Manchester United have agreed a €35 million deal to sign Lecce wing-back Patrick Dorgu, Fabrizio Romano has revealed.
The Italian transfer guru has given his trademark ‘Here We Go’ seal of approval to the move which sees the Red Devils paying an initial fee of €30 million with €5 million in potential add-ons.
🚨🔴 Patrick Dorgu to Manchester United, here we go! Verbal agreement in place with Lecce, documents to be checked in next 24h.
Fee will be €30m plus €5m in add-ons not guaranteed.
Long term contract agreed days ago with the player…
…and first signing for Rúben Amorim. 🤝🏻 pic.twitter.com/YZkKX4YnHp
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 28, 2025
Tweet: “Patrick Dorgu to Manchester United, here we go! Verbal agreement in place with Lecce, documents to be checked in next 24h. Fee will be €30m plus €5m in add-ons not guaranteed. Long term contract agreed days ago with the player……and first signing for Rúben Amorim.”
Dorgu, 20, emerged as a key target for the Red Devils this month given the ongoing struggles for Ruben Amorim with the left wing-back position. Neither Luke Shaw nor Tyrell Malacia, the two most obvious candidates to fill the role, can match the physical (Shaw) or technical (Malacia) attributes the Portuguese coach demands from the wing-back position.
Amorim’s trademark 3-4-3 system, which established him as one of the most exciting young managers in Europe during his time at Sporting CP, is heavily reliant upon the wing-backs to provide width and penetrating runs in the opposition half.
The 40-year-old’s preference for his front three to consist of a number nine and two number tens, who primarily operate in between the lines of midfield and defence, rather than out wide, means attacking play down the channels comes largely from the wing-backs.
However, these players are also tasked with helping the defence and must be capable of lung-busting runs in transition to cover opposition wingers.
This combination of responsibilities requires a high level of physicality to effectively defend, which rules out Shaw, and a high level of technical ability in the final third, which Malacia lacks.
Dorgu, who has often been deployed at right-wing for Lecce this season, is a physical monster, standing 6’2 and possessing a potent pairing of speed and strength. He also ranks highly for offensive actions among wing-backs across Europe, particularly compared to under-23 players.
United have seen two bids for the Danish international rejected by Lecce but the third, and ultimately final, was enough to convince the Italian club to sell, as Romano states.
Personal terms are expected to be a formality with Dorgu reported to have already agreed a contract with Old Trafford officials during negotiations, worth around six times his current salary in Italy.
Amorim will be delighted to welcome a player who offers two vital areas of improvement to his squad – a natural left wing-back option and a physically imposing player. All for a potential price of €35 million; not bad going.
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.
