Barcelona are reportedly leading the race to sign Dayot Upamecano, with the RB Leipzig defender also a summer target for Manchester United.
According to a report by TransferMarketWeb, Barcelona have received a major boost in their bid to sign Dayot Upamecano in the summer transfer window. The RB Leipzig defender prefers a move to Camp Nou over Manchester United, who are also heavily linked with him.
Upamecano has garnered a lot of excitement and hype surrounding his talent ever since he joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2015. 18 months later, he was on his way to Bundesliga’s newest high flyers, RB Leipzig. And, he hasn’t looked back since then.
Now a mainstay at the back for Leipzig, Upamecano has made 36 appearances across all competitions for the side. Having showcased some superb reading of the game and maturity beyond his years, it has come as no surprise that he is attracting interest from some of the best clubs in the world – Barcelona and Manchester United are among the front-runners in his pursuit.
At Barcelona, the need to sign a centre-back has accentuated in recent weeks, with the future of Samuel Umtiti up in the air – the Frenchman is coincidentally linked with Manchester United. With Gerard Pique and Thomas Vermaelen on the wrong side of 30, and Yerry Mina still not deemed prepared to be a first-choice centre-back, Upamecano is a viable target.
Manchester United, on the other hand, look set to invest in a centre-back for the third summer window in a row, with Victor Lindelof taking time to adjust in England. Meanwhile, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones are heavily linked with a departure from Old Trafford in the summer, with Jose Mourinho looking to revamp his defensive unit.
But, while Upamecano is the right profile of player to pursue for Manchester United, they face an uphill task in their bid to land him in the summer. The French under-21 international has confessed that it would be a dream come true to represent either Barcelona or United, but the Blaugrana are believed to be at the front of the pack in the race to sign him.
Barcelona are now looking to launch the offensive to beat other suitors, like Manchester United to his signature. What is certain is that the 19-year-old’s stock is on the rise, and the player is certainly going places, and it now remains to be seen which way he heads off to in the summer, should he depart from Leipzig.
