Blind out of tour as he closes in on United exit
DALEY Blind hasn’t travelled with the United squad on their tour of the States as he looks to complete a move back to Ajax.
The Reds jetted off to Los Angeles last night, but the Dutchman wasn’t amongst the party.
Sources in the Netherlands claim United and Ajax have agreed an initial fee of £14.1m for the defender - a similar amount to what United paid for Blind in 2014 - and that could yet rise to £18.5m after a number of add-ons were included in the deal.
Blind was spotted outside the Lowry Hotel with Matteo Darmian, whose future is also in doubt, on Wednesday but has been training with his teammates since they returned for pre-season training at Carrington earlier this week.
Ajax are currently in Birmingham preparing for friendlies against Wolves and Walsall next week, so Blind could yet link-up with his new teammates while they are in the same country.
Blind has long been linked with a return to the Amsterdam Arena and has not hidden his admiration for his former club, whose CEO is former United keeper Edwin van der Sar.
“I never asked to leave United and have enjoyed my time there, but everyone knows what Ajax means to me and we wait to see what happens,” he said earlier this month.
Blind has made 141 appearances in four seasons at United, playing in a variety of positions, and won the Europa League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Community Shield. WITH literally seconds to go, Marc Albrington swings in a Hail Mary ball which loops over United’s static defensive line.
Chris Smalling lets compatriot Harry Maguire slip through his fingers and the England international stabs home the ball at the back post. The roof nearly comes off the King Power Stadium.
For United’s players, who were humiliated down at Ashton Gate only three days previously, it is a bitter pill to swallow after coming from a goal down to lead 2-1 for more than half an hour.
It was not the best start to the festive season and Jose Mourinho did not hold back with his postmatch comments.
“It was childish in their box and childish in our box and it was mistakes plus mistakes and we lost two points in an easy match to win,” he hissed.
‘Childish’ defending is one of the reasons why Mourinho is keen on signing a quality centre-back this summer.
Eight defenders are on United’s radar and the reality is they will have to pay at least a club-record fee for a defender to have any chance of getting the majority of them.
The club’s ideal profile is a centreback aged between 23 and 29 who has played in the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga or the Bundesliga and who is as comfortable with the ball at his feet as he is making a headed clearance.
But it will not be easy and one high-level source at United is well aware some of those players under consideration ‘are not possible and real.’
Rapahel Varane remains an ambitious target, Jose Gimenez and Alessio Romagnoli both signed new contracts last month, Milan Skriniar loves life in Milan and feels a degree of loyalty to Inter and United and Spurs are £20m apart in their valuation of Toby Alderweireld.
The remaining options? Bayern Munich are open to selling Jerome Boateng for the right price and the Germany international is considering all options following a poor World Cup.
Kalidou Koulibaly is embarking on an extended break after his exploits in Russia while even Caglar Soyuncu’s camp, who have been not afraid to talk up Arsenal’s interest in recent months, are remaining tight-lipped. So, with three-and-a-half weeks left of the window, could Maguire be an option after such an impressive World Cup? The Leicester City defender has firmly established himself as a cult hero who is both comfortable on the ball and a real threat at set-pieces. Maguire headed England in front in their last-16 tie against Sweden and saw his header palmed into the path of Harry Kane for the Three Lions’ opening goal of the tournament against Tunisia. The 25-year-old grew in confidence as the tournament wore on and played a key role in England’s elaborate set-piece routines like the ‘Love Train.’ Mourinho wants more of those qualities from his current defenders, indeed Smalling and Eric Bailly were the only centre-backs to get on the scoresheet last season when the