Manchester United have opened formal negotiations with Rosario Central for Argentine wonderkid Juan Giménez | OneFootball

Since INEOS’ arrival, Manchester United have not shied away from spending big to land the best young talents from all across the globe.

The financial reality around the club is such that the Red Devils cannot afford to go all gung-ho in the market as in previous seasons, where they have signed all the wrong profiles for extravagant sums of money.

Which is why the co-owners have shifted their focus to trying to unearth superstars rather than buying them and that can be seen from deals for Leny Yoro in the summer and Diego León and Ayden Heaven in January.

The Peoples Person recently relayed that the 20-time English league champions are keeping tabs on Fenerbahce wonderkid Yusuf Akçiçek and he is not the only defensive prospect on the club’s radar.

Gimenez deal

As revealed by journalist Dana Vidal, the Old Trafford side have been keeping tabs on Juan Giménez of Rosario Central and are close to signing him permanently.

Given the player is only 18, United want to avoid thrusting him straight into the limelight and are even planning to loan him back to Rosario until the end of the year.

The Argentina U20 international’s great wish is to play in the Rosario derby before embarking on the journey to Manchester.

“Juan Giménez is close to being a Manchester United player. The idea is that he stays until the end of the year and then goes to England. The defender’s wish is to play a First Division Rosarino Classic,” Rosario Central fan account wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

This information has been backed up by journalist Lucas Calatroni who has stated that formal negotiations between both clubs have already started.

Formal negotiations on

“Both Rosario and England indicate that there are formal negotiations between Manchester United and Rosario Central for Juan Giménez. Stay tuned for any news in the coming days,” he wrote on X.

United have been aware of the Argentina wonderkid’s talents for sometime now and even scouted him back in 2024. He had created history by becoming the second defender in the history of Central to make his senior debut before turning 18.

INEOS have made it clear to the scouting department that they must scour the South American market, a hotbed of talent which the club have not really tapped into in recent years.

Despite being 18, Giménez already has 20 appearances for the Rosario senior team and has also impressed under Argentina great Javier Mascherano at the U20 national level. He has been compared to World Cup winner Cristian Romero, currently plying his trade for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

No specific financial details have been divulged as yet but it is great to see the scouting department doing its job thoroughly and the club not dilly-dallying when it comes to scooping up exceptional talents.

Feature image Marcelo Endelli via Getty Images

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