
Manchester United
Premier League • England
Ralf Rangnick ‘best placed’ to sign Bundesliga star, with deal putting big name Man Utd star at risk

Manchester United are reportedly engineering themselves towards the front of the queue to sign Bayern Munich defender Niklas Sule.
United endured a quiet January window with interim boss Ralf Rangnick failing to add to his squad. One of his prime areas to improve was in midfield, but attempts to bolster the department ultimately drew a blank. Top of their wishlist was RB Leipzig star Amadou Haidara, though the Malian ultimately rejected their approach.
As such, the summer window is likely to see a number of high profile arrivals and departures at Old Trafford.
Much of their business is likely to depend on what competition they are playing in. As it stands, United do currently sit in fourth and are on track to claim a Champions League berth.
However, with Tottenham, Arsenal and West Ham also in contention, the battle looks set to go to the wire.
Another area of improvement is in central defence. Indeed, Rangnick is yet to decide on his favoured central defensive pairing since taking charge at Old Trafford.
One man who has seen his name fleetingly mentioned with United is Sule.
The Germany defender falls out of contract in the summer and will be available as a free agent.
That has, understandably, seen him linked with a number of Premier League suitors.
Chelsea are often mentioned as contenders, while recently, Newcastle are also being touted as holding an interest.
‘More towards Manchester United’
Now, Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg claims Sule is more likely to sign for the Red Devils.

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And while the article notes Chelsea’s ‘particular interest’, the journalist reckons Old Trafford is a more likely destination.
“I can’t imagine that,” Plettenberg said of Chelsea. “I will say it’s more towards Manchester United.”
However, Plettenberg went on to explain that United’s prospects rest entirely on their bid to finish fourth.
He claims Sule is only willing to leave Bayern for a team playing in the Champions League. As a result, Newcastle appear unlikely to stand a chance.
Niklas Sule deal may put Maguire at risk
Any deal to sign Niklas Sule may place further question marks on the future of Harry Maguire.
The United skipper has made 22 appearances in all competitions this season. However, he is yet to truly show why United shelled out a world-record defensive fee of £80m for his services three years ago.
Indeed, he often finds himself coming in for criticism with Roy Keane – himself a former United captain – among his biggest critics.
After a recent rallying cry – in which Maguire insisted he was “the captain and leader of the dressing room” – Keane was quick to undermime him.
“How many times has he said that? I wouldn’t listen too much to what Harry has to say.
“I’ll judge a player on what he does on a football pitch, not what rubbish he comes out with about players sticking together and we need to do more.
“I still expect United to turn up and put on a performance but it’s not been good enough recently.”
In his latest interview, Maguire added: “I’ve obviously seen a lot of criticism and a lot of is absolutely justified. But for me, with this team, it shouldn’t need criticism to motivate players.
“If players of this quality aren’t motivated to play for this club when they pull the shirt on, then there’s something wrong.”
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