Manchester United were offered the chance to sign Vélez Sarsfield defensive sensation Valentin Gomez but they decided against it.
Valentin Gomez has come up the ranks at Vélez Sarsfield and he has made quite a name for himself with his consistent performances. The Argentine youth international has been linked with a move away from the club but nothing has materialised so far.
United could have signed Gomez
He was on the verge of leaving the club in the recent past but things didn’t go according to plan. The 21-year-old was even offered to Premier League giants Manchester United by Vélez president Fabián Berlanga. But, the Red Devils decided against it.
While speaking on DSports Radio, Berlanga said via Lanoticiaweb: “We gave him a very good contract for Argentine football. I have no doubt that he would be in the sights of the National Team. Through someone I know, I had them ask Manchester United if they didn’t want him due to Licha Martínez’s injury. He was divided between the CEO and the coach, and they told us no. Vélez is interested in selling him.”
Vélez has been in need of funds and they have been open to the possibility of sanctioning the departure of Gomez. The Foster Gillett Group was supposed to facilitate the transfer of the Argentine centre-back from Vélez. But, the move didn’t go through as they failed to provide the agreed payment.
Following that the Argentine club offered his services to Manchester United who had suffered a massive injury blow as Lisandro Martínez was sidelined. While people at Old Trafford did discuss bringing the 21-year-old to the club, they eventually decided against it.
Apart from the 27-year-old’s injury, United, in general, are looking to revamp their backline as Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans are unlikely to be around for long. Ruben Amorim wants to bring in some fresh faces and Gomez could have been an interesting bet.
While he has had an impressive rise and has been a consistent performer for Velez, United were not certain if he would be an ideal fit for their project. They had not seen enough of him to determine if he was ready to step up to the level of the Premier League. As a result, they turned down the opportunity. Meanwhile, Berlanga has confirmed that they remain open to selling him for the right price.