Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Insists Man Utd Must 'Keep Control' in Negotiations Amid Bruno Fernandes Links
By Adam Aladay
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has insisted that the club must 'keep control' in transfer negotiations and not give power to the agents, while he has also defended the Red Devils' decision not to replace Alexis Sanchez or Romelu Lukaku in the summer.
The Manchester-based side currently find themselves in fifth place in the Premier League, having picked up 34 points from their opening 23 matches. They are six points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, having played one game fewer than the west London side.
United have been on the lookout for midfield reinforcements, with Bruno Fernandes heavily linked with a move to the club in January, while they were also keen on Erling Haaland before he joined Borussia Dortmund.
After the Norwegian wonderkid sealed his move to the German side, it was revealed that the Red Devils refused to meet representative Mino Raiola's demands. Raiola wanted a buyout clause and a percentage of any potential future transfer.
Similarly, the Red Devils have been heavily linked with Sporting CP's Fernandes and while the deal now appears to finally be edging towards completion, Sky Sports did recently report that there was a 'suspicion' the deal was being held up by United's unwillingness to deal with agent Jorge Mendes.
Manager Solskjaer has now opened up on the topic, admitting the club must stand firm in negotiations. He said, as quoted by the Evening Standard: "Of course we don’t want to inflate the prices. That is important - that we use common sense.
"There are other things, too, when you sign players, that you have to keep in control. You can’t give agents the control by giving buyout clauses and stuff. That has been touted around. We have to be in control."
The 46-year-old went on to once again defend United's decision not to replace the departed Sanchez and Lukaku in the summer, insisting that the club are holding out for the right players. He continued: "We are planning and we are looking. As I’ve said so many times before, we didn’t find the right one for the right price.
“Of course we knew we were a forward light when Romelu went and Alexis went, but you’ll not see Anthony [Martial], Marcus [Rashford] and Mason [Greenwood] do as well as they’ve done unless you give them the chance to play
“Harry Hindsight, he’s quite clever. That’s the thing. We’ve got to make decisions there and then on what we believe in, and I still stick with that. We are looking at different scenarios. If there are deals to be done, we will update you on that."
