Getafe boss makes Mason Greenwood transfer admission as Man Utd ponder next move

30 March 2024 , 08:32

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Getafe boss Jose Bordalas has provided an update (Image: Diego Souto/Getty Images)

Getafe manager Jose Bordalas has suggested that he'd like to sign Mason Greenwood permanently - but knows Manchester United will have the final say on his future.

Greenwood, 22, will see his season-long loan spell with the Spanish club come to an end in May, having been shipped out by United last September following a decision for him to continue his career away from Old Trafford. In February 2023, the forward had charges of attempted rape, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm - all of which he denied - dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.

His move to Madrid has seen him score six goals and register five assists across 24 La Liga appearances. Greenwood's form has prompted links of a big-money move to Barcelona in the summer transfer window, although new United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has left the door open to what'd be a controversial return.

Should the opportunity arise for him to remain at Getafe, though, Bordalas appears to be keen. "In the end his club decides and also the boy's intentions regarding his future count," the Spaniard said this week. "But I can say we are happy with his behaviour and his performance."

Earlier this month, Bordalas was quizzed on Barcelona's reported interest and replied: "I don't know anything about the rumours. Mason is a Getafe player, we are focused on the current season. We can't allow ourselves to get lost."

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Greenwood is yet to comment on the speculation but if he hopes to return to United and re-establish himself at his boyhood club, Ratcliffe's recently comments serve as a boost. "It's a fresh decision [we'll be making]," the INEOS chairman, who now owns 27.7 per cent of United, told reporters in February.

"I can talk about the principle. I am not going to talk about Mason. I am familiar with it. The principle is the important one. We will have other issues going forwards. You are dealing with young people who have not always been brought up in the best circumstances, who have a lot of money and they don’t always have the guidance they should have.

Jose Bordalas has suggested that he wants Mason Greenwood to stay (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

"What we need to do when we have issues like that is understand real effects, not the hype. Then we need to make a fair decision in the light of the club's values. That's what we need to do and that’s how we will deal with it."

Greenwood has one year left on his United contract but Old Trafford chiefs have the option to extend his deal until June 2026. He last played for the Red Devils before his arrest in January 2022.

Nathan Ridley