Manchester United 'admit defeat' in transfer window as Chelsea and Aston Villa moves unlikely

A 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace yesterday (February 2) also saw defender Lisandro Martinez stretchered off due to injury. Early reports suggest it is a knee injury that could sideline him for quite some time.

All of this rather abruptly ended the fanfair around Patrick Dorgu’s arrival, as the former Lecce left-wing back arrived at Old Trafford for £25.2m, plus £4.2m in add-ons. He marks manager Ruben Amorim’s first signing since joining the club after Erik ten Hag was sacked.

Meanwhile, forward Marcus Rashford has gone in the other direction, with the outcast England international joining Aston Villa on loan for the rest of the season.

Amorim was hopeful that he could bring in some top-notch personnel during the January transfer window, but was needing to sell players before making major signings. His particular focus had been upfront - Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee are starting to settle in, but are not bringing the firepower Amorim wants.

When he first joined Old Trafford from Sporting CP, fans were hopeful that he would bring striker Viktor Gyokeres along with him - but that now seems to be a distant fantasy.

TalkSport have reported that Man United are “unlikely” to make any other signings in the transfer window, as their dealings rely on selling other players first. For example, Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku wants to leave the club on a permanent deal, but Man United would need to get a deal for someone like Alejandro Garnacho first.

While Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel reportedly wants a move to Old Trafford, Man United simply do not have the funds to purchase him outright - and Bayern don’t want to simply send him out on loan.

Another player that has been on Man United’s radar is Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey, but CaughtOffside has reported that this move is probably dead in the water too.