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Man Utd accelerate for Joao Gomes as Romano confirms transfer meeting
Robin Bairner
- 19 Jan 2026 09:18 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Manchester United are ready to act quickly to prepare for life after Casemiro by swooping for Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes.
The Red Devils have been linked with Gomes for months, but questions have been raised as to whether they will move for him given he is not generally considered to be among their top three options: Elliott Anderson, Adam Wharton and Carlos Baleba.
With Atletico Madrid and Napoli accelerating to sign the Wolves star, though, CaughtOffside reports that Man Utd have been drawn into action.
Current ETV
João Gomes
M (C)
Wolves
João Gomes
M (C)
Wolves
ETV Range
€44.8M - €54.8M
Joao Gomes: The state of play
United will have to act quickly. Napoli have agreed personal terms with the player, although a deal has not been reached with Wolves over a transfer fee.
The Red Devils see him as a potential replacement for Casemiro in terms of what he can bring to the team with his energy and aggression in the heart of the park.
The report adds: “Sources have revealed that scouting reports are positive and suggest he’s well-suited to the tempo of the Premier League.”
While Crystal Palace also admire the player, earlier interest from Liverpool has cooled.
Romano confirms meeting
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that United plan to hold transfer talks this week, which will include interim boss Michael Carrick. He has played down the prospects of a deal this month, but crucially did not rule it out.
“There will be an internal meeting at Manchester United at the beginning of this week involving Michael Carrick,” Romano said.
“Carrick does not make the final decisions, but he will be involved in discussions after a very strong start, including winning the Manchester derby.
“United will decide whether to pursue an opportunity in January, possibly in midfield or attack, or to keep the current squad until the summer.
“At the moment everything is very quiet and the big investments are expected in the summer with a permanent manager in place.”
Why Man Utd want Joao Gomes
Data analytics experts SciSports put Joao Gomes in the middle pack of Premier League midfielders this season.
He is, however, held back by his attacking attributes. This is not an aspect of the game that United are likely to ask him to contribute to. Instead, they are more focused on what he can bring to the team in a defensive sense.
Joao Gomes’ defensive super strength is transition forcing, which effectively means his ability to make the opposition give up possession. In expansive, modern teams, this is a highly prized asset. Similarly, his counter control, which measures how much he can slow opposing attacks, is strong.
He possesses no clear defensive deficiencies based on his performance this term.
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