Manchester United are currently “evaluating whether to present a new offer” for Lecce wing-back Patrick Dorgu as the Italian club holds firm over its €40 million valuation of the Dane.
Dorgu, 20, has emerged as United’s number one target for the left wing-back position in the winter window after an approach for Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes was deemed too expensive.
The Danish international is tall and athletic, combining speed and strength in equal measure – two invaluable attributes for a physically weak and slow team like United.
Furthermore, Dorgu is positionally versatile. Despite being a natural left wing-back, Lecce have often deployed the 20-year-old as a right-winger this season in games where they expect to pose more of an attacking threat. In tougher games, where the Italian side will be under more pressure defensively, Dorgu reverts back to left wing-back to buttress the backline.
Ruben Amorim’s struggles to implement his trademark 3-4-3 system stem, in part, from a lack of viable options at wingback.
The only natural options on the left – Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia – are capable of meeting the demands the Portuguese coach places on his wingbacks, forcing him to play Diogo Dalot out of position on the 25-year-old’s opposite flank.
Similarly, Amorim has found success by playing Amad as a right wing-back, but an injury in the frontline to Mason Mount, and the departure of Antony and potential exit of Marcus Rashford, has reduced the options up top.
This has forced Amorim to play Amad as one of the attacking midfielders in the front three, thus requiring Noussair Mazraoui to play as the right wing-back. And while this has produced strong performances in ‘big games’ where United can afford to set up more defensively, it has led to abject matches against ‘smaller’ teams, such as Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion in recent weeks.
This means a player like Dorgu – capable of raising the athletic profile of the team and offering an option at either wingback position – would be invaluable signing to salvage a dismal season for the Red Devils thus far.
However, the financial situation at Old Trafford is limited due to the pressure of the Premier League’s profits and sustainability rules (PSR). This ensures the club is fighting for every penny this month with United aiming to lower Lecce’s €40 million demands for Dorgu.
Matte Moretto, a reliable Spanish journalist, contends the Reds are “evaluating” whether to submit an improved offer for the Danish international, after seeing two previous bids turned down.
United’s most recent proposal reached in the region of €34 million and Moretto contends the club may increase this with the “inclusion of various bonuses” to reach the €40 million mark Lecce have set.
Il Manchester United sta valutando se presentare in queste ore una nuova proposta al Lecce per Patrick Dorgu.
L’offerta potrebbe avvicinarsi ai 40 milioni di euro totali con l’inserimento di diversi bonus.
Nei giorni scorsi il Lecce ha detto no a 34 milioni di euro.
— Matteo Moretto (@MatteMoretto) January 26, 2025
Translated Tweet: “Manchester United are currently evaluating whether to present a new offer to Lecce for Patrick Dorgu. The offer could approach 40 million euros in total with the inclusion of various bonuses. In recent days Lecce said no to 34 million euros.”
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano corroborates Moretto’s assessment, revealing United “have not given up” on Dorgu as “negotiations continue” between the two clubs.
“Lecce turned down over €30m from United, but add-ons can be included in new proposal to try make it happen,” Romano concludes.
As the January window approaches its final week, Old Trafford officials will be acutely aware of the importance a new left wing-back holds for their head coach; and, by extension, the team’s chances of success for the rest of the season.
Featured image Gabriele Maltinti via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
