With Gary Neville looking at the end of his career, despite making a substitute appearance against Roma last month, Manchester United are eager to find a replacement for the right back.
Porto’s Jose Bosingwa has been tipped as the favourite, with United reportedly putting in a £15 million offer for the player. Joining the likes of Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson, all speakers of Portuguese, he would certainly have an easier time fitting in at United than most other clubs outside of Portugal. Turning 26-years-old at the start of next season, he is able to bring with him the experience of a European Cup winner, as well as several league titles in Portugal.
However, thanks to third party ownership, which saw us almost miss out on Carlos Tevez last summer, it seems as though the deal might have to be put on hold, possibly permanently.
20% of the fee for Bosingwa will go to the player’s agent, Rui Neno, meaning that Porto are keen to push up the price to ensure they get a decent amount of money from the sale. The club are now asking for more than £20 million for the defender, which certainly seems steep for a full back.
If an agreement can be reached, United will likely wrap it up before he takes part in Euro 2008, representing Portugal. To comply with new Premiership regulations, United will be required to take full ownership of the player.
Do you think Bosingwa will be playing for United next season?
Man Utd News 24/7
He seems to be attracting good reviews everytime i read about him in the newspaper. I’ve heard people saying he’s very much evra. If it’s really true then i say we should go for him. I personally think it’ll be too hard for him to turn down manchester united. I hope we sign a wonderkid striker this summer too! Then we will be quite complete as a team!
Over £20mil for Bosingwa is totaly ridiculous. I have watched him play a few times for Porto in their domestic league,as well as in UCL. He is a very good player, but not worth that much. For that kind of money i would much rather go for young Micah Richards. The boy is a fantastic athlete,with loads of potential, as well as being versatile as he is able to play RB & CB. He is also english, which i think is very important. I however, think that we should go for Glen Johnson of Portsmouth. He would cost half of what Bosingwa and Richards,and do pretty much the same job. He is quick, strong and still quite young. He is a natural RB,who enjoys getting forward and suporting the forwards.Richards is not a natural RB. He is very good going forward, and is an excellent crosser of the ball,as well as being solid on defence,which is more than i can say for Bosingwa. United need someone solid in defence to plug the holes left when United lose the ball in attack. Plus,it cant hurt that he is english to. Lahm is another player that could fit in at United. His play and stature reminds me of Patrice Evra, and he can also play on either flank,which could come in handy. With his contract renewal stalling and Bayern resigned to losing him, now would be a good time to go for him. All in all,i personaly think there are better options out there,and i for one wouldnt be too upset if we dont land Bosingwa
Good post, Kingpin. All valid points there. I’d also like to throw Daniel Alves into the mix. He’s been mighty impressive for a mediocre Sevilla, and is a rock solid right back with fantastic pace, great crosses, freekicks (as if we need them.. eheh) and suberb attacking qualities when it comes to technical skills and attacking awareness. As a Brazilian, with portugese as his native tounge, he would probably settle in nicely. He’s my first choice, after Richards ofcourse.
why are we goin bein so many portugese players or plyers from the portugese league?? is the buyin all dwn to queiroz nw?
Good point there kingpin, i totally forget about lahm. If he don’t sign a contract extension, does that mean man u can sign him on bosman? If yes then lahm will be a equally good choice. Thanks for bringing his name up again :p
i saw lahm on tv in the week he was mince and st petersburg ran him ragged
we should have signed hutton
richards would be the best bet but he wont come so get this boswinga guy
a right footed evra just what we need
i havent seen too much of boswinga but 20-30 mil for a riight back is ludicrous…i’d much rather we go for lahm..i remember him being one of the stand out players of the 2006 World Cup and the ability to play on both flanks is a major bonus…dani alves would also be a great signing but somehow i don’t see it happening