Not a day goes past at the moment when Manchester United are not linked to centre-back targets Jules Kounde, Ibrahima Konate, or Nikola Milenkovic, and it’s only February.
Another up and coming name can be linked to United’s list of targets: Anel Ahmedhodzic.
According to Jeunes Footeaux, United are showing interest in Ahmedhodzic and are keen to hijack his proposed move to Atalanta.
It is claimed United would be willing to offer £11.2 million, more than the £9.5 million Atalanta are presently preparing to pay.
So who is Ahmedhodzic and what do United fans need to know about him?
1) 6ft 4 Ahmedhodzic plays for Swedish side Malmo, where he is under contract to 2023 after signing for the club in 2019.
2) After playing for Sweden’s youth teams from under-16s through to under-21s, Ahmedhodzic made the decision last year to switch allegiance to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he now has two senior caps.
3) He already has experience in English football. Ahmedhodzic was signed by Nottingham Forest from Malmo in 2016 and made one appearance before re-signing for his former club three years later.
4) The 21-year-old has picked up vital experience over the past two seasons, playing 43 first team games for Malmo, including Europa League qualifying ties.
5) Ahmedhodzic’s two international games have been eventful so far. He was sent off on his debut against Poland after 14 minutes. He then kept a clean sheet in 120 minutes against Northern Ireland in the Euro 2021 play-off semi-final before his Bosnia side lost 5-4 on penalties.
6) He allegedly came close to a move to Chelsea last October. The Sun reported how the move broke down amid a bitter row between Malmo, the player’s agent, and his dad.
What do they say about him?
Ahmedhodzic’s transfer would be a significant one for Malmo as it would eclipse the record £7 million fee the club received many years ago for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
He made a big impression back on his debut for Malmo in a Europa League game against Wolfsburg, with Swedish journalist Per Bohman telling Sportbladet: “I am convinced that MFF will sell Anel Ahmedhodzic expensively within a year or so.”
Teammate Ola Toivonen was quoted by Fotbolltransfers.com last November: “He is something exceptional that we see in Swedish football.”
What’s the verdict?
Well it’s only February so we doubt United are making any moves to hijack Atalanta’s proposed transfer despite what is being claimed.
United will likely only actually advance any transfer deals in the summer.
At just £11.2 million, Ahmedhodzic could be a potential bargain, when you consider that Jules Kounde could end up costing roughly seven times the amount.
United are unlikely to have huge amounts to spend on players this coming summer, there may be one big deal, but that will probably be it. The others will have to be cheaper punts and there may be an Ahmedhodzic type transfer thrown into the mix.
If he was signed, he would probably be one of two centre-backs added. It’s a position United need to strengthen, and a tough decision needs to be made on whether to extend injury prone Eric Bailly’s contract.
In the event United don’t decide to extend Bailly’s deal and try to cash in on him, a move for a young prospect like Ahmedhodzic could make some sense as depth.
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