Fred’s teammate admits his ‘dream’ is to join Manchester United

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Fenerbahce midfielder Ismail Yuksek is reportedly a target for Tottenham Hotspur but his ‘dream’ is to play for Premier League rivals Manchester United.

A new central midfielder is indeed very high on the Red Devils’ summer wishlist, with Casemiro and Christian Eriksen declining and Sofyan Amrabat likely to return to Fiorentina when his loan deal comes to an end.

Manchester United are reportedly looking at the likes of Everton enforcer Amadou Onana and Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves. Now, there is no suggestion at the moment that Ismail Yuksek is on United’s radar too. But maybe he should be. 

Yuksek dreams of Manchester United

Alongside former Red Devils midfielder Fred, Yuksek has been the driving force behind Fenerbahce’s Turkish title charge. He has started the vast majority of their 28 matches thus far, Fener jut two points adrift of Istanbul neighbours Galatasaray at the top of the table. 

According to Fanatik, Tottenham Hotspur have scouted Yuksek, perhaps as a replacement for the out-of-favour Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

But – like Crystal Palace’s United-mad winger Michael Olise – there is another Premier League shirt Yuksek dreams of wearing. A red one.

“The club I would like to go to in Europe is Manchester United,” Yuksek tells TRT Spor. “My childhood dream (is to play for them).”

United eyeing up Casemiro replacements

Yuksek, capped 12 times by the Turkish national team, has taken his game to a new level this season. He ranks eighth in the Super Lig for successful tackles per game (2.4) but also has a creative side to his game. Yuksek has picked up an impressive five assists from his defensively-minded role over the last nine months or so.

Interestingly, Lyon reportedly wanted Yuksek as a replacement for one-time United enforcer Nemanja Matic in January. A bid of £9.5 million, however, was not enough to convince Fenerbahce to cash in (Le Progres).

The Daily Mail, meanwhile, report that Man United sent a scout to watch Casemiro’s fellow Brazilian Ederson during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Juventus. Ederson, like Yuksek, is a deep-lying midfielder who has more to his game than ball-winning, as much a distributor as he is a destroyer.