Juventus are advancing in pursuing Mason Greenwood, the Manchester United forward who has signalled his desire to join the Serie A giants in the summer transfer window.
Greenwood is set to return to United in the coming weeks after catching the eye last season on loan at Getafe. While in La Liga, he racked up eight goals and six assists, earning the club’s player-of-the-year award.
The 22-year-old has not featured for United since his arrest in January 2022 for attempted rape, controlling behaviour, and assault. These charges were subsequently dropped, but the incident has continued to affect his career.
It’s understood that many top clubs from around Europe have been monitoring Greenwood’s situation in recent months. Among the interested parties are Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, and Napoli.
Reports from last month also indicated that two Premier League sides had entered the running over a possible deal for Greenwood, adding to the speculation surrounding his future.
Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli is a keen admirer of Greenwood. The latest reports from Italy suggest that the Old Lady has stepped up their attempts to secure the services of England international.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Manchester United would be prepared to agree on a deal with Juventus if their valuation of the player – thought to be in the region of €35-40 million (£30-34 million) – is met this summer.
In the immediate aftermath of his partial takeover, United’s new co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, suggested that Greenwood could still have a future at Old Trafford. Ratcliffe emphasized the importance of making informed decisions about the player’s role in the team.
“We will make a decision, correct,” said Ratcliffe, who officially completed his partial takeover of United on Tuesday. This indicates that discussions about Greenwood’s future are ongoing.
“All I can do is talk about the principle of how we will approach decisions like that,” Ratcliffe continued. “Is he the right type of footballer? Are we happy with if he is a good person or not?”
Ratcliffe highlighted the necessity of evaluating whether Greenwood fits the club’s values. “So the answer is, ‘Yeah, we have to make decisions.’ It’s quite clear we have to make a decision. No decision’s been made.”
Greenwood’s loan status has complicated the situation. “He’s on loan, obviously, but he’s not the only one,” Ratcliffe noted. “We’ve got one or two footballers that we have to deal with and decide so that we will do that.”
Ratcliffe described the process for making such decisions: “The process will be to understand the facts, not the hype, and then try and come to a fair decision on the basis of values, which is basically, is he a good guy or not?”
“Could he play sincerely for Manchester United? Would we be comfortable with it, and would the fans be comfortable with it?” Ratcliffe asked, underlining the importance of both performance and public perception.
In a separate interview with the BBC, Ratcliffe added: “We need to look at facts, judge fairly and consider the club’s values. Then we come out of that with a decision. It is not appropriate for me to comment on Mason Greenwood.”
