Man Utd reject Arsenal world record approach for Alessia Russo
By Ali Rampling
Manchester United have rejected a world record approach from WSL rivals Arsenal for Alessia Russo, with the club adamant that the forward is not for sale.
Jonas Eidevall had made it clear that the Gunners were in the market for a forward this January, with Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema both set to miss the remainder of the season with ACL injuries.
It was reported on Monday evening that Arsenal had submitted a bid for Russo, whose contract expires at the end of this season, totalling a world record in the women's game in an attempt to land a striker before the transfer window closes.
BBC Sport and The Telegraph have both reported that a second bid was submitted by Arsenal on deadline day itself, believed to be in the region of £500,000.
However, Sky Sports and The Telegraph have also since reported that United have ruled out selling Russo this month, and that she is 'not for sale at any price'.
United are currently three points ahead of Arsenal at the WSL summit, having played a game more, as they bid to go about qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in their history.
"I would be disappointed if we can't bring in a prolific goal scorer in addition to the signings we have made," Eidevall said earlier in January. "That should be a really important priority for us in this window with the numbers of games and the level of the games that we have."
The Gunners have also been linked with a move for Lyon striker Signe Bruun, who spent the second half of the 2021/22 season on loan at United.
Marc Skinner stated recently that United remained in 'heavy' negotiations with Russo over a new deal.
When asked about the possibility of selling her amid Lyon transer rumours earlier in the season, the United boss had also said, "I know the interest of us is to keep Alessia at this club and I can make sure that the fans know we’re definitely not a selling club."
The WSL transfer window shuts at 17:00 (GMT) on Tuesday 31 January, while the international window closes seven hours later at midnight.