If there’s one thing we can all agree Ed Woodward is good at, it’s materialising paint and tyre sponsorships out of thin air.

While that’s a really neat magic trick, the sad truth is he’s also in charge of transfer dealings at Manchester United for the time being, and his track record in that department, other than forgetting to plug in the fax machine a few years back, leaves a lot to be desired.

Sure, he’s brought in the likes of Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial, but there’s always a feeling the club could do better, and perhaps the latest claim from Corriere dello Sport suggests a change should happen sooner rather than later.

Ever since last January, the Red Devils have been linked with Cagliari’s Nicolo Barella, and the fact they continue to be after José Mourinho’s dismissal suggests the Italian is a club target and wasn’t just the Portuguese’s.

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The stance, rather public, we must say, from Cagliari had always been that their midfielder wouldn’t leave for anything less than €40-50m, which should have been a clear message to Ed Woodward and co.

However, Corriere on Monday claim that, three days ago, a Manchester United ‘collaborator’ made what we can only describe as their first, and perhaps final, ‘offer’ for the young midfielder, but it wasn’t up to par.

What did they do? Said collaborator explained to the Serie A side’s president, Tommaso Giulini, that the Premier League side’s stance was: “£30m (€33.4m), take it or leave it”.

Spoiler alert: Cagliari left it.