Manchester United have established initial contact with Fulham, as they explore the possibility of signing teenage sensation Ryan Sessegnon in the summer.
According to a report from Sky Sports, Manchester United have taken the first step towards signing 19-year-old Fulham starlet Ryan Sessegnon in the summer transfer window, making initial contact with the Cottagers. Tottenham are also interested in signing the teenage sensation.
Sessegnon has emerged as one of the most coveted young players in England in the past couple of seasons. Having burst onto the first-team scenes at Fulham in the 2016-17 season, the 19-year-old played a pivotal role in helping them earn promotion to the Premier League in the 2017-18 term.
Fulham’s return to the top-flight did not go as per plans as they ended up getting relegated back to the Championship. But Sessegnon, despite not reaching the heights of the past season, managed to make a solid impression in his debut campaign in the Premier League, finishing with 2 goals and 6 assists from 35 league outings.
Manchester United have been monitoring Sessegnon’s progress for quite some time now. The Red Devils were interested in signing the Englishman last summer, but no move materialized back then. However, they have now rekindled their interest in the versatile left-back and have opened talks with Fulham over the possibility of a summer transfer.
Following a disastrous 2018-19 term, a crucial summer transfer window awaits Manchester United with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer eyeing a major squad overhaul ahead of the next season. In Luke Shaw, the Red Devils have a quality option at left-back, but the pickings are slim as far as backup options go in the position.
Veteran Ashley Young showed signs of age catching up with him as the season progressed, while Diogo Dalot hasn’t looked all that comfortable playing on the left-side of the defence. And with Marcos Rojo likely to be offloaded in the summer, Manchester United could do with bringing in a new left-back.
And in Sessegnon, they will be getting a young, homegrown talent with great promise and potential. Add to it, the fact that the teenage sensation can double up as a winger and supply goals and assists in numbers makes the prospect of signing him even more enticing for the 20-time English champions.
While they have opened a channel of communication with Fulham, Manchester United’s pursuit of Sessegnon is going to be anything but straightforward as there is significant interest in him from Tottenham Hotspur.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have been long-term admirers of the teenager and are hoping to sign him up this summer, although they are likely to wait until their Champions League finals against Liverpool is out of the way before launching a move.
Recent reports had claimed that Sessegnon prefers a move to Tottenham as he seeks to play in the Champions League, which Manchester United will not be able to offer next season. The Red Devils seem to have taken the first step towards attempting to Sessegnon, but it remains to be seen if they are able to Spurs to the teenager’s signing.