Manchester United (Manchester United) could sign Barcelona winger Neymar, but will have to pay a fee that is out of line with the player’s quality, according to reports.
“The green light has been given to a move for Hafinha, but it won’t happen the way United want it to,” according to soccer specialist TeamTalk, which reported the news on Monday (Nov. 18). According to the outlet, Barcelona have reportedly set a staggering £100 million ($164.5 billion) transfer fee for the player.
United, on the other hand, wanted to acquire Hapinha in a trade. “United have proposed a deal to swap Jadon Sancho for Hapinha, but Barcelona want a more traditional deal,” said TeamTalk, citing a report from Spanish sports publication Sport, adding that Barcelona would like to receive money in exchange for Sancho. “The amount offered by Barcelona is a ceiling price and could be lowered if the deal progresses,” the outlet added.
However, some analysts have suggested that the amount Barcelona has set as a ransom for Hafinha is not appropriate. Especially since Barcelona had no intention of selling him last summer, and now they want to sell him in the upcoming transfer window because he is noticeably underperforming.
According to TeamTalk, Hapinha has the lowest goal conversion rate of any striker on the team this season.
The outlet noted that only 6.9% of all shots he has attempted this season have resulted in a goal. Specialized soccer stats platform fbREF also shows a number of metrics that back this up. In total, Hapinha has attempted 41 shots this season, with 18 on target.
That’s a 43.9% shot-to-shot ratio, which is the highest among the team’s main strikers. However, when we move to the shots-on-goal metric, we see a steep decline, with Hapinha scoring just two goals this season for an 11% success rate. That’s lower than 16-year-old rookie winger Ramin Yamal (17%).
A lower shooting percentage than a player who has just made his professional debut is a sign that Hafinha’s career has completely fallen off the cliff, especially considering he joined Barcelona for a record £55 million in the summer of 2022 and hasn’t lived up to his transfer fee. “Barcelona want to sell him to Saudi Arabia or Manchester United,” the outlet said, adding that it may not be long before the player’s days in a Barcelona shirt are numbered.
United, meanwhile, are likely to be skeptical of a deal after their bid for Sancho and Hapinha was rejected.
There is a limit to how much money United can spend, and they have already reached that limit in the winter transfer window. “In order for Hapinha to move to United in January, the club would have to sell players to raise funds,” according to TeamTalk, adding that the club is “currently in a tight financial situation”.
Moreover, Sancho is one of the resources that must be sold. He’s not playing at all for the team.
Signed by United from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2021 for a record £73 million, Sancho became a “prodigal son” after performing below expectations and making noise on and off the pitch. His frequent tardiness to training was a particular detriment.
At the beginning of the season, Sancho was dropped from the starting lineup by coach Eric Dier for “poor training performance” and eventually fell out with Dier. The end result was Sancho being dropped from the first team. As we approach the midway point of the season, Sancho is still not allowed to play, let alone access the first team facilities.