It’s not longer a question of when Nani is going to leave Manchester United, but a matter of where to. Right now? Quite a few clubs around Europe are chasing the Portuguese winger, with AS Roma of the Serie A also joining the pursuit.
The last season and a half have been disastrous for Nani, who was possibly the teams best player in the 18 months before his decline. Possibly someone got it into his head that he should be making a lot more money, and with his frustrating negotiations came a steep decline in his form, and a return to his old ways.
Instead of an efficient winger who keeps cutting from the flanks into the middle, we got the old dribbling and bad-crossing player who thinks he’s Cristiano Ronaldo but can never be him, while his lack of defensive support down the flank, especially with a player like Rafael playing behind him, was another key moment in his benching.
He played in only 10 league matches last season, getting a start on the opening day in which he proved all his doubters right. United tried selling Nani to Zenit, but he blocked the move by asking for a ridiculous salary. Instead of being a £20-million or more kind of player, which his talent and ability from two years ago completely justifies, Nani will probably be sold for £12 million, as his contract is up in 12 months time.
Roma will be joining Galatasaray and AS Monaco in their attempts to sign the player. If it’s Champions League football he wants, the Turkish side is the place to go. Money? Monaco, obviously, and that’s a very big factor for Nani, who might also prefer sitting out another season just to spite United (that is possible). In terms of best league? Roma is probably the best option, as the Daily Mail suggests the lowering fee has attracted the Italian club, going through two disappointing seasons at the moment, to Nani.