Manchester United are yet to make any moves in the transfer window so far, despite a number of players being linked to the club due to Ralf Rangnick's recent appointment at Old Trafford, but it looks like one of the rumoured targets has been taken off the table.
What's the word?
Popular transfer insider, Fabrizio Romano, has taken to his Twitter account this afternoon to confirm that Manchester United are not in the process of signing, River Plate winger, Julian Alvarez.
The Italian journalist Tweeted:
"Julián Álvarez. Manchester United are currently not in the process to sign him in January. Rangnick staff monitored Álvarez at Lokomotiv and Man Utd sent scouts - there’s nothing else as of now."
"His agent’s gonna meet with many clubs."
The 21-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford over the last few day, but they could now lose out to another interested Premier League club, if they are cooling off from their approach, as Newcastle United have also been linked with the young player this week according to Italian news outlet, Gazzetta della Sport (via Sport Witness).
Fans will be gutted
Manchester United fans will be gutted that the club hasn't started to nail down some new signings, especially after the 1-0 defeat to Wolves this week that would have been disappointing scenes for fans.
One fan Tweeted the club directly to express their desire to see the club make some signings:
"Speaking of signings can you sign some players who want to put effort into their work?"
Argentine winger, Alvarez, has managed to get on the radar of Premier League clubs, all the way from South America, thanks to his impressive output this season.
According to SofaScore, the 21-year-old has netted least every 88 minutes, with 18 goals in 21 games for River Plate, and has bagged six assists so far, despite averaging at just 76 minutes per game on the pitch, starting 17 of the 21 games he has played this season.
This kind of attacking threat and prolific finishing would be a welcome addition to United, who are struggling to finish their chances with just a 12% goal conversion rate this season in the league. As a result, supporters will be increasingly sad to see Alvarez not arriving.
Rangnick needs to find solutions in key areas that can make a positive impact on the current side that is "lacking confidence" according to former Red Devils defender, Rio Ferdinand.
Manchester United will have the chance to redeem themselves after a poor performance in the Premier League, by taking advantage of a good run in the FA Cup, they will host Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Monday night.
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