Manchester United make enquiries for Villarreal star on Bayern Munich’s radar

Atletico Madrid are currently leading the race for Alex Baena, having ‘contacted his entourage’ to express their interest. There are no formal negotiations between the La Liga sides, though. This has given Man United a window of opportunity to inquire about the player.

A product of the Villarreal academy, Baena, 23, broke into the senior team during the 2020/21 campaign and hasn’t looked back since. He has enjoyed a strong season with the Yellow Submarine, scoring six goals and supplying eight assists in 28 appearances across all competitions. This is a follow-up to last season, where the attacker registered five goals and 18 assists in 45 games.

The Spaniard, who has a €60m release clause in his contract that runs until June 2028 (Transfermarkt), is a right-footed playmaker who likes to move into central areas and make those incisive passes in the final third, causing problems for the opposing defences. A player like Baena would help enhance the Red Devils’ productivity following an immensely difficult campaign that has seen them struggle to score goals consistently.

Bruno Fernandes is our top scorer in the league with eight strikes. United’s front three—Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee—have a combined 11 league goals this term, a hugely underwhelming return by any standard. Ruben Amorim’s side not only requires someone to score goals but also to share the creativity burden off Fernandes’ shoulders.

Baena, in that regard, would be an ideal fit. The nine-cap Spanish international can play as a left winger, left midfielder or No 10, potentially thriving in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system. However, United are in a financial mess and must sell before making big investments. If INEOS can offload Garnacho for a sizeable fee, they must replace the Argentine with Baena in Amorim’s squad.