Ten Hag gunning for Man Utd to sign Bundesliga winner who can help expensive flop shine

Erik ten Hag is urging Manchester United chiefs to complete a deal for Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui as he believes the 26-year-old can help one of his current players improve, according to reports.

Mazraoui came through the Ajax academy and went on to play 137 times in their first team, helping the Dutch giants win three Eredivisie titles and two Dutch Cups. But the right-back, who can also play as a left-back, left Ajax frustrated in the summer of 2022 as he ran down his contract with the club.

Mazraoui was linked with a move to Arsenal but instead joined German giants Bayern Munich on a free transfer. Since arriving at the Allianz Arena, the full-back has registered one goal and eight assists in 55 games, helping Bayern win the Bundesliga title during the 2022-23 season.

Mazraoui still has two years left to run on his Bayern contract, but he could end up joining a different club before the new campaign gets underway.

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On Tuesday, it emerged that Matthijs de Ligt is not the only Bayern star Man Utd are interested in, as they have also identified Mazraoui as a potential replacement for Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

According to an update from The Times, Man Utd will need to sell West Ham United target Wan-Bissaka first before swooping for Mazraoui.

When first learning of interest in the Moroccan, Bayern told his potential suitors to pay £25m. But Man Utd can now sign Mazraoui for the slightly reduced sum of £20m, which will be a boost for part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Ten Hag in particular is pushing very hard for this transfer to be finalised. The Dutch coach knows Mazraoui very well, having worked with him at Ajax between March 2018 and June 2022.

Man Utd transfers: Noussair Mazraoui a concrete target

A key reason Ten Hag is prioritising Mazraoui over other right-backs is that he feels the 28-cap international can help finally ‘unlock’ Antony.

The Brazilian winger followed Ten Hag from Ajax to Man Utd two years ago, but he has only managed 16 goal contributions in 82 games and has failed to get anywhere near to justifying his colossal £86m price tag.

Mazraoui could help to get the best out of Antony, as the duo worked well together at Ajax. Mazraoui is well aware that Antony does not like to track back often, while he can also link up well with the 24-year-old in the final third.

Although, it is not certain that Antony will be remaining at Man Utd this summer. Earlier on Wednesday, it emerged that Ratcliffe is preparing a brutal ‘fire sale’ of up to seven players who originally cost Man Utd a huge £320m.

Antony is on the list of players who might be sold, but it must be noted that Victor Lindelof, Wan-Bissaka and Christian Eriksen are all likely to depart first as they have entered the final 12 months of their contracts.

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