As Manchester United’s pursuit for a striker continues, Rio Ferdinand was adamant the club will not be signing one target the Red Devils have previously been linked with
Rio Ferdinand has confidently shut down any suggestion Manchester United will make a move for Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. The Red Devils have made no secret about their desire to bolster their forward line.
They have already brought in Matheus Cunha for £62.5million and recently unveiled £71m signing Bryan Mbeumo. However, the Red Devils are still looking for a new centre-forward, two seasons after forking out £72m on Rasmus Hojlund.
RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko has been one target of interest, while Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins has emerged as the latest priority. In and amongst the latest reports, Mateta has also been linked to Old Trafford in the past.
READ MORE: Joshua Zirkzee makes feelings clear on Man Utd role amid new striker searchREAD MORE: ‘I told Benjamin Sesko to join me at Chelsea – this is what Man Utd could be getting’
But when the possibility of the Frenchman moving to United was touted to Ferdinand, the Premier League legend immediately shut down the possibility. Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents show, the ex-United and England captain replied: “We ain’t signing Mateta. Trust me.”
In March, United were told that Mateta would set them back £40m. Reports from L’Equipe at the time also claimed the Red Devils had opened talks with the Eagles about a move for the 28-year-old.
However, the rumours have since petered out, with United seemingly looking at other targets. They have already seen moves for the likes of Liam Delap, Hugo Ekitike and Viktor Gyokeres fail, joining rivals Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal respectively.
Mateta struggled when he first started at Palace but has been one of the Premier League’s most dangerous forwards since Oliver Glasner took over. Under the Austrian manager, he has contributed 30 goals and five assists in 59 appearances in all competitions.
However, for whatever reason, United are seemingly looking elsewhere. Ferdinand has been following United’s pre-season tour of the USA, where they recently beat West Ham 2-1 in the Premier League Summer Series.
While the memories of last season’s disastrous campaign are still fresh, Ferdinand has seen some positive signs this summer. Commenting on United’s transfer window so far, he added: “For me personally, I’m hopeful more than anything.
“There is nothing to give me belief yet. I need to see it. The belief is that we have got two good signings who know the Premier League. That’s nice, that’s good, that’s needed.
“Again, I think we probably need one or two more to go into the season and go, ‘Listen, I’m confident we can now go and finish in the top eight.’ At the moment, I am sitting there thinking, ‘There’s a lot of hangover from last season.’
“If you start actually digging into last season, it starts depressing me. But the new signings give you a bit of hope. Being out on tour helps you get a different perspective.
“It guides you and you’re now going, ‘Oh, I can see them working, I can see some positive things, the team are together, the manager is getting time with the team.’ I am looking for positives.”
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
