Manchester United could sign a new centre-back on a free transfer, according to Bild.
The Red Devils had a productive summer transfer window, with the primary focus on bolstering their attacking department.
United secured the services of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko alongside Senne Lammens and Diego Leon.
A new centre-back was not pursued even though Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans left at the expiry of their respective contracts.
Bild now report that United are ‘hot’ on the trail of Bayern Munich star Dayot Upamecano, whose contract expires in June next year.
Bayern have agreed on the base salary with the Frenchman for a renewal, but the player’s camp disagree over the signing-on fee.
Alphonso Davies received a staggering £14.8 million signing-on bonus to extend his deal, and Upamecano wants something similar.
This has made the negotiations ‘extremely difficult’. Upamecano has aroused interest from top clubs. United are mentioned as his admirers.
Upamecano to United speculation seems agent-driven
The Frenchman has been a mainstay in the starting XI for manager Vincent Kompany. He has become less error-prone compared to his time under Thomas Tuchel.
The 26-year-old had a passing accuracy of 94 percent in the Bundesliga last season. He won six duels per appearance alongside six recoveries, two clearances and two tackles.
Despite this, he has the knack of making errors with his positioning and poor touches. He made one error leading to a goal and three leading to shots in all competitions last term.
With the higher intensity and physicality of the Premier League, we believe the £43 million-rated centre-back could struggle to adapt to the demands. He won’t be a good acquisition for United.
The speculation could be agent-driven. United are still one of the best clubs in the world when it comes to financial firepower.
Upamecano’s representative is probably using the club as a negotiation tool to persuade Bayern to pay closer to the signing-on fee requested.
It won’t be a surprise if Upamecano pens a new long-term deal in the coming weeks.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com