Former Barcelona forward reacts to bargain £5m Manchester United links
Former Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite is refusing to confirm Manchester United’s interest but says reports linking him with the Premier League giants is proof of what he can offer at the highest level.
When the one-time Middlesbrough forward joined Barcelona on an emergency deal from Leganes back in 2020 – brought in outside of the transfer window following an injury crisis at Camp Nou – the phrase ‘once in a lifetime’ came to mind.
That shows how much we know. With Manchester United looking for strikers in January – as confirmed by Erik ten Hag – HITC Football understands that the Red Devils were made aware of Martin Braithwaite’s availability. Had those Financial Fair Play concerns had not left Ten Hag with both hands tied behind his back, lightning might just have struck twice for Braithwaite.
The experienced 32-year-old – for the second time in his career – may have become a short-term solution for a massive European club dealing with an injury-hit strikeforce, Antony Martial’s Old Trafford career ending rather fittingly with a fleet of fitness issues.
Manchester United could have had Martin Braithwaite
Braithwaite, speaking to Tipsbladet, is refusing to confirm or deny those Man United rumours. But the veteran Espanyol talisman does insist that suggestions he could have compatriots joined Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund in England are testament to the admiration in which he is held amongst even the continent’s A-list institutions.
“Honestly, I can’t quite remember which clubs there were. I can quickly mix it up with what was in the summer,” says Braithwaite, who has a £5 million release clause in his contract.
Whether he is genuinely forgetful or intentionally vague is for you to decide.
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“But there were offers from all the top five leagues in Europe,” Braithwaite adds. “It is a reality. That says something about the level at which people see me. That the best clubs believe I can help at the highest level. But I have full focus on Espanyol.
“Espanyol had their position, and I can only say that they had no interest in letting me go. They didn’t care at all what club names were knocking on the door.”
Braithwaite is the top scorer in Spain’s second tier this season with 16. Capped nearly 70 times by Denmark, he also boasted a respectable goals-per-minutes ratio at Barcelona. That is despite his lack of regular game time at the Camp Nou.
A Copa del Rey winner with Barcelona
“I have always been a guarantor of goals, even if I have played on the wing,” Braithwaite adds. “Last year, I scored 10 goals in La Liga as a winger. I’m insanely good at getting used to environments, whether it’s different leagues or if I change teams.
“That’s what I’m known for, and I think it’s one of my greatest qualities.”
Man United were also linked with 34-year-old Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting last month. The hope will be that, with Ineos seizing control from the eternally-clueless Glazer family, the days of short-term sticking plaster solutions like Wout Weghorst and Odion Ighalo will finally be coming to an end at United.
