Manchester United
Premier League • England
Man Utd ready to submit €30m bid for new right-back after board gives green light to signing of ‘solid competition’ for Dalot
Manchester United are about to send a bid that is very close to the right region for a right-back who they feel can provide “solid competition” for Diogo Dalot, according to a report.
Dalot has been Erik ten Hag’s first-choice right-back this season instead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Indeed, the latter has not been in favour at all. Therefore, he could move on in January, leaving Man Utd in need of someone else to share duties with Dalot.
There are a few options they could consider. Last month, we looked at five players they have been linked with who could become the replacement for Wan-Bissaka.
One of the names to get a mention was Malo Gusto. There were claims that Man Utd had been looking at the Lyon man in the summer and could revive their interest.
Now, despite rumours about some of the other options such as Denzel Dumfries and Jeremie Frimpong continuing, that seems to be happening.
According to Media Foot, Man Utd may soon be making a bid for Gusto. In fact, their board has approved a value of around €30million (£26.4million) for their offer.
The 19-year-old – who has started 14 Ligue 1 matches this season, either as a conventional full-back or a wing-back – has established himself as “one of the priorities” for Man Utd.
The Premier League side can take encouragement from the stance of his current club. Lyon only have Gusto under contract until 2024 and therefore know the player has a chance of pushing for an exit.
With that in mind, Lyon have decided to listen to offers. Anything above €30million will catch their attention, according to the report, so Man Utd aren’t far off at all in their estimations of how much Gusto might be worth.
Man Utd could put faith in Malo Gusto
They would then have to convince the player himself that the move would be the right one for his career. But for a teenager with just over 50 senior appearances to his name, interest from Man Utd must surely be worth taking into account.
Moving to the Premier League would be a new challenge for Gusto. As a France under-21 international who is building up different experiences in the sport, he would have to make the most of it as the next step of his career.
It seems that Man Utd have faith in him, so it would be over to him to justify that.
Perhaps due to his age, the arrival of Gusto wouldn’t mean Dalot would have to move over as first choice. But it could be a useful way of forward planning, especially since the Portugal international isn’t too far away from the end of his own contract at Old Trafford too.
What is clear is that Wan-Bissaka needs a fresh start elsewhere, so Man Utd are preparing to replace him as soon as possible. Gusto might just be their man.
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