It appears that the 2020 Manchester United summer transfer window is just a late bloomer. After taking a very long time to get their business started this summer, it appears Old Trafford are starting to make major moves now.
Dayot Upamecano, a central defender long linked with the club, is the next target in their crosshairs, once the Donny van de Beek signing is completed. United are looking to pair the RB Leipzig 21-year-old with Harry Maguire, according to ESPN.
The ESPN FC article, by Mark Ogden, claims “there is a belief that a deal could be struck with Leipzig before the Oct. 5 transfer deadline.”
Upamecano has been linked to several other clubs this spring and summer, including Arsenal.
The deal is a but complicated by the fact that Upamecano just signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2023. The new contract includes a €42 million release clause, down from the €60m it had been previously, but the clause cannot be triggered until the end of the upcoming season.
Of course, money talks and Old Trafford has really deep pockets, so we’ll see if Ed Woodward and company can get this deal over the line sooner rather than later. As it’s United who’s interested, the price usually automatically inflates, and it’s a familiar story that we’ve seen quite a bit recently.
According to the report, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjar wants to get this deal done sooner rather than later, and if that manifests, the Red Devils will really be on their way this window. Procuring a new central defender, along with the new midfield addition in Van de Beek means they can then focus on acquiring their last two positions of need- left back depth and a right-sided attacking player.
The flip side of the Upamecano deal is of course the jettisoning of United’s “surplus requirements” at the position.
It is believed that Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones will all be heading out the Old Trafford exit door, and if so, it’s best for all involved.
The Solskjaer rebuild is one geared towards youth, with Upamecano and Van de Beek right in that age range of all the players United are targeting this summer.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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