Man Utd scouts enthralled by ‘elite’ defender ahead of Liverpool tug-of-war

A transfer battle between Manchester United and Liverpool could be brewing, as both clubs have been impressed by Pierre Kalulu.The Old Trafford outfit will be looking to reinforce several departments next summer, even though the major emphasis is on the middle of the park.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL STRETTY NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYIt has been suggested that Man Utd could be in the market for a new centre-back, while others believe that the full-back slots are a more pressing need. Interestingly, Kalulu is capable of filling both roles, as evidenced by his Juventus exploits this season.Liverpool join Man Utd in the race for Pierre KaluluThe 25-year-old is a youth product of Olympique Lyonnais who made his mark in Serie A after joining AC Milan in 2020. Four years later, he made the switch to Juventus and is now considered an integral part of Luciano Spalletti’s tactical scheme.The Frenchman was only absent from the starting lineup on one occasion this season, while serving a ban against Como, a match that the Bianconeri went on to lose.Therefore, it has been reported that Man Utd are closely following Kalulu, and even sent scouts to monitor him in recent weeks.On Thursday, the Daily Briefing confirmed that United have indeed scouted the OL academy product, but they weren’t the only Premier League giant on the heels of the ‘elite’ defender.The source reveals that Liverpool are also following the versatile player closely, and both clubs received ‘positive’ scouting reports.Juventus keen to maintain KaluluAccording to Transfermarkt, Kalulu’s current value is estimated at €28 million (£24m). Nevertheless, the Lyon native would certainly cost more, as Juventus have no desire to part ways with one of their most important assets, so only an irresistible offer could sway the Serie A giants.While the Frenchman isn’t the most technically gifted defender, he has been making major strides on this front, as illustrated by his stats this season. Kalulu’s Stats in 25/26 Appearances Goals Assists Serie A 27 2 4 Champions League 10 0 2 Coppa Italia 2 0 0 Total 39 2 6 Moreover, Kalulu would certainly be an upgrade on Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui from a defensive perspective, and he would offer the Man Utd manager a new centre-back option should Harry Maguire or another defender leave the club in the summer.But between Juve’s desire to keep the player in Turin and the reported competition from Liverpool, landing Kalulu could be a daunting mission for the Red Devils.