Mason Greenwood has emerged as an option for Barcelona as the side searches for reinforcements, with Man United ready to sell the striker in the summer.
Barcelona are preparing a summer move for Mason Greenwood. The Catalan giants are ready to offer the Englishman club legend Lionel Messi ‘s iconic No.10 shirt.
Barca are eyeing reinforcements with Xavi’s reign in charge of the La Liga title challengers threatening to stall. Greenwood has emerged as a potential option having impressed on loan with Getafe, scoring five goals and notching four assists so far this season.
The striker is spending the season on loan at the Estadio Coliseum from Manchester United. The 22-year-old has no future at Manchester United, with the Red Devils hoping to sell him permanently in the summer window.
United’s decision to move on from Greenwood came after the club conducted an internal investigation into the striker. That came after the Crown Prosecution Service dropped charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm against him.
The hopes of securing a permanent move for him at the end of the season have now been boosted, with Barca stepping up their interest. The reigning Spanish champions are planning to make a £40million bid for the striker.
They will also offer him Messi’s No.10 shirt, which the superstar wore as he established himself as the world’s greatest ever footballer. The shirt is currently vacant, with Messi’s successor Ansu Fati joining Brighton in the summer.
Barca are hoping to use the lure of following in Messi’s footsteps as a selling point for Greenwood. Xavi’s side re currently fourth in the La Liga table, with their boss desperate for fresh faces.
He will have to wait until the end of the season to make a move for Greenwood though. And Barca will also face competition from Getafe with boss Jose Bordalas keen to bring him in permanently.
“Greenwood is a different player, with a lot of talent but in this football talent is not the main thing. It takes more work than talent. When he is at 100% we will be able to check his real level but he has the conditions to play in any major,” Bordalas said this week.
“[He’s fitted in the team due to] a lot of patience, with a lot of calm, aware that he had been unemployed for a long time without playing and practically without training. But we trusted because of the talent, because of the level that he has had.
“Being able to opt for a player of this level at Getafe is complicated, almost impossible. And well, given the situation, we bet on him. We are happy and content because we have a great player, he is a good boy, he has fitted in really well and he just needs to learn a little more Spanish.”