The Manchester United winger is said to have attracted interest from the Ligue 1 champions.
According to the Daily Mail, while Real Sociedad have made a £9.7million offer for Adnan Januzaj, Manchester United are also aware of interest from the likes of Lyon, Roma and Monaco, and if they are smart about it they should ignore the Spanish side’s bid and attempt to use the former Belgium international as a makeweight in a deal for Fabinho.
United need a new holding midfielder and there are few better in Europe than the 23-year-old Monaco man.
While United manager Jose Mourinho will have a few names on his wish list, it is the Brazilian that he should be going all out to sign, with alternatives such as Eric Dier and Nemanja Matic slightly underwhelming alternatives.
It has been clear for quite some time that Januzaj is destined for the United exit; his breakthrough campaign under former manager David Moyes long since forgotten.
He may yet fulfil his undoubted potential, but whatever the future holds, Mourinho should not simply take the money and reinvest it elsewhere. He should use him as a late bargaining chip for Fabinho, who was the glue that held Monaco together last season and who would go down a storm at Old Trafford.
With his ability to play both as a holding midfielder and as a right-back, Fabinho would offer quality cover for Antonio Valencia as well as allowing Paul Pogba to do his best work further up the field.
He also knows where the goal is, as his 12 strikes and six assists last season proved, and when you factor everything in it makes little sense if United are looking elsewhere and potentially spending more money in the process.
If United could use Januzaj to knock around £10million off Fabinho’s asking price it would be a no-brainer.
The question is: Is it too late after Sociedad’s bid?
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