Manchester United have entered discussions for Serie A star Oumar Solet, according to reports, and an agent has discussed his current club completing a quickfire sale this summer.
Solet is a 25-year-old centre-back who came through the Stade Lavallois academy before joining Lyon in 2018. He only made four senior appearances for Lyon before joining Red Bull Salzburg in summer 2020.
Solet spent four years in Austria, making 106 appearances for Salzburg and helping them win three league titles and one Austrian Cup.
Solet arrived at Udinese on a free transfer in January and has proven to be a masterful signing.
The former France U20 international went straight into Udinese’s starting line-up, playing 19 times and chipping in with one goal and two assists.
He is already Udinese’s third-most valuable player, while his strong defensive performances have caught the attention of several clubs.
According to Italian source Messaggero Veneto (via The Sun), Man Utd are among the sides aiming to raid Udinese for Solet’s signature.
Man Utd are ‘in talks’ with Udinese to try and tee up a deal now that the first part of the transfer window has begun.
Solet is ‘likely to leave Udinese’ as they are open to selling in order to make significant profit, while the player is ready to challenge himself at a bigger club.
Man Utd could face competition from two Premier League rivals for the right-footed star. Sources revealed to TEAMtalk in March that West Ham United hold interest in his services, while Bournemouth have also been linked after they lost Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid.
During negotiations with Udinese, Man Utd have learned Solet will cost around €40million (£34m / $46m) to sign this summer.
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Oumar Solet tipped to secure big move
In an interview with Messaggero Veneto, respected Italian football agent Claudio Pasqualin was asked about Udinese potentially selling Solet quickly.
He replied: “I would say yes, even if they (the owners) have never sold in a hurry. Haste, in this case, could make potential buyers procrastinate, influencing the negotiations, so I believe that the objective (a sale) will be achieved, even if not easily and in a short time.”
Football Economist describes Solet – who stands at an imposing 6ft 3in tall – as an excellent ball-playing defender who thrives at both forward passes and dribbling.
Solet performs best in a back three, which means he could be ideal for Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation.
His signing would help United replace departing duo Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans.
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United have already announced their first summer arrival, with Matheus Cunha joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
But a pundit has raised serious concerns over the £62.5m move.
Cunha should help to replace Bruno Fernandes if the latter goes to Al-Hilal. It has been revealed that the skipper is ‘close’ to leaving after ‘positive’ talks with the Saudis.
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