Wayne Rooney wants Manchester United to perform a transfer U-turn and sign Arsenal star Myles Lewis-Skelly as well as three more players before the window shuts.
United and fellow Premier League club Chelsea were reportedly offered the chance to sign Arsenal academy graduate Lewis-Skelly.
The 19-year-old struggled for game-time for much of last season but broke into Mikel Arteta’s team towards the end of the campaign and played a crucial role as Arsenal clinched the Premier League title and reached the Champions League final.
Despite those performances, Arsenal are reportedly open to selling Lewis-Skelly this summer after bolstering Arteta’s midfield options with the £75m signing of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United.
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As a result intermediaries approached Manchester United and Chelsea to determine their interest in signing England international Lewis-Skelly.
Neither club were receptive to the offer, even though Arsenal reportedly only wanted a relatively modest fee of £45m, but Rooney wants his former club to perform a transfer U-turn.
Michael Carrick has expressed interest in signing a new left-back this summer to provide cover for Luke Shaw ahead of United’s return to the Champions League.
Lewis Hall has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford but Newcastle United have told their Premier League rivals that he is not for sale.
Lewis-Skelly could therefore be an appealing option for Carrick, especially as he is just as comfortable in midfield, an area United have been looking to strengthen all summer.
‘I don’t think you can rely on Luke Shaw to be consistent for the whole season and that leads me to Myles Lewis-Skelly,’ Rooney said on Stick to United.
‘We’re hearing that he could be available for not that much money, so I think that’s an absolute no-brainer.
‘If you can get a player in who can play left-back and centre-midfield, that’s an absolute no-brainer. He’s young and he’s got a massive future ahead of him.
‘I would like to see another centre back, another central midfielder and another centre forward so there’s still a lot of work to be done. But it’s really important that the players they bring in, the club do it right.
‘Arsenal have spent a lot over the last couple of years so selling Lewis-Skelly makes some sense as it would be pure profit. I don’t think it would be a great look but I can see why they might sell him.
‘If you’re United and he becomes available it’s a no-brainer, they definitely need to bring in a left-back, that’s a priority for United.
‘I would like to think there’s more players coming in before the window closes, every fan including me wants to see that. But it’s about getting the right players.
‘Looking at the money that has been spent over the last 10 years, it’s been an absolute disaster and the club are probably still recovering from that.’
Lewis-Skelly once again impressed in Arsenal’s midfield as the Gunners beat Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield on Sunday.
Arteta’s side begin their Premier League title defence against Coventry City on Friday night, while Manchester United face another newly-promoted side, Hull City, the following day.
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