In a surprising turn of events, Manchester United are being linked with a move for Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey.
According to The Sun, the Red Devils’ attempts to get Henrikh Mkhitaryan in from Borussia Dortmund have failed and they are going to look to sign the Welshman instead.
The tabloid reports that the 25-year-old is rated at £50m by the Gunners, meaning United are going to have to spend big if they want to get their man.
However, when you compare him to Mkhitaryan, it doesn’t seem like Ramsey would be an adequate replacement.
The Armenian’s strengths lie in his ability to get the best out of his teammates by providing them with goalscoring opportunities.
Indeed, he topped Dortmund’s assist charts last term, setting up 15 strikes in the Bundesliga to help his side finish second.
In contrast, Ramsey only managed to amass four assists in the Premier League, with Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud and Hector Bellerin all contributing more for the Gunners.
Another reason for Jose Mourinho’s apparent interest in the midfielder is that he believes he can do what Frank Lampard did for him during his first spell at Chelsea.
The former England man was vital to the Blues’ success during his 13 years with the Londoners, with his goalscoring exploits really boosting the club.
During the Portuguese manager’s first three full seasons at Stamford Bridge, Lampard registered 60 times across all competitions, with the club going on to win two Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup in that time.
It’s understandable why the 53-year-old would want to bring those kind of attributes to Old Trafford, but he won’t find them in his current target.
Ramsey scored six goals in 40 appearances across all competitions last term, while he has only taken his Premier League tally to double figures on one occasion, back in the 2013/14 campaign.
