Manchester United are set to make a shock £55 million move to sign RB Leipzig star Dayot Upamecano, who is also courted by Liverpool.
According to The Sun, Manchester United are ready to move one step ahead of Liverpool in the pursuit of Dayot Upamecano. The RB Leipzig defender is currently one of the top targets for Jurgen Klopp, but the Liverpool manager has insisted that his side will only make a move in the summer when the defender’s £38 million release clause can be activated.
Manchester United, however, are looking to take advantage of this situation move ahead in the chase. In fact, they could sanction a stunning £55 million bid in order to find an agreement with Leipzig ahead of other interested parties including Liverpool, thus using their financial firepower to good effect.
It appears Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer is desperate to add reinforcements to his defensive unit that has struggled with consistency this season. Victor Lindelof, in particular, has shown signs of weaknesses while the likes of Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo clearly don’t have any future of Old Trafford.
The addition of Upamecano, in that regard, could add the much-needed quality in Man United backline. The Frenchman’s pace and ball-playing quality could even make him an ideal defensive partner for the abrasive Harry Maguire.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have been guilty of acting too passive in the transfer market. The Reds notably failed to bolster their defensive in the summer, persisting with the defensive trifecta of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip. And it is needless to point out that all three have missed a chunk of the campaign due to respective injuries, with van Dijk, in particular, sidelined with an awful ACL injury.
In Upamecano, therefore, the Reds could find an ideal long-term defensive solution and a capable competitor for the likes of Gomez and Matip. But, one party these two Premier League clubs should be aware of is Bayern Munich.
Braced to lose David Alaba in the summer, the Bavarians are desperate to sign Upamecano in an attempt to add some freshness into the backline. His pace and experience in the Bundesliga also makes him an ideal candidate for Hansi Flick’s high line of press, so it will be interesting to see whether Manchester United, in extension, can topple the German champions too in their pursuit of Upamecano this summer.
