Ayden Heaven has joined Manchester United from Arsenal
Manchester United have finalised the signing of Ayden Heaven from Arsenal with the capture announced on Saturday and with the player making clear of his pride at securing the move and with details of the contract he has signed revealed.
The Red Devils are slowly but surely moving to strengthen their squad after a somewhat inconsistent start to life under new manager Ruben Amorim, who has won eight of his 18 matches in charge so far, but having also suffered seven losses in that time. And with money at a premium having backed previous boss with a £180m transfer spend over the summer, Manchester United have had to carefully juggle their finances over the winter window as they look to furnish Amorim with new additions.
However, after reaching an agreement to bring in Patrick Dorgu from Lecce earlier this week in a deal that will top £29.3m (€35m, $36.3m), the Red Devils have now announced the second signing of the winter window after completing a deal for talented young Arsenal defender Heaven.
The 18-year-old – who can operate as a centre-half or cover at left-back – has signed a deal through to summer 2029, with the option of a further year.
United and Arsenal have also reached an ‘undisclosed compensation agreement’ over the deal and have revealed the player will be added to Amorim’s first-team squad options ‘immediately’.
Explaining the move on his Instagram page, England U19s international Heaven revealed his delight at joining the Red Devils: “I am incredibly proud to join Manchester United.
“I’m grateful to everyone who helped make this dream a reality.
“There is so much that I want to achieve in the game. I’ll be giving everything to continue my development and become the best player that I can be.”
Jason Wilcox explains Ayden Heaven signing
United are clearly putting a lot of focus into bulding for the future with Heaven’s move to Old Trafford following on from their capture earlier this season of his former Gunners academy teammate, Chido Obi-Martin.
The Red Devils have also reached an agreement to sign Paraguayan teenager Diego Leon this month, though his signing will not officially go through until the summer and once the left-sided defender has turned 18.
All three moves though have been masterminded by United’s technical director Jason Wilcox, who fully understands the importance of building for the future.
Discussing the capture of Heaven, he told the club’s official website: “We are delighted that Ayden has joined Manchester United.
“He is already an extremely talented defender who is ready to join our first-team squad in order to maximise his development.
“This club has a phenomenal track record of supporting young players and we believe that Ayden is in the perfect place to reach his excellent potential.”
Man Utd transfer latest: Rashford to Villa ‘advanced’; Mathys Tel leg-up
Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford is edging closer to the United exit door after our transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher revealed talks over a move to Aston Villa are now ‘at an advanced stage’ and will be finalised before Monday’s transfer deadline.
And with Unai Emery personally intervening to get a deal over the line, an end finally looks in sight for the long-running saga.
United could yet try and get a new forward in of their own before the window slams shut and we understand that Bayern Munich star Mathys Tel has now made it clear to his representatives that a move to Old Trafford is his priority should he leave the Allianz Arena this month.
However, as two sources explain, a move looks difficult to pull off with Tel also expected to perform something of a transfer U-turn over his wishes to leave.
And finally, with time ticking towards Monday’s 11pm deadline, a report has revealed how and why Amorim is so desperate to offload both Rashford and Casemiro with neither playing figuring in his plans.
By Teamtalk