What’s the story?
According to the Mirror, Manchester United are all set to rival neighbours Manchester City and league leaders Chelsea to secure the signing of AS Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko. United boss Jose Mourinho wants to strengthen his midfield and has consequently identified Bakayoko as a viable option.
The Mirror also claim that United will look to secure the deal in the winter transfer window itself. However, they could face competition from both City and Chelsea, who are also admirers of the Frenchman.
In case you didn’t know…
Bakayoko, who is only 22-years-old, has represented France at the U-21 level and has established himself as one of the best talents in the world. He has already earned plaudits for his performances.
Antonio Conte and Pep Guardiola both have been keeping an eye on Bakayoko. Such is the degree of interest from the English clubs, that AS Monaco have reconsidered their valuation of the youngster and have maintained that the player would not be sold in January.
The heart of the matter
AS Monaco, who are currently second in Ligue 1, reportedly want at least €55 million for Bakayoko. But with the financial prowess of Premier League clubs, the price would be of the least concern to them.
The principality club also have a history of selling off their brightest talents for high transfer fees as they look to exploit competing interest with Anthony Martial being the most recent example. Martial was sold to United in the summer of 2015 for a potential record fee of €80m.
Mourinho is still building a squad to challenge for the most prestigious titles both in England and in Europe. Michael Carrick is not getting any younger and the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Marouane Fellaini have failed to impress so far. Timothy Fosu-Mensah is definitely one for the future but it is still early to comprehend whether he will realise his full potential.
In such a scenario, central midfield has emerged as an area of concern.
What next?
Mourinho is understood to be working on a medium-term plan to take United back to the glory days. He wants to bring in at least four or five new signings over the next two transfer windows and has prioritised central-midfield.
Also Read: Scout Report: Tiemoué Bakayoko - France's big hope in midfield
Sportskeeda’s take
Bakayoko has proven himself at the top-level. He is a physically strong player, not afraid of going into tackles and is also an able passer of the ball. He is comfortable in possession and has similar characteristics to Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic, the type of player Mourinho loves to have in his squad.
If Bakayoko indeed joins Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera in United’s midfield it will be interesting to see how they perform together.
