Manchester United deepen discussions to sign 26-year-old defender as club lower asking price: Reports

Manchester United are reportedly in pole position to snap up Denzel Dumfries as Inter Milan have lowered the asking price for the right-back.

Dumfries, 26, has been a crucial starter for the Nerazzurri since arriving from PSV Eindhoven for £12 million in the summer of 2021. So far, he has helped his current club lift the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana trophies.

An offensive-minded right-back blessed with pace and power, Dumfries has been a revelation under Inter manager Simone Inzaghi. Operating on the right flank of a 3-5-2 setup, he has registered seven goals and 10 assists in 68 games across all competitions for the San Siro outfit.

According to Tuttomercatoweb, Inter Milan are prepared to offload Dumfries for a reduced fee in the region of £35 million in the ongoing winter transfer window. Earlier, the Manchester United and Chelsea target was valued at around £53 million by the Serie A giants.

Manchester United have progressed in their initial discussions to lure Dumfries away from the San Siro and are now regarded as front-runners.

Earlier in September last year, Dumfries shared his thoughts on the recent transfer rumors involving himself. He spoke to De Telegraaf:

"The interest flatters me, of course. But my focus is only on Inter. We want to win the Scudetto this time because we lost it last season."

Dumfries, who made his professional debut for Sparta Rotterdam in 2015, was part of the Netherlands' 2022 FIFA World Cup squad last year. He scored once and contributed two goals in five starts in Qatar.

Manchester United are likely to splash the cash on a new right-back to offer competition to first-team regular Diogo Dalot. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, on the other hand, is expected to depart Old Trafford in January.

---

Manchester United could move for Ajax attacker in summer, claims journalist

Transfer insider Dean Jones claimed that promising Ajax forward Mohammed Kudus could be a transfer target for Manchester United in the upcoming summer. Speaking to Give Me Sport, he elaborated:

"I've been impressed with the fact that some of the names Ten Hag put to them, from almost day one, have done very well so far in this season, and Kudus is a player attracting attention from other clubs too, so he's definitely one player to look at for the summer."

Kudus, 22, has emerged as a breakthrough talent due to his excellent outings for Ajax in the ongoing 2022-23 season. Despite operating in a withdrawn forward role, he has scored 10 goals and contributed two assists in 22 appearances across all competitions for his club so far.