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#3 Denis Zakaria
Manchester United have been strongly linked with Switzerland international and Borussia Monchengladbach footballer Denis Zakaria in recent times.
If reports are to be believed, many members of the Red Devils hierarchy believe that their woes in defensive midfield could be solved by bringing Zakaria in. The midfielder fits well into the requirements of a potential new defensive midfielder for Manchester United.
However, there have been contrasting reports that Bayern Munich could acquire the midfielder instead, to replace the outgoing Corentin Tolisso.
Despite making his intentions to leave Monchengladbach clear, Zakaria has been a regular for the club in the ongoing season. He has already made 17 appearances, primarily as a starter. While maintaining defensive solidity has been his primary role, Zakaria has scored a couple of goals and got an assist as well.
#2 Matthias Ginter
Although the defense looks excellent on paper, Manchester United have a problem in the area. The trio of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane have all been inconsistent and have struggled with injuries to make matters worse. Eric Bailly looks set to depart while Phil Jones has also struggled with fitness issues.
The club's poor performances in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era have often been due to the shoddy work of the defensive unit, which has been highly leaky at times. Borussia Monchengladbach's Matthias Ginter could solve the growing problem at Old Trafford without the English club spending too much.
The German international is a hard tackler of the ball and is extremely effective in connecting the defense and midfield with accurate passes.
Ginter has already informed Monchengladbach about his decision to leave at the end of the 2021-22 season. Yet he has been a regular in the current season, having made 19 appearances across all major competitions.
Manchester United can expect stiff competition if they want to secure the German's signature in the summer.
#1 Franck Kessie
Many Manchester United fans believe the duo of Scott McTominay and Fred are just not good enough to match the club's high standards. But there may be the perfect upgrade out in the market that can be acquired for little in the summer transfer window.
Franck Kessie has been one of the best players in Serie A in recent years and has grown in stature at his current club AC Milan. The Rossoneri have tried several times to tie him down with a new contract, but it looks fairly certain that Kessie will leave the club as a free agent in the summer.
Kessie has been one of the standout performers in the current campaign and has been a mainstay of the midfield. He has played 21 times across all competitions and has helped Milan up to third place in Serie A. Aside from stopping opposition attacks at the root, Kessie has also scored five times and assisted on one occasion.
However, signing the 25-year-old will not be easy for Manchester United. Fellow Premier league rivals Tottenham as well as La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid are rumored to be interested in his services.
