Manchester United have reportedly set their sights on RB Leipzig defender Lukas Klostermann at the request of newly-appointed interim manager Ralf Rangnick.
According to a report from Spanish publication Fichajes, RB Leipzig and Germany defender Lukas Klostermann has emerged as a transfer target for Premier League giants Manchester United with interim manager Ralf Rangnick requesting his signing.
Klostermann came through the youth ranks at VfL Bochum and made just eight senior appearances before signing for Leipzig in the summer of 2014. The 25-year-old has since grown into a mainstay at the back for the Saxony-based outfit, racking up 211 appearances, in which he has 13 goals and 11 assists.
Klostermann’s growth with Leipzig saw him break into the German national team two years ago, with the versatile defender earning 16 caps for Die Mannschaft. Primarily a right-back, the 25-year-old can play as a centre-half with equal comfort and is now believed to be on the radars of Manchester United, with Rangnick pushing for his signing.
Manchester United had been in the market for a right-back all summer long, with Kieran Tripper having been the Red Devils’ top target. However, a move for the Atletico Madrid defender never materialised, leaving the club with just Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot as options in the position.
However, Wan-Bissaka has endured a forgettable season so far while Dalot has hardly featured and is linked with a potential reunion with former manager Jose Mourinho at AS Roma in January. Should the Portuguese international leave, the 20-time English champions will be left with Wan-Bissaka as the only option at right-back.
To that end, a January move for Trippier has once again been mooted. But with Rangnick now at the helm, Manchester United have seemingly turned their focus towards Klostermann. The 25-year-old is a player who the Red Devils’ interim boss knows well from his time as the sporting director and manager of RB Leipzig in the past.
Furthermore, Klostermann’s ability to play at right-back and centre-back with equal ease would also add more quality and depth in the defensive department at Old Trafford, amid question marks over the future of fringe players like Phil Jones. The German international is not the only Leipzig star that Manchester United are targeting, with midfielder Amadou Haidara also on the club’s radars.
