Manchester United are reportedly the favourites to secure the services of Boubakary Soumare, with AC Milan unlikely to match Lille’s valuation.
According to Italian journalist Vito Angele on the Italian Football Podcast, as carried forward by Daily Mirror, Manchester United are in pole position to sign Boubakary Soumare from Lille. The 21-year-old is also a target for AC Milan, but they are unlikely to shell out the required price to land him.
Soumare joined Lille from PSG in the summer of 2017 as a free agent, but it was not until the 2019/20 season that he finally managed to establish a foothold within Les Dogues’ first-team setup. The young Frenchman, though, has not looked back since last season, becoming a pivotal figure for the club.
This season, Soumare has turned out 22 times for Lille, missing just three games when available for selection. His progress has alerted a number of top clubs across Europe, with Manchester United and AC Milan currently in pursuit of the young midfielder.
Manchester United have been closely following Soumare for a number of months now, having also made an effort to sign him in the summer transfer window. However, a move did not materialise back then, with the Red Devils instead reinforcing their midfield by signing Donny van de Beek.
The continued interest in the 21-year-old, though, is interesting but not entirely unfounded, seeing as Nemanja Matic is on the wrong side of 30 and will soon be entering the final phase of his career. So, while Fred has been excellent in the holding midfield role, it is understandable why Manchester United would want another player to compete for the spot.
As per the latest update Vito Angele has claimed on the Italian Football Podcast (h/t Daily Mirror) that Manchester United are leading the race to sign Soumare. The Italian journalist said, “He is an important player but I don’t think he will be coming to Serie A. Manchester United are working on him and they are the favourites to sign him right now. Lille are also asking a high price for him which is too much for Milan.”
What now remains to be seen is if Manchester United end up meeting Lille’s valuation of Soumare, although it is not quite clear when they will make a move for him and what the price tag actually is. For now, though, it looks like the Red Devils are in the driver’s seat in pursuit of the 21-year-old.
