Manchester United 'eyeing £30m summer deal for Marcus Edwards'

Manchester United are reportedly considering a summer move for Sporting Lisbon attacker Marcus Edwards.

The 25-year-old came through the youth system at Tottenham Hotspur, joining the club at the age of eight, and he made his first-team debut for the capital side in September 2016.

Edwards had spells on loan at Norwich City and Excelsior in the early stages of his professional career before leaving Tottenham on a permanent basis in 2019 to make the move to Portugal with Vitoria de Guimaraes.

The forward scored 20 goals and registered 14 assists in 96 appearances during a successful period at Vitoria, which led to Sporting signing him during the winter transfer window in 2022.

Edwards has made 92 appearances for the Green and Whites, scoring 21 goals and registering 22 assists, including six goals and five assists in 26 outings in all competitions this term.

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The forward said towards the end of 2022 that he "would love" to return to English football at some stage in the future.

"Definitely (recommend making the move to Portugal). Everyone has a different journey. For me it worked out, going over there and it clicked straight away. It has been good for me, but I would love to play in England [again] and be near my family," he told the London Evening Standard at the time.

Tottenham have previously been linked with a move for their former youngster, but according to FootballTransfers, Man United are the English side showing the strongest interest at this moment in time.

The report claims that the Red Devils have recently been scouting Edwards, who has a contract with Sporting until the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

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Man United allegedly believe that Edwards would be available for around £30m, and he is thought to be admired by the club's incoming minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

The Englishman is capable of operating in a number of different forward positions, but he largely features off the right, and Man United are said to be hoping to sell two right-sided attackers this summer.

The club have reportedly been in touch with clubs from Saudi Arabia to discuss sales for Jadon Sancho and Antony, with the pair said to be available for £50m each.

Edwards would be a low-cost replacement in that area of the field, and he has gathered European experience during his time at Sporting and Vitoria, playing seven times in the Champions League, in addition to featuring on 17 occasions in the Europa League.