Manchester United are reportedly showing an interest in Hellas Verona youngster Marash Kumbulla, who is a January target for several other European clubs.
The Daily Star have reported that, as per the reports emanating from Italy, Marash Kumbulla is another name that is present on the potential Manchester United wishlist. The Hellas Verona youngster is also being tailed by a host of other European clubs, who are all looking to seal a deal for the defender in January itself.
The report further entails that Verona have already received a £13 million bid for the youngster, who has been one of the standout performers in Serie A in the 2019-20 season so far. Kumbulla is also on the radar of Atalanta, Inter Milan, Napoli and RB Leipzig.
Marash Kumbulla is a 19-year-old Italian-born Albanian international who is predominantly a centre-back, with the ability to play as a holding midfielder as well. The youngster has been a mainstay in the Verona starting lineup ever since making his debut at the start of the 2019-20 season and hasn’t looked back since, even scoring his first goal at the senior level.
The Verona youngster excels in the technical aspect of the game while his poise in defence is uncanny to see in someone who is only in his debut senior campaign. Manchester United’s interest makes sense.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has seen all of his central defensive options fail to live up to the standards, with summer arrival Harry Maguire the only one to be consistently solid at the back. Victor Lindelof always has the odd mistake in him while Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo are not stable enough in defence to be considered a quality option.
The need for a central defender has been there since the arrival of Maguire. But, the former Leicester City star’s injury has thrown a spanner in the works at Manchester United, who are now bereft of options at centre-back, with Axel Tuanzebe also out injured.
The problem in Kumbulla’s pursuit lies in the fact that even though Verona are willing to do a deal in January for the 19-year-old, the Serie A outfit want the defender to be loaned back for the remainder of the season. This does not play into Manchester United’s plans, who would need a stopgap if not more, to come into the setup in January itself. Still, an interesting long-term option.
