Manchester United snapped up Leny Yoro last week but still want to add another centre back despite securing the French wonderkid’ signature.
Erik ten Hag simply had to bolster his defensive options at Manchester United this summer.
Few United fans would have expected to be leaving Real Madrid in the dust though.
United completed the signing of Lille wonderkid Leny Yoro in a £52million deal last week despite strong rumours linking him with a move to Spain.
Real may have been waiting for Yoro’s contact to expire next summer but United have managed to nip in and sign him right away.
Excitement around Yoro is already huge but is just 18 and United would be wise to add a more experienced centre back this summer too.
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Jonathan Tah future takes a turn
United’s top target appears to be Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt.
The problem is that United have failed with a bid for the Dutchman – despite allegedly agreeing personal terms with him.
United have also looked at other options though and one of them is thought to be Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah.
Reports earlier in July suggested that United have been exploring a potential deal for Tah.
Bayern Munich had been in ‘advanced’ talks to sign Tah but hadn’t found an agreement on a deal, leaving United to ponder a cheeky hijack.
Sport Bild now claim that Tah’s move to Bayern is now in danger of collapsing.
Bayern offered €18million (£15million) for Tah but Leverkusen are demanding €40million (£33.5million), meaning the two clubs are nowhere near an agreement.
Tah wants the move but Bayern need to sell players – ironically, De Ligt being the main one – before being able to go closer to Leverkusen’s demands.
That leaves Tah in limbo and it may just tempt United into pushing for the German this summer.
The 28-year-old was superb in Leverkusen’s title-winning campaign last season and would bring a huge presence to the United back line at 6ft 5in tall.
Tah may not be quite as high on the wish list as De Ligt, but Bayern’s inability to get a deal done won’t have gone unnoticed inside Old Trafford.
Matthijs de Ligt impact
This situation just leaves De Ligt even more uncertain about his future.
The Dutchman wants to join United and has made that stance abundantly clear to Bayern.
United’s offer – around £29.5million – is some way short of the £42million Bayern are seeking.
De Ligt has fallen down the pecking order though and figures to be behind Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae, Eric Dier and new signing Hiroki Ito – even before a potential Tah deal.
United are clearly trying to drive Bayern’s price down and will hope that the prospect of them missing out on Tah – or even seeing him head elsewhere – can be a great negotiating tactic.
We would still make De Ligt a much more likely addition for United but Tah’s situation will be increasingly appealing as both United and Bayern attempt to negotiate deals for new defenders.