Man Utd Contemplate £20M Swoop For Midfielder Who Put Arsenal To The Sword

BACK Man Utd are monitoring the performances of Southampton defensive midfielder Shea Charles, according to reports. The Daily Mail claim that the Red Devils are scouting the 22-year-old, who scored the winning goal to knock Arsenal out of the FA Cup last weekend. Charles has been with the Saints since 2023, having sealed an £11m move from Manchester City to the South Coast. He has taken some time to settle, having also been loaned out to Sheffield Wednesday for the 2024/25 season. However, despite suffering a major hamstring injury this campaign, Charles has still featured regularly when fit. It is believed that United’s interest is mainly down to Director of Football Jason Wilcox, who was the one who signed him for Southampton when he was managing recruitment at the club. Several teams are interested in Charles It is believed that United have been joined by Everton and Scottish side Rangers in keeping track of the Northern Ireland international. Gers boss Danny Rohl managed Charles at Wednesday last season, so it is not a surprise that he is keen on taking him north of the border, having impressed him during the player’s spell at Hillsborough. However, Southampton’s asking price means that the midfielder is almost certain to join a Premier League club if he is sold during the summer transfer window. How much will Man Utd have to pay? The Daily Mail report that Charles’ valuation is approximately £20m, which is not a huge sum for the Red Devils, but his arrival would reduce the funds available for pursuing more experienced midfielders. The likes of Sandro Tonali and Elliot Anderson are expected to cost around £100m each, and while Charles’ potential would make him a good investment for the future, Wilcox may ultimately keep the money in reserve for United’s top targets. Want more news on Man Utd? Add Man U News as a preferred source on Google David Tully David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for the Football News Network.