Man Utd switch goal ‘excited’ amid £44m valuation and Elliot Anderson replace
Joao Gomes has been linked with a move to Manchester United in the January transfer window, with the midfielder taking to social media to address the rumours
Joao Gomes has finally spoken out on social media amid rumours linking him with a move to Manchester United.
The Wolves midfielder has been tipped for a switch to Old Trafford as Ruben Amorim seeks to strengthen his midfield in the January transfer window. The Mirror reports Gomes is on United’s radar as a potential alternative to Elliot Anderson, who has also caught the eye of Liverpool and Manchester City.
The report suggests that United have long admired Carlos Baleba, but he and the Nottingham Forest playmaker could command a price tag north of £100m. With Kobbie Mainoo’s future hanging in the balance, Gomes has come into the picture. The Reds have reportedly been keeping a close eye on the Brazilian international over the past year and a half, and they may have to dig deep to secure his services.
Foreign reports suggest Gomes could be up for grabs at £44m, but the Mirror believes any deal at that price might have to be put on hold until the summer. When Rob Edwards took over from Vitor Pereira in the hot seat, the top brass at Molineux agreed not to offload their star players in the next window to give Wolves the best shot at staying up.
Currently languishing at the foot of the Premier League table, Wolves are in stark contrast to United who sit seventh. On Tuesday night, Gomes broke his silence on X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to the speculation.
Alongside a photo of himself in Wolves training gear, having been overlooked by Carlo Ancelotti this month, the United target posted: “Excited to do what no one believes, for us and for our city. Let’s go wolves [wolf emoji].”
Gomes, who is tied down to Wolves until June 2030, has made 11 Premier League appearances this season, managing two draws while losing the remaining nine matches. Although he’s yet to taste victory, the Brazilian has impressed observers.
Matheus Cunha, who made the £62.5m switch from Molineux to Old Trafford in July, has previously likened him to Casemiro. The pair were teammates at Wolves, featuring together 70 times over three campaigns.
Both Gomes and the new United striker have also represented their country together, most notably in a 4-1 loss to Argentina back in March. During a July interview last year, Cunha outlined why his compatriot would be a valuable asset to Amorim’s squad.
When pressed about who the Wolves midfielder brings to mind, the United star replied: “Maybe Casemiro. He is a bit older now, but I put Casemiro’s name there only to show where Joao Gomes could arrive.
“I think Joao has the possibility to arrive. He is very humble, and he works a lot. The good teams come like a gift when you do that. He is unbelievable on the pitch.”
Cunha added: “I feel very secure. I feel like I can lose the ball when I have my midfielders behind me. He played very well for the national team, too.”
At the end of last month, Amorim hinted that he anticipates players who are not getting game time to submit transfer requests in the coming weeks. As reported by ESPN, the United manager said: “A lot of things can happen.
“Even in our club, and you know that we have World Cup, some players are not playing, they will ask to leave, so I have to manage everything.”
Amorim didn’t dismiss the idea of bolstering his squad during the winter transfer window. He added: “We want to bring players, everyone here, we want to bring players that we can see a big future in Manchester United.
“We are not just buying one guy, because now we feel in December that we need this kind of player for now. No, it’s going to be… we want to buy players that we know we are not going to change a lot of times. So that is our idea.
“I don’t know what is going to happen, but of course we think about how we can improve the team, and in January the window is open, we can do something.”
