Man Utd primed to battle Arsenal, Liverpool for €50m-rated Bundesliga defensive boss

Manchester United are reportedly poised to battle Arsenal and Liverpool for the signature of Stuttgart star Finn Jeltsch, who is regarded as one of the best young defenders in the Bundesliga.

The 20-year-old centre-back joined Stuttgart from Nuremberg in a deal worth €8million (£6.9m / $9.3m) in the summer of 2025 and has since established himself as a key player.

He has started all four of Stuttgart’s games so far this season, including most recently in their 3-1 Champions League win against Viking FK on Wednesday.

With 37 competitive appearances under his belt last term, Jeltsch has plenty of experience for a young player and it’s no surprise to see top sides interested.

According to German outlet Fussball Dallen, Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal are all interested in Jeltsch, with Michael Carrick’s side said to be ‘monitoring him very closely.’

Arsenal are said to be ‘reviewing’ whether to ‘prepare’ a move, too, while Liverpool are keeping a close eye on his progress. Bayern Munich are also admirers, along with Juventus.

However, Stuttgart won’t let their star defender go cheaply, having set a price tag of €50million (£43m / $58m).

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Man Utd in the mix for talented Bundesliga centre-back

Carrick appears keen to add to his defensive options. Man Utd’s pursuit of a new left-back is well documented, but reports suggest they want a new centre-back, too.

So far this season, Man Utd have relied on Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire as their main centre-backs. Matthijs De Ligt is sidelined through injury, leaving Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven as the back-up options as things stand.

Whether Man Utd would be willing to pay €50m to land Jeltsch in January remains to be seen, but he is said to be firmly on the club’s radar.

In other news, Man Utd and Arsenal are both admirers of another player: Swedish striker Kevin Filling.

Filling is a 17-year-old centre-forward who has also played as a left winger. He came through the AIK academy before breaking into to their senior squad last year.

It emerged in October that Man Utd had entered ‘concrete negotiations’ to sign Filling. United ultimately failed to complete the deal, though, with Arsenal now looking to capitalise.

The Gunners are ‘monitoring’ Filling as a potential ‘project signing’, while Liverpool, Chelsea and Juventus are all ‘keeping tabs’ on him, too. More on that story, here.