This week ESPN reported Manchester United are eyeing RB Leipzig star Christian Nkunku. But amid that report, were quotes from the German club’s CEO speaking of their determination to keep him into next season.
Money talks, but United can likely expect a protracted transfer battle to sign the player.
With the club looking to hire a new manager and fly off abroad for pre-season for early July, there is importance on striking early and tying up incoming deals.
One which could be far easier to pull off than Nkunku, is a move for Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano told The United Stand: “I was speaking about the situation with my sources a few days ago. They told me 100 per cent Tielemans will not sign a new deal with Leicester.
“It means he will leave the club in the summer 99.99 per cent – because they don’t want to lose the player as a free agent in 2023.”
Leicester’s own manager Brendan Rodgers concedes it is unlikely they can hang onto Tielemans. He admitted as such after their weekend defeat.
Rodgers was quoted by the Express: “With his contract running down, I’m pretty sure there will be teams looking at him – but I’m also a realist as well.
“We are real as a football club. You’ll get people asking if we can hang on to these players for the next six or seven years but, the reality is, if a player does really well at Leicester, he may want to leave and move on to another club. For us, it’s just about being ready for that.”
Opportunity for United to strike early
United are expecting to lose Paul Pogba when his deal expires at the end of the season. Tielemans is an ideal replacement and would not cost an extortionate fee due to his contract situation.
Romano added: “They were always asking around £60m for Tielemans and now maybe because of this contract situation, £45-£50m could be the price for Tielemans in the summer.”
There will be more complicated moves for United this summer, and there are multiple positions to solve.
Aside from being tasked with replacing Paul Pogba, United need a defensive midfielder, which Tielemans is not.
United also need a striker, and there are other various positions which could need an upgrade, including right-back and centre-back.
Getting a deal over the line for Tielemans would show positive early intent, and also allow United to focus more on other moves. The Star have already reported United are targeting the Belgian.
We have seen in previous transfer windows how slow United are and an inability to conduct multiple deals at once.
Tielemans’ desire to leave and Leicester’s apparent willingness to cash in provides an opportunity, and if United do wait around, then a smarter and more efficient club will likely snap him up first.
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