Man Utd transfers: Ten Hag in dreamland with talks accelerating for €40m star who will oust costly Solskjaer transfer blunder

Manchester United are expected to soon hold talks with Axel Disasi following strong claims in the French media that Erik ten Hag has settled on the Monaco defender as a replacement for Harry Maguire.

The Red Devils made great strides in their first season under Ten Hag’s leadership. Winning the Carabao Cup and reaching the FA Cup final marked satisfactory progress. However, the main prize was achieved through a return to the Champions League courtesy of a top-three finish.

Now plans are underway to ensure Ten Hag can further strengthen a United squad that still has notable areas of weakness.

And while Ten Hag’s finances will likely be limited to around £120m, plus anything he can generate through player sales, he still hopes to make up to four marquee signings this summer.

To that end, the United manager is in the market for a striker, a midfielder and a defender. However, Ten Hag also hopes to land a new goalkeeper and Wednesday’s Euro Paper Talk claims a €60m fee for an outstanding Serie A star will soon be struck.

That said, the first man through the door may well be a new defender.

And according to reports in France, United ‘have the lead’ in the race to sign Monaco’s French star Disasi.

That’s via RMC Sport, who claims Ten Hag has fully switched his focus on to the four-times capped France star after missing out on Kim Min-jae.

The Napoli defender has been courted by United for most of the year. And while they thought a deal was in place, it now appears the South Korean is joining Bayern Munich.

READ MORE: Man Utd face crushing transfer blow as Man City beat Ten Hag to top target with monster salary offer

Man Utd target Disasi comes with Varane recommendation

Nonetheless, United appear to have moved on swiftly from the blow. And RMC Sport claims talks will soon be held with the 25-year-old centre-half over a move from Monaco.

They claim Ten Hag holds Disasi in ‘very high esteem’ with talks now expected to ‘accelerate’ in the coming days.

Ten Hag wants a deal finalising quickly to ensure a repeat of the Kim situation does not develop. To that end, RMC Sport claims a number of rival Premier League suitors are keeping an eye on developments.

However, it is United who are reportedly very much in control of the transfer situation.

And an agreement on the fee is not likely to be difficult to reach either. His Monaco deal expires in two years time and United are reportedly happy to meet Monaco’s €40m (£34.4m) valuation.

Disasi also comes with a ringing endorsement from Raphael Varane who knows him from France duty and is a huge admirer of his talents.

Man Utd transfers: Axel Disasi in, Harry Maguire out

His arrival at Old Trafford will likely kick off a busy period for the Red Devils. He will compete for a spot in the first-team alongside Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof; the latter of whom has now earned Ten Hag’s trust.

But his signing will likely spell curtains for Harry Maguire. The £80m spent on the England defender by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remains a world-record fee for a defender.

However, Disasi’s signing will see Maguire slip to fifth choice; a situation that is clearly untenable for the Red Devils club captain.

As a result, he will be allowed to move on to the highest bidder, albeit at a significant loss. Tottenham and Aston Villa are among the suitors of the 57-times capped England star.

READ MORE ~ Sources: Harry Maguire urged by agent to complete shock Italy move with three Serie A giants keen on deal