Two Premier League clubs enquire about signing Mason Greenwood
Greenwood’s form for Getafe has attracted interest across the continent – Getty Images/Angel Martinez
At least two Premier League clubs have enquired about signing Mason Greenwood but the controversial Manchester United striker is still more likely to move overseas if sold this summer.
Greenwood, 22, has caught the attention of Spanish audiences this season after scoring 10 goals in 31 appearances on loan at Getafe.
Sources in Spain insist Atletico Madrid are keeping close tabs on Greenwood, even though they have played down their interest. It is understood Barcelona would like to take Greenwood but do not have the financial capacity to strike a deal. Real Madrid have been linked but seem unlikely to pursue him. Other Spanish suitors are said to be monitoring the situation, too.
Similarly, clubs in Germany and Italy – Juventus and Lazio have been linked – are also believed to have registered interest in Greenwood.
United are thought to value Greenwood at around £40-45 million, similar to the fee that took Cole Palmer to Chelsea from Manchester City last summer.
Since Greenwood is an academy graduate at Old Trafford, any sale would represent pure profit on the books and provide significant funds to reinvest with the club’s summer budget likely to be tight owing to the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules and the absence of Champions League revenues next season.
If United, who are curretly eighth in the Premier League, were to miss out on European football entirely, they would effectively be operating a sell-to-buy policy this summer so money from a Greenwood sale could be vital.
With little expectation that Greenwood could stay at United and play for the club again, the focus has been firmly on exploring the options around a permanent sale. However, if the right offers do not materialise, United could countenance another season-long loan provided it came with an obligation to buy for a set fee.
Getafe would like to keep Greenwood for another season but a large fee coupled with the player’s £75,000-a-week wages is beyond their financial capacity.
Greenwood has been permitted to rebuild his career in Spain – Getty Images/Alvaro Medranda
The Spanish club’s president, Angel Torres, confirmed this week that Getafe hope to keep Greenwood for another season but also made clear that United’s priority is a sale. “If a good offer comes along, they would want to sell because he is not going to go back there,” Torres added.
Greenwood’s contract at Old Trafford runs until June next year but there is an option to extend the deal by a further 12 months to 2026.
United abandoned plans to reintegrate Greenwood into their first team squad last summer in the wake of a fierce public and internal backlash and subsequently loaned him to Getafe.
In February last year, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that charges of attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and controlling and coercive behaviour against Greenwood had been dropped after key witnesses withdrew and new material came to light. Greenwood denied the allegations.
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