New transfer target emerges as Man Utd make ‘first contact’ for defensive ‘Ferrari’

Manchester United have now set their sights on a centre-back closer to home after Wesley Fofana emerged on to their radar, claims a report.

The 20-year-old Leicester City man has impressed fans and pundits alike this season with his assured displays at the heart of the Foxes’ defence. The France Under-21 defender has made 29 starts for Brendan Rodgers’ team this season and helped Leicester into third place in the Premier League table.

Now Foot Mercato report that Fofana is being closely followed by United as they look to add some depth to their defensive options. The outlet even claim United have made “first contact” over a potential move.

Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane and Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic have been mentioned as prime targets and now Fofana has emerged as an option.

Leicester however, will not let Fofana leave on the cheap and are well aware of his potential after arriving from Saint-Etienne last October.

GET ALL YOUR MANCHESTER UNITED MERCHANDISE HERE – DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE

“He’s had a lot of tests since he’s been in,” Rodgers said recently.

“He’s a young player we are very excited about, having come in and shown the level of performance he has, and we believe he has a lot of improvements to make.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: We want to finish season with a trophy

Manchester United are safely through to play Roma in the Europa League semi finals - and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to lift the trophy, believing it could be a catalyst for further success.

“At 20 years of age, he’s very gifted. Each game is a part of his journey to being a top-class defender.”

Owen Hargreaves recently described Fofana as a “Ferrari” and urged United to sign the classy centre-back.

Subscribe for free to TEAMtalk’s daily newsletter…

Fofana fee could hit £80m

The report claims Leicester would want a similar figure to the £80m they paid for Harry Maguire to sell Fofana.

The player is under contract until 2025 and recently said he has settled in well in England.

“It’s gone really, really well. Above all, the settling in period has been very, very quick.

“It’s something I’ve not had to worry or think about too much,” said Fofana via the Leicester Mercury.

“I was lucky enough to have a lot of help from my team-mates and from the club in general.

“That helped things to go really, really well, so I’m happy with how I’ve adapted to football here and how I’ve settled in, so it’s gone well.”

READ MORE: Solskjaer feeling good about contract talks with Covid-hit Man Utd star