Man Utd target ‘dreams’ of Old Trafford move, gifting Ten Hag advantage over two Euro giants in race
Manchester United are in pole position to sign a player from the German Bundesliga as he reportedly ‘dreams’ of playing for them.
One star Man Utd have been targeting in recent weeks is Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram. As per German outlet Bild, Man Utd officials view the Frenchman as a good replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo in attack.
And Thuram represents a very affordable option, too. Due to his Gladbach contract running down, Erik ten Hag’s side could land him for just €12million (£10.5m).
However, Man Utd are likely to miss out on the France World Cup star. That’s because Newcastle are close to ‘wrapping up’ a deal for him. They are in advanced negotiations with Gladbach and are trying to bring down his transfer fee to below £10m.
While Man Utd will struggle to capture Thuram, they could bring in one of his Gladbach team-mates. The Red Devils are reportedly in talks with Gladbach over the signing of goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Like Thuram, he is due to become a free agent next summer. And he is pushing to leave Germany in January on a cut-price deal.
Bayern recently emerged as Man Utd’s rivals for the Switzerland international. But in some good news for Ten Hag, they are reportedly prioritising a move for Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez for instead.
There has now been a double update on Sommer’s potential move to Man Utd. Football Italia, who cite Sky Sport Italia, claim Man Utd will face competition from both Inter Milan and Bayern for him.
Bayern still in for keeper, but Man Utd favourites
It seems Bayern are still keeping tabs on the shot-stopper, just in case Villa demand too much money for Martinez.
However, there is a good chance Sommer will choose to join Man Utd over Inter and Bayern. According to Bild, he is hoping to ‘fulfil his dream’ and play in England next year. Man Utd in particular are named as his ideal destination.
Bild also provide some detail on much Sommer may cost Man Utd. With his contract running down, Gladbach will not charge any more than €5m. That works out at £4.3m right now.
Man Utd will attempt to bring Gladbach down from this price though, meaning the 34-year-old could move to Manchester for even less than £4.3m.
As Sommer is two years older than David de Gea at 34, he will not be a long-term replacement for the Spaniard. Instead, Sommer will likely rival De Gea for his starting spot over the next few seasons.
Man Utd will still need to find a permanent successor for De Gea, even if they capture Sommer. And one pundit reckons they should pursue Argentina’s World Cup hero Martinez, just to make the keeper merry-go-round even more complex.
During an appearance on Sky Sports, former Cardiff player Jay Bothroyd said: “He (De Gea) is a top keeper. He had a good season last year.
“But he’s on a lot of money, he’s one of the highest paid players in the Premier League. I think he’s on about £350,000 a week, that’s a lot for a goalkeeper. Now, for example, if I was Man United, I’d be looking at other options, like you would.
“You would have to look around, Martinez being one of them. Yes, he’s at Aston Villa, but that could potentially be an option for them.”
Elsewhere, Wednesday’s Euro Paper Talk claims a Man Utd attacker has become a ‘priority’ signing for PSG.
