- Manchester United eye up Argentine wonderkid
- Chelsea is also on the hunt
- United may already have a slight advantage
Manchester United already hold a slight edge over rivals Chelsea in the race to sign highly promising Argentine wonderkid Tomas Aranda.
Argentine outlet El Intransigente reports that United are on alert amid Aranda’s impressive rise in his homeland. His recent performances, his character and playing style have all caught the eye.
Whilst he is just 18 and has only made 13 first-team appearances for Boca Juniors, the midfielder arrives with serious backing. Former United player—now Talleres manager—Carlos Tevez even said that “He seems like he’s been playing in the first division for ten years.”
After the same game, Boca manager Claudio Ubeda said:
“I don’t want to talk too much about him to protect him. We all have to take care of him because he’s a young guy with significant potential, who has great skill, works incredibly hard defensively when we don’t have the ball, is intelligent in his positioning, and has a hunger to win.”
Aranda scored his first goal on March 23, netting the opener in a 2–0 league win over Instituto in just his 11th professional appearance.
All Eyes on Aranda
With Chelsea and United—along with other European heavyweights—set to battle it out for the young Argentine’s signature, there is one thing separating United and Chelsea that might make Old Trafford look like more of a promising move.
And that is simple: you will get a chance to prove yourself in the United first team.
Under Chelsea’s current ownership structure, it is likely that before he even kicks a ball in training for the Blues, Aranda would be shipped over to RC Strasbourg to play for BlueCo’s French feeder side.
David Datro Fofana, Kendry Paez, Mike Penders, Aaron Anselmino, and Mamadou Sarr were all sent on loan there this summer.
Five highly promising players—the oldest being Fofana at 23, but the rest 20 or under—who saw little to no game time at Chelsea.
Add Ishe Samuels-Smith, Mathis Amougou, and Ben Chilwell—though an outlier—to those who left permanently for Strasbourg, and the picture sharpens.
You are not joining a European giant, more a conglomerate that will make ruthless decisions, often brushing aside a player’s needs as they move you across the map without hesitation.
Could Aranada come?
If United were to get their hands on the promising Argentine, the logical step may be to loan him straight back to Boca for one—possibly even two—seasons.
At just 18, he still has plenty of development ahead of him. And with Bruno Fernandes locking down the number 10 position, it is unlikely Aranda would get much of a look-in early on.
Loan him back to Boca, allow him to refine his playstyle, and develop into a more complete footballer—in an environment he already understands.
Then, two years down the line, when Fernandes begins to wind down his time at United, the club can bring in a young, polished attacking midfielder ready to take that role and shape the next phase.
