Crystal Palace Blocks Adam Wharton Exit Amid United Left-Back Search
Pierre Sage has drawn a clear line in the sand over Adam Wharton. The new Crystal Palace manager insists the England international will not be leaving Selhurst Park this summer, despite interest from Manchester United.
Palace have already cashed in on several key players and Sage has no intention of watching another pillar walk out.
"We sold big players and now I think it's not the moment to do that," he said ahead of Palace’s Premier League return this weekend. "Adam can play at a big club but I think one year with us, one year with a new dynamic, will be good for him and we need him."
United will have to look elsewhere. And they are.
United’s left-back puzzle
As the Carlos Baleba deal edges closer, United’s recruitment team have turned their gaze to left-back. The club have made contact with the camp of Barcelona defender Alejandro Balde, but the response has been blunt: the Spaniard is happy where he is.
That leaves Michael Carrick with a familiar headache. With Patrick Dorgu viewed as an option higher up the pitch and youngster Harry Amass expected to leave, Luke Shaw stands as the only recognised senior left-back. Shaw’s form has been reliable when available, yet his injury history hangs over the position.
United are exploring multiple avenues. Infobae reports the club have finally stepped into the race for Racing Santander teenager Jorge Salinas, a 19-year-old left-back with a £13.7m release clause in his contract. Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are also tracking him, but the piece claims United have "burst into negotiations" as they search for depth and long-term cover.
Another name on the table is RB Leipzig’s David Raum. GIVEMESPORT reports United have been offered the chance to sign the Germany international, who is in the final year of his deal and could be sold to avoid a free transfer exit. Salinas, too, is said to have been offered.
Interest in Lewis Hall and Myles Lewis-Skelly has so far led nowhere. The need in that area has not gone away.
Baleba closing in as midfield reshaped
While the left-back search gathers pace, United are closing in on their next major midfield signing. A bid of around £60m plus £5m in add-ons has gone in for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, and there is growing confidence an agreement will be reached. The Cameroonian has been keen on the move since United’s initial enquiries last summer.
Baleba is set to join Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans in a rebuilt midfield at Old Trafford. The trio arrive in the wake of Casemiro’s departure and Manuel Ugarte’s serious World Cup injury, which has forced United to accelerate their plans in the middle of the pitch.
United have already added Karl Darlow alongside Santos and Tielemans, but Carrick has been clear: he wants more.
"I just think we're looking to strengthen the squad," the United manager said at his pre-Hull City press conference. "We're certainly working towards that, making the most of the situation that we have and trying to improve things and trying to move forward.
"We're certainly trying to make the most of the opportunities to finish the window stronger than we went into it. And I think we're a good way to doing that, so far."
The message is obvious. United will not ease off in the final stretch of the window.
Rashford’s future and a restless window
One of the more intriguing subplots surrounds Marcus Rashford. Back at United after a season-long loan with Barcelona, the 28-year-old has impressed Carrick on the training ground.
The manager praised Rashford for training "fantastically well" when asked whether the forward had indicated a desire to stay beyond the deadline. United are still understood to be open to offers in the final days of the window, but the likelihood now is that Rashford will be reintegrated into the squad for the new campaign.
His situation captures the wider mood at Old Trafford. Nothing feels completely settled, but the pieces are starting to fall into place.
United always looked destined to be busy in the final fortnight of the summer market. They have been. They will continue to be.
And as the Premier League season kicks off with champions Arsenal hosting newly-promoted Coventry City, Carrick’s side head to Hull City on Saturday lunchtime knowing the backdrop to their opener is familiar: a squad still under construction, a market still moving, and a left flank crying out for its long-term answer.
