Manchester United will need to pay between €45-50 million to sign Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries in January, Inter Live report.
The Red Devils were heavily linked with the full-back during the summer transfer window, but United’s main priority lied on marquee signings for their midfield and attack.
Hence, they were out of funds to strengthen the right-back department. The club were initially aiming to sell Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but there were no suitable offers on the table.
It is now reported that Inter may contemplate selling Dumfries next year and it could be as early as January to recoup funds. Both United and Chelsea are keeping tabs.
Dumfries was purchased from PSV Eindhoven for just €15m last season and it is claimed that the Nerazzurri would be tempted to sell him for a fee between €45-50m.
United may not spend big during the January transfer window
Dumfries has mostly played as a right wing-back for club and country over the past 18 months and has found plenty of success doing so. This season, he has four goal contributions in 13 games for Inter.
Despite this, he should not have much trouble adapting to the right-back role at United. He made over 250 appearances at PSV from the position and has only recently played in a more advanced spot.
His style of play would suit manager Erik ten Hag, who prefers regular overlapping full-backs. Diogo Dalot has done a good job this season, but there is still the need for strong competition for places.
Dumfries would provide exactly that, but whether United sign him is another big question. The hierarchy did not want to sell Wan-Bissaka on a cut-price deal this summer to pursue a replacement.
Having played just four minutes this term, his valuation will have taken a further dip. The board may probably wait for Wan-Bissaka to be involved in the back end of the season to boost his value.
This could prove a stumbling block in the purchase of Dumfries. The priority may be placed on sorting Wan-Bissaka’s future first. This could see a more ambitious club like Chelsea take advantage.
In our view, United must be pro-active and grab the chance of signing Dumfries when the chance arises. If they decide to wait until next summer, the Blues could easily beat them to the player in January.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
