Manchester United are reportedly keen on Fenerbahce midfielder Elif Elmas, who is also courting interest from Manchester City and Tottenham.
Daily Mail have reported of widespread interest from Premier League brewing in Fenerbahce teenager Elif Elmas. The young midfielder is reportedly on the radar of Manchester City and Tottenham. But, Manchester United seem to be seriously considering the prospect of bringing the Macedonian star over to England.
Donning the number 99 jersey for Fenerbahce, Elif Elmas is regarded as one of the brightest young midfield talents in Europe right now. Already a regular for the Turkish giants, Elmas has missed just four Super Lig games for the club and has been a regular for Fenerbahce in other competitions as well.
Interestingly, as Elmas is of Turkish descent, he was called up by Turkey NT, with coach Fatih Terim keen to make him commit to the nation. But, the Fenerbahce youngster chose to represent his birthplace Macedonia, for whom the midfielder has turned out 10 times already, scoring twice in the process.
Premier League trio Manchester City, Tottenham and Manchester United seem to have taken note of his talent. The newly crowned Premier League champions are set for another summer of free spending, with Pep Guardiola keen to build an even stronger side.
One of the crucial areas that require reinforcements is the midfield, with Fernandinho and David Silva both in need of replacements. Tottenham, on the other hand, are likely to back Mauricio Pochettino in the transfer market after his heroics without spending.
Spurs’ midfield needs more options and Pochettino will be keen to continue the trend of buying young and converting them into generational talents.
Manchester United are looking to go back to the old days of recruiting young and quality players for the first-team rather than spending big for mega stars. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be aware that the departure of Ander Herrera combined with the exit rumours surrounding Paul Pogba means he needs to beef up his options in the said area.
Elmas has proven himself to be capable of playing in any position across the midfield, which will pique Solskjaer’s interest as the Fenerbahce youngster will be able to slot in at any of the slots in the 4-4-2 diamond formation that the former Manchester United star has preferred in the 2018-19 campaign.
While no value has been quoted, Transfermarkt puts Elmas at £7.5 million, which is already several multiple folds of what Fenerbahce paid to sign him from Rabotnicki in the summer of 2017.
Elmas is unlikely to command a hefty transfer fee, which means Manchester United can get their hands on a European international with one full season at club level under his belt, including continental football, for only a small portion of their transfer budget.
So far, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham have only been credited with interest and it will be interesting to see if the rumour develops into something concrete in the transfer window.
