Manchester United have muscled their way into conversations for Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
The Red Devils have already reached a verbal agreement to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson, but they are eyeing another marquee addition in the department.
West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes was the prime target for several weeks, but Tottenham Hotspur recently won the race to sign the Portugal international.
United are now exploring the transfer market for alternatives.
Speaking to The United Stand, Jacobs has now revealed that United have ‘muscled their way’ into conversations for Bouaddi this summer.
While Manchester City are slight favourites in the pursuit, the Red Devils are among the clubs keeping a close eye on the Moroccan’s current status.
Lille would ideally prefer to keep Bouaddi next season. They are open to a pre-transfer agreement for next summer or the possibility of re-signing him on loan.
The Ligue 1 outfit want around €70-80 million (£60-69m) for a deal where Bouaddi stays with them next term.
Les Dogues are also open to parting ways with Bouaddi for good this summer, but they would demand €100m (£86m) from the player’s suitors in such a scenario.
Man Utd unlikely to spend big on Bouaddi
The Red Devils were eager to bring Fernandes to Old Trafford, but were reluctant to spend over the odds.
The club agreed to meet the Hammers’ £85m valuation for the Portuguese, but they proposed a much lower fee upfront with the remainder in the form of add-ons.
Spurs, on the other hand, guaranteed the whole fee without any add-ons. The London side also convinced the midfielder by offering a better salary than United.
Keeping that in mind, we don’t see United splashing £86m on Bouaddi. The 18-year-old is undoubtedly a superb young talent with potential, but that does not justify the price tag.
The youngster has made almost 100 appearances for Lille at such a young age, but based on his previous season’s statistics, he was not better than Fernandes in any attribute.
In fact, Fernandes outperformed Bouaddi in key passes, progressive passes and duels won. The pair were quite similar when it came to ball carrying ability and possession won.
For the reported asking price (£86m), United would be better off waiting for an elite midfielder. An opportunity could come their way through Real Madrid in the near future.
Los Blancos are eager to bring in a new midfielder for manager Jose Mourinho, and seem open to selling one of Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga in the coming weeks.
Neither player has given the green light for a potential departure, but their stance could yet change. United could be better off biding their time to sign one of the duo.
Stats from DataMB & Transfermarkt
