Will we ever see an Asian player play for Manchester United (Man Utd) again?

It has been reported that Manchester United is considering Kubo Takefusa, a key member of Spanish La Liga side Real Sociedad, as a replacement for winger Anthony Martial, who has been struggling since his transfer.

"Manchester United want to bring in promising Real Madrid striker Kubo as Anthony's replacement," the Mirror explained on Nov. 21 (KST). United paid a staggering £81.3 million to Ajax in the Dutch Eredivisie for Anthony ahead of the 2022/23 season. However, Anthony has been in terrible form, performing below expectations and not living up to his price tag.

Gubo, on the other hand, has 15 goals and 13 assists in 67 La Liga games since joining Sociedad from Real Mallorca in the 2022/23 season. His move to Sociedad cost a mere £5.5 million. The difference in price between Anthony and Gervinho is more than 10 times greater, but Gervo is far superior in terms of goal production.

Gubo's performance is reportedly making United's mouth water.

According to the media, the Red Devils have been sending scouts to watch Kubo's progress. "To watch him in action, United sent a scout to the La Liga 17th round match between Real Sociedad and Real Betis on Oct. 18," said the Mirror, "where Kubo was named player of the match (POTM), the highest award for a player." The match ended in a 0-0 draw.

Kubo was a former Barcelona youth player who excelled in the J-League before moving to Real Madrid Castilla CF (Real Madrid's second team) in 2019 and was promoted to the first team that year. However, he never made an official appearance for Real Madrid's first team. This is due to the non-EU quota system that limits the number of foreign players with non-EU nationalities.

After spending time on loan at several Spanish clubs, including Mallorca, Kubo made a permanent move to Real Sociedad in the 2022/23 season.

In his first season with the club, he scored nine goals in La Liga in 2022/23, breaking the record for most goals in a single season in La Liga by an Asian player.Kubo has continued to shine in the 2023/24 season.바카라사이트

In September, he became the first Asian to win the La Liga Player of the Month award, making a name for himself and helping his team top their group in the UEFA Champions League.

That hasn't gone unnoticed by Sociedad, who have set a hefty transfer fee for Kubo. According to the Mirror, Sociedad are looking for at least £43 million for Kubo. For United, it would be another big investment.

And they're not the only club interested. Last summer, defending Italian Serie A champions Napoli made a £26 million ($42.8 billion) bid for the player, which was rejected by the Sociedad. In November, it was reported that Premier League giants Liverpool were also looking for a replacement for Mohamed Salah. Tottenham Hotspur have also been approached, and Real Madrid are reportedly looking to buy back the player.

Financial issues are also holding United back. "United cannot spend big in the January transfer window if they want to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules," the Mirror reports, adding that the club will have to wait until next summer. It added that the club also sees no reason to sell Guevo in the middle of the season in order to facilitate the Champions League and league title race.