€50m January move dismissed despite strong Manchester United rumours

Midfield crying for reinforcement at M16

If we look at the current options, you start with Casemiro. The Brazilian has been a feature in the eleven lately. But given his ageing abilities, complemented by the fact that many suggest he could be on his way out when the summer comes around, there needs to be someone to take his place.

The first person you could think about taking his place is Manuel Ugarte. But the Uruguayan has not found his feet since moving to Old Trafford, and he could barely replicate his performances for PSG at M16. There also have been suggestions that United would be open for offers for his signature.

And lastly there is Mainoo. Mainoo has been demoted into a bench role given how he doesn’t sit through with Amorim’s preferences. The Portuguese head coach prefers his countryman, Bruno Fernandes, in a deeper role over Mainoo.

This opens up space for Jude Bellingham to come in and make a direct impact in the middle of the season.

Latest reports from Germany contradict a winter move for Bellingham

But the reports in Germany have firmly rebuffed a possible January switch amid speculations that link him to a Manchester United transfer. Bild suggests (as relayed by Sport Witness) that the 20‑year‑old midfielder is not for sale in January, despite all this chatter around his future. The decision-makers at Dortmund insist that they signed Bellingham in June 2025 on a long‑term deal. And they look at him as a project player and not someone to dispatch after a few months.

Dortmund still think that he will come good despite a kneejerk start to his time at Signal Iduna Park.

WAFU Opinion

This United‑Bellingham link has been making great headlines for a while now. But if Dortmund are not willing to sanction a sale, then the Premier League heavyweights need to start looking at other possible backups and plans, especially given Man Utd’s history of over-fixating on one target.