Manchester United will reportedly have to shell out a transfer fee of €35 million if they wish to sign Boubakary Soumare from Ligue 1 outfit Lille.
According to reputed journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille have slapped a valuation of €35 million on star midfielder Boubakary Soumare, amid interest from Premier League heavyweights Manchester United.
A product of the Paris Saint-Germain youth academy, the midfielder never made a senior appearance for the French champions. Having featured just once for their B team, Soumare made the switch to Lille in the summer of 2017 and has gradually grown into one of the hottest young prospects in Ligue 1.
A defensive midfielder by trade, Soumare has racked up 91 appearances for Les Dogues contributing with a goal and a couple of assists. The 21-year-old has featured 22 times in all competitions in the ongoing term, helping Lille to the third place in the league table and qualification for the Europa League knockout stages.
Manchester United have been tracking the 21-year-old Soumare for quite some time now. The Red Devils have a stacked midfield unit as things stand, but will need to put a succession plan in place for ace defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic, who will be 33 years old by the time the next season kicks off.
Furthermore, with Paul Pogba’s future at the club also uncertain, bolstering the midfield department will be a key priority for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. England international Declan Rice had been touted as a target for the Red Devils, but the West Ham man has his hearts set on a transfer to Chelsea.
So, a move for Soumare makes a lot of sense for Manchester United. In fact, reports last week even claimed that the 20-time English champions were the frontrunners to snap up the France U-21 international. However, Romano has dismissed such claims, insisting that the club has scouted the midfielder and like him, but no talks have taken place over a January transfer.
To be clear about Manchester United plans: Boubakary Soumaré and Max Aarons have been ‘scouted’, they’re appreciated but *no* talks have been opened to sign them in January. ? #MUFC
Lille ask €35m to sell Soumaré and Man Utd never made inquiry/planned to sign him right now. ⛔️ https://t.co/Lq0IbzCy5G
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 11, 2021
The transfer expert also adds that Lille will demand a transfer fee of €35 million for their prized asset, but there has been no enquiry by Manchester United to sign him up in the ongoing transfer window. This is in tune with what Solskjaer said recently with the Norwegian insisting that there is little possibility of any major incomings in January.
It remains to be seen if the Mancunian outfit do decide to make a move for Soumare in the summer transfer window. A transfer this month, however, looks unlikely.
