Fabrizio Romano: The ‘surprise proposal’ Man Utd made for La Liga defensive midfielder in final hrs of window

Manchester United tried to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher on loan in the last 48 hours of the summer transfer window, according to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

However, the La Liga club rejected the ‘surprise proposal’ the Red Devils offered for the England international.

Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail reported that Atletico were only willing to sell after Man United offered to sign him on loan.

Romano does not mention that, claiming the Spanish club were not keen on letting the 25-year-old leave.

Man United head coach Ruben Amorim wanted to sign a defensive midfielder all summer, with Brighton & Hove Albion star Carlos Baleba the top target.

Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton was also on the radar of the Red Devils, but they did not offer a bid for him or the Cameroon international.

A late loan move for Gallagher was considered, but it appears it came too late as Atletico would not have had enough time to sort out a replacement even if they wanted to do a deal.

Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes have been tasked with controlling the tempo of games from the base of midfield, with Kobbie Mainoo providing cover for the Portuguese.

They have struggled to impress so far this term, with the Man United skipper having problems adapting to a deeper midfield role after Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha replaced him in the two No.10 positions in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system.

The Red Devils boss will hope his current options in the position can step up against all odds, or else, Man United could struggle to challenge for a place in the top-half of the Premier League table.

They have done well to strengthen the attack and bring in a new goalkeeper, but the lack of a deep-lying playmaker and a physical and athletic runner capable of carrying the ball up the pitch could prove to be their undoing.

Article written by Alani Adefunmiloye .