Feyenoord defender Tyrell Malacia has chosen to join Manchester United this summer following a 11th hour bid for his services, French outlet L’Equipe reports.
The 22-year-old was expected to join Lyon before the end of the month, but the Red Devils hijacked the deal yesterday by making an improved bid for the highly-rated left-back.
Les Gones initially agreed on a package of €13m plus €2m in add-ons, but United convinced Feyenoord into a deal by offering €15m plus €2m in variables for the Dutchman.
The French outfit are said to have made an improved offer for Malacia, but it is reported that his representative preferred him to move to the Premier League with the Red Devils.
Malacia has now chosen United as his next club, and the decision has already been informed to Lyon. He should become their first major signing of the summer in the coming days.
Our view:
United have been focused on landing Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong for much of the summer, and they are now on the cusp of reaching a transfer agreement for him.
The prolonged negotiations appear to have helped them in the pursuit of Malacia, who shares the same agent as De Jong. The representative kept United informed of Lyon’s bid.
Hence, the Red Devils were always aware of the situation surrounding Malacia, and they managed to enter the race at the final hurdle to land his signature ahead of Les Gones.
The decision should please Erik ten Hag, who was eager to bring Malacia to Ajax last year. He had been impressed by his qualities, and now has the chance to work with him at Old Trafford.
Malacia is strong with his tackling, but has also excelled with his overlapping runs and distribution. In the recent UECL final against Roma, he was quite exceptional with his attacking play and was unfortunate to not find the back of the net.
His performance was probably one of the best in his career. The Netherlands international will now be aiming to compete with Luke Shaw for a starting role. Alex Telles and Brandon Williams are likely to head for the exit door soon.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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