Manchester United have placed a € 17 million( £15 million) bid to sign Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia. They are also in talks with Barcelona to sign in Frankie De Jong.
Man United are closer to signing off Tyrell Malacia (above) for €17 million, image Getty Images
Highlights:
• Man United have hijacked Lyon’s attempt to sign in Tyrell Malacia
• Malacia shares agent with Frenkie de Jong, another player Manchester United wants to sign in.
Manchester United now have a €17 million deal to sign in the Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia. On Friday Lyon had concluded a verbal deal with Feyenoord for Malacia’s transfer. Lyon was supposed to buy away Malacia for € 12 million with €3 million add ons.
During that time, West Ham too competed with Lyon to sign in the Feyenoord left-back. On Tuesday, however, Manchester United jumped into the race with more money than any of the two clubs can offer. United has a proposal of €15 million with € 2 million add-ons.
Meanwhile, Frank Arnesen has recently said on Feyenoord news site : “ The agreement is there. We are now waiting for Tyrell. If he says yes, then a transfer to Manchester United is imminent.”
Manchester United So Far
Manchester United’s present move can save the club’s fortunes as it preformed abysmally in 2021-22 EPL. United suffered multiple blows from its rivals Man City and Liverpool and finished sixth in this year’s standing.
Currently, Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspurs and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal occupy the fourth and fifth positions in the EPL standings. This is ironical since Man United did beat Arsenal multiple times this year.
The club currently suffers from the lack of an effective left-winger and players giving lacklustre performance. Even Ronaldo’s return to the club hasn’t made much of a difference.
After its gut wrenching 5.0 loss against Liverpool, United’s then manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer resigned. Later Ralf Ragnick joined in after United failed to sign Antonio Conté, yet he too left following mismanagement and poor performance. Currently Eric Ten Hag has decided to coach the club.
Malacia and Frankie De Jong Have the Same Agents
Tyrell Malacia shares an agent with Frenkie de Jong, the Barcelona midfielder Man United wants to sign in. So far Malacia has played 136 times for Feyenoord, he has also won five caps given by the ex United manager Louis Van Gaal.
Manchester United previously relied on Luke Shaw and Alex Telles as its left-back last season. Both of these players failed to be to consistent in their positions. And that’s why Manchester United needs a left-back in the form of Malacia.
Man United’s Deal with De Jong
Manchester United also hopes to sign in Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona. It is holding talks with the club to purchase the Dutch midfielder for €65 million (£56.1 million).
The price may rise to €85 million with add-ons. Man United initially offered the club €60 million with add-ons and Barcelona rejected the deal. The soccer journalist Fabrizio Romano says that de Jong doesn’t currently wish to leave Barcelona and United may have to pay a hefty sum to convince him.
However, Eric Ten Hag may play an effective role in signing De Jong. De Jong had previously worked with Ten Hag at Ajax and is his prime target for the club.
At Ajax De Jong was part of the squad that completed the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup double in 2018/19. It also reached the Champions League semi-finals.
Eric Ten Hag is famous for his brand of “dominant, dictating” football. However, Manchester United has had a weak mid-field this entire season.
For it to be able to play Ten Hag’s style of football, United has to upgrade its midfield. De Jong plays deep and can easily thwart any obstacle.
He rarely concedes the ball to the opponent and has a 91% passing rate in La Liga last season. He has also made 46 appearances for Barcelona and has four years remaining there.
De Jong may not necessarily solve all the problems Man United faces, but he can upgrade their midfield.
(Inputs Sky News, the Guardian)
