Manchester United make RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano ‘priority signing’ after agreeing Donny van de Beek deal
Manchester United have made Dayot Upamecano a ‘priority signing’ after reportedly winning the race for Donny van de Beek.
The Red Devils are pushing ahead in their transfer business after securing an agreement with Ajax to make Dutch midfielder Van de Beek their first summer arrival.
And Upamecano is next on their list, according to talkSPORT’s transfer guru Alex Crook.
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Upamecano has been one of the most in-demand young players in Europe after his brilliant breakthrough at RB Leipzig.
The 21-year-old was strongly linked with a move to Arsenal earlier this summer, before that speculation was seemingly put to bed when he signed a three-year contract extension with the Bundesliga club.
But the centre-back’s new and improved terms in Germany have not put Manchester United off, with claims they will now turn their attention to bringing Upamecano to Old Trafford after landing Van de Beek.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to address his side’s defensive issues and wants to find a long-term partner for captain Harry Maguire.
Upamecano has had no shortage of suitors over the last 18 months, but many of them were put off by the strict €60million release clause in his previous contract.
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However, Crook brought us some interesting news on Monday’s White and Sawyer show surrounding the youngster’s new deal, with United now circling.
“A player who really impressed for RB Leipzig during their run to the Champions League semi-finals, Dayot Upamecano is understood to be on Manchester United’s list to come and play alongside Harry Maguire,” said Crook.
“This one could be a bit complex because while he now has a €42m release clause in his bow contract, less than his previous €60m buy-out clause, it can’t be triggered until the end of next season.
“But, because of that release clause, United feel there could be a deal to be had.”
talkSPORT pundit Danny Murphy is a big fan of the player and says he’d be a superb signing for the Premier League giants.
The former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder added: “I’ve seen him play and he’s a super player, I was really impressed with him this season.
“He’s very well through of and spoken about, so why not? United need to push on and it’s definitely something that works in terms of a player who can grow but he already had experience and great quality.
“He’s 21 and he’s only going to get better.”
And Darren Bent has also hailed the young centre-back, saying he’s a better player and more worthy target for Man United than Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, who has also been linked with a move to Old Trafford.
“Koulibaly seems to be the one people speak about, but when I watched him in the Champions League, he wasn’t great at all,” the former Premier League striker said on the talkSPORT Breakfast.
“I like the Leipzig centre-half, he really impressed me and against Spurs in the Champions League group stages he was superb.
“He’s one I thought a lot more people would have gone for. I think he’s better than Koulibaly.”
August 31, 2020 at 06:02PM Premier League Football Fixtures and Results - talkSPORT https://talksport.com
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