Michael Carrick looks on from the touchline at Old Traffordplaceholder image
Michael Carrick looks on from the touchline at Old Trafford | Getty Images
Manchester United have a lot of work to do in the summer transfer window - but one deal could be a particular priority.
Ask most fans and pundits about Manchester United’s priorities in the summer transfer window, and the first answers you get will probably focus on the midfield. Casemiro’s imminent departure has only accelerated the urgency of the rebuild required in that positional group, after all – but that doesn’t mean it’s the only position that United need to worry about.
Left-back has also become a position of concern. Luke Shaw is gradually getting longer in the tooth and has endured persistent fitness problems. Patrick Dorgu is talented but there is growing conviction that he would be best used as a winger going forward. All of that leaves a vacancy – and a world-class option could be available to fill the gap.
Why Manchester United should prioritise a deal for Alphonso Davies this summer
It’s only a little over a year since Alphonso Davies signed a new contract at Bayern Munich which committed him to the club until 2030 – but according to stories from sources such as German transfer reporter Christian Falk, they are already considering selling him this summer. Manchester United are said to be especially interested.
Bayern’s decision to explore the possibility of a sale doesn’t have anything to do with Davies’ performances, but rather his availability. Shortly after signing his new deal, Davies ruptured his ACL and missed nearly nine months of football – and since returning in January, a couple of lesser muscular injuries have sidelined him for a few weeks more.
Bayern, in other words, are concerned about his health moving forward and may cash in if another side are prepared to take a chance with the Canadian only able to start four Bundesliga matches so far this season. The Bavarian giants are nothing if not pragmatic with their transfer moves.
Davies has always had his fitness problems – he was out of action for three months in 2022 after being diagnosed with a heart issue as well – but has kept coming back stronger, has improved almost continuously, and at 25 should be at an age where can bounce back from the setbacks he’s endured so far. In other words, his evident quality makes signing Davies a risk worth taking for a team with the money.
Of course, United may be wary of signing a left-back who has spent the last year waving red flags over his health when they already have Shaw on the books, but Davies is probably worth the gamble. Not only is he a superb defender, he offers control in possession and dynamism when going forward and supporting the attack. There are few better all-round left-backs in the world.
And while Bayern can afford to be risk-averse, United perhaps can’t be too sensible. A strange comment about a team that have swung and missed so many times, perhaps, but their position in the top four belies the amount of work they have to do to become consistent contenders for Champions League qualification and for silverware. A player like Davies would help them bridge that gap far more quickly than most of the alternatives if he did indeed stay fit and available.
United have long been admirers of Davies, and were linked with a bid periodically in 2024 and 2025 before he signed that five-year contract at the Allianz Arena. But how likely is it that they get their man this summer?
Will Manchester United make a move for Alphonso Davies this summer?
The reports suggesting that Bayern Munich could move Davies on remain, for now, largely speculative and lacking in detail. The suggestion is that some very tentative discussions have taken place and that Bayern are putting out feelers to find out how much money they might make. There is nothing advance, there are no offers, and no way to know how likely it is that a side like Manchester United makes a move.
That means that we don’t have a price tag, either. Prior to his contract renewal, the gossip columns suggested a likely valuation of €50m (£43.5m) but that was when he only had months left on his contract. Bayern would surely hope to get more now, even if they are the ones instigating discussions. It’s not clear how budget-friendly a deal might be, and therefore how big of a risk on Davies’ fitness such a move might represent.
United have alternatives in mind, too. They’re known admirers of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Nathaniel Brown, a slightly younger, ascending player who may not have Davies’ ceiling but who offers no causes for concern regarding his fitness. Depending on how the prices stack up, Brown may well be a better option.
But if Davies is available and his valuation is realistic, then United probably shouldn’t overthink it. He’s a world-class player with no meaningful weaknesses, and who offers the technique and tactical flexibility to thrive either in Michael Carrick’s system or under any other manager they might appoint in the former midfielder’s stead. If the deal is on the table and the asking price isn’t laughable, United would be foolish to pass up a chance to add an elite player to a squad with relatively few of them.
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