Manchester United are interested in signing a £45,000-a-week reigning league champion this summer, according to a fresh update from Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg.
Man Utd transfer news
The Red Devils have made Joshua Zirkzee their first summer signing of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era, which is hopefully the first of many eye-catching additions before the Premier League gets back underway next month.
While the Bologna man will provide stern competition for Rasmus Hojlund at United, a move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney has also been mooted, should Erik ten Hag want even more depth in central attacking areas. The England man is thought to be keen on a move to Old Trafford, but it remains to be seen if other positions will be looked at as bigger priorities.
At the other end of the pitch, Matthijs de Ligt has been constantly linked with a move to the Red Devils, with United ready to pay Bayern Munich's asking price. Talks are thought to be at an advanced stage, although the Dutchman is far from the only central defensive option being looked at.
Left-back is also a key position to focus on, with Luke Shaw hard to rely on fitness-wise throughout a whole season, and Girona hero Miguel Gutierrez is seen as a leading contender to come in, along with Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez.
Man Utd make enquiry to sign reigning league champion
Taking to X, Plettenberg claimed that Manchester United are looking at Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah as a defensive option this summer, with a deal for De Ligt not yet agreed. An enquiry has even been made for Tah.
Tah is a player who feels right at the peak of his powers currently, with the 28-year-old proving to be a key man for a wonderful Leverkusen side – one that was on course to win every competition they were in last season, prior to losing to Atalanta in the Europa League final.
The £45,000-a-week German still won the Bundesliga title and the German Cup, however, completing 94.7% of his passes across 31 league appearances, 30 of which were starts. He also averaged 3.1 clearances and two aerial duels wins per game in the competition, and even scored four times for good measure, showing that he can be a threat in an attacking sense.
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It could be that the likes of De Ligt and Jarrad Branthwaite represent better long-term options, due to their age, but Tah also feels like a well rounded defender, so seeing United snap him up and Tah partnering Lisandro Martinez could be a mouthwatering prospect for Red Devils supporters.