transfer for Stade Rennais’ Alidu Seidu at OGC Nice.
INEOS control the sporting aspect at Manchester United and also own the Ligue 1 side and FC Lausanne-Sport.
Unfortunately for the conglomerate headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United and the two other clubs haven’t enjoyed good starts to the season.
Michael Carrick saw his side crash out of the EFL Cup after losing 3-2 to Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday. The loss comes after the Old Trafford club took a 2-0 lead at home.
With four points after four league matches, Manchester United are 13th in the table. They have secured a 4-0 win over Sabah in the Champions League.
Lausanne-Sport have one win and six points from eight league matches and are bottom of the table. Nice, who are yet to pick up a win, are also bottom of the table with two points from four matches.
INEOS take action for Nice
French regulations would allow the Ligue 1 side to make a ‘joker’ signing outside the transfer window.
Earlier this month, OGC Nice’s Antoine Mendy suffered a cruciate ligament injury against Le Mans. The situation forces them to look for a new defender, and this is where Alidu Seidu comes into the picture.
Three days ago, Sport Witness covered INEOS holding up the deal for the Stade Rennais player as part of our INEOS Football Watch.
L’Equipe picks up on that and covers the latest on the 26-year-old’s chances of joining the French club.
The Ghana international travelled with the squad to face Sturm Graz in the Europa League on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Manchester United owners gave their approval for Nice to go ahead with this operation.
INEOS have approved the budget needed to sign Seidu on loan with an option to buy. The two French clubs are negotiating terms of the operation, like salary, buying option price etc.
The transfer had been held up by INEOS delaying their budget approval. That perhaps shows interest in the French club is further waning.
| Every Manchester United signing 26/27 | Previous Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Player | From | Estimated Fee / Type |
| Carlos Baleba | Brighton & Hove Albion | £65m |
| Andrey Santos | Chelsea | £48m |
| Youri Tielemans | Aston Villa | £35m |
| Karl Darlow | Leeds United | Free |
Manchester United can’t have joker signing
The Football Association [FA] doesn’t permit Premier League sides to sign a player outside the window in case their player suffers a serious setback. It may be fun if it was allowed.
Manchester United will have to wait at least until January to bring in reinforcements. It’s probably too early to judge or predict whether the group led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe will carry out new signings in the winter market.
They certainly need to, after a relatively quiet summer left the squad short. Michael Carrick is now under pressure, as are their other managers.
Olivier Pantaloni has been at Nice since June, and Luka Elsner arrived at FC Lausanne-Sport in July. The French and Swiss clubs are bottom of their respective leagues.
🇮🇹 Ruben Amorim | “He’s making the same choices” – Amorim making Manchester United mistakes in Milan https://t.co/mFlxOrfYxH #mufc
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) September 17, 2026
