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David Tully Jul 22nd 2026
Man Utd have “made a move” for Bologna centre-back Jhon Lucumi, according to reports in the Italian media.
The Corriere di Bologna (via Sport Witness) claim that the Red Devils have joined a list of clubs pursuing the Colombian international’s signature.
Lucumi has less than twelve months left on his contract, and there is no indication that he will sign an extension.
Bologna’s chief executive Claudio Fenucci has, though, previously suggested that they would offload the player before the end of the transfer window to prevent him from leaving on a free transfer next summer.
Lucumi is an experienced international
It is not a surprise that United and several other teams have taken a keen interest in the defender. He has made 343 club appearances in his career for three clubs – Deportivo Cali, Genk and Bologna.
At international level, Lucumi has been capped 42 times by Colombia, having started all five of his country’s games at the World Cup. He actually played every minute until he was substituted with an injury in the last minute of extra time during the round of 16 defeat to Switzerland.
Why do Man Utd want to sign him?
Lucumi’s contract situation means he could be snapped up relatively cheaply. There isn’t an urgent need to bring in a new centre-half, with Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven and Lisandro Martinez all at the disposal of manager Michael Carrick.
However, Director of Football Jason Wilcox may be considering signing Lucumi with the future in mind. Martinez’s contract does expire next year (although there is an option to extend it for another twelve months). Maguire is in the same situation, while there remain doubts about the fitness of de Ligt, who will likely miss the start of the season with a back injury.
David Tully
David Tully
David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for the Football News Network.