World record €250m bid to put dream Man Utd transfer in motion, as Mbappe, Vinicius Jr futures become clear

Manchester United have been told it’ll require a world record bid of €250m before conversations over signing Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr can begin, while a report has detailed how Kylian Mbappe fits into the equation amid claims an agreement on his future is getting ‘closer and closer.’

The Red Devils are primed to oversee a frustratingly quiet winter window from an arrivals perspective. The club’s transfer budget is small and Man Utd haven’t been able to free up funds through player sales. Indeed, those that have departed, such as Donny van de Beek, Hannibal Mejbri and Jadon Sancho, have all left on loan.

However, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s purchase of a 25 percent stake in United was announced on Christmas Eve. The partial takeover is still awaiting the final sign off from the Premier League. Ratcliffe publicly stated he expects to be in situ by mid-February at the latest.

As such, the summer window is where the action will be and per the Evening Standard, plans are already being formulated over four major deals.

Spanish outlet Sport subsequently reported Ratcliffe will explore whether Vinicius Jr can be prised out of Real Madrid this summer.

The Brazilian, 23, is among the world’s most lethal wingers, though clouds appeared to be forming over his long-term future in Madrid.

Indeed, Real are determined to sign Kylian Mbappe as a free agent next summer. Mbappe’s preferred position is coming in off the left wing which is the same role Vinicius Jr excels in.

Various outlets have suggested Vinicius could be sacrificed to make room for Mbappe, both in a positional and financial sense.

Mbappe won’t cost a transfer fee given he’ll be a free agent in the summer, though his sign-on fee will be colossal and that’s before his gigantic wage demands are addressed.

As such, Sport reported Ratcliffe will give serious consideration to signing Vinicius in a move that would kick the new era at Old Trafford off with a bang. A mammoth bid of €150m (approx. £128.6m) was cited as being on Ratcliffe’s mind in the piece.

However, a fresh update from ESPN Brazil has shed new light on the futures of both Vinicius and Mbappe.

€250m bid required, but Real want Vinicius Jr AND Mbappe

Firstly, the report states talk of €150m being enough to sign Vinicius has been laughed off at Real. Instead, it’s claimed a world record bid of €250m would be required to simply start conversations with the club.

The current most expensive transfer of all time remains Neymar’s €222m move from Barcelona to PSG back in 2017.

But even if Man Utd were willing to smash the record, it’s unlikely Vinicius would wind up at Old Trafford anyway.

ESPN Brazil add Real have no intention of selling the winger and his future is NOT linked to Mbappe’s. In other words, Real believe they can incorporate both players into their set-up.

Regarding Mbappe, the report concluded the impression among Real’s star-studded squad is an agreement between Los Blancos and Mbappe is ‘getting closer and closer’.

There had been talk of Real being willing to walk away from the Frenchman if he didn’t signal his intention to join them by January 15.

That notion has since been dispelled and Mbappe’s camp have publicly declared he’ll not be rushed into a hasty decision on his future.

But if ESPN Brazil are correct, the signs point towards Mbappe lining up in the same forward line as Vinicius Jr at the Bernabeu next season.

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