Manchester United will 'have to put a lot of money on the table' to sign Moussa Diaby - Reports 

Manchester United are reportedly one of the clubs monitoring Bayer Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby and have been told they will have to spend a lot of money if they are to sign the winger.

A report by France Football (via Sport Witness) listed French players who had taken the Bundesliga by storm this season and Diaby came in at second place.

Speaking about Diaby's future, the report said:

'‘When he’ll think about an exit, his future employer (Manchester United?) will have to put a lot of money on the table.''

Apart from the Red Devils, Chelsea are also said to be monitoring Diaby and a bidding war might ensue for his services in the summer.

The 21-year-old has starred since joining Leverkusen from Paris Saint-Germain in 2019 and has become a mainstay at the Bay Arena.

🎙 Hannes Wolf: "It's good that there are quite a lot of players here. From tomorrow we will train until Saturday. Then we’ll have a short break and then prepare intensively for Schalke. We will approach it with energy, but also with care." pic.twitter.com/OFxqiwzxTG

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) March 23, 2021

He has weighed in with 17 goals and 20 assists from 74 games in all competitions for Bayer Leverkusen, which has seemingly been enough to put him on Manchester United's radar.

The report did not state an amount for the France Under-21 international, but considering that Leverkusen received £70m from Chelsea for Kai Havertz, they might put their latest gem up for a high sum.

Can Manchester United afford a big-money signing in the summer?

Moussa Diaby has impressed for Bayer Leverkusen

Manchester United's finances have been badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, like the rest of the world, and this has limited the club's spending capacity in the transfer market.

ℹ️ @MasonGreenwood has been forced to withdraw from the #YoungLions squad ahead of the upcoming U21s European Championships.#MUFC @England

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 23, 2021

Even though the club are still in a relatively healthy position financially, it is highly unlikely that they will sanction the purchase of a big-money signing in the next window unless they receive a significant sum from player sales.

Considering the depth available to Ole Gunnar Solskajer in attack, it makes no sporting sense for the club to sign another young forward who could limit the playing time afforded to the young forwards already on their books.