Man United are hoping to snap up Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano when his contract expires next summer, according to reports in Germany.
The Red Devils are expected to battle the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain if it becomes clear that he won’t renew his current deal with the Bundesliga champions.
Tabloid Bild report that the main sticking point between Upamecano and Bayern in negotiations is the signing-on bonus.
The Frenchman, who has been capped 32 times by his country, is said to be demanding a similar figure to Alphonso Davies, who was handed a €14.8m signing-on fee when he put pen to paper on a contract extension last year.
Upamecano can speak directly to foreign clubs in January
Man United and other interested teams can tie down the player to a pre-contract agreement in just under three months, so Bayern know they do not have much time to get the situation resolved.
Upamecano is a regular starter for the German giants, and there will be a massive scramble for his signature if it becomes known that he won’t be staying at the Allianz Arena beyond next year.
A replacement for Maguire could be needed
Harry Maguire is currently set to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season. The 32-year-old is still hopeful of staying at the club, but the Red Devils will only agree to a contract extension on certain conditions.
It is believed that the centre-half would have to take a pay cut, and if he doesn’t accept such a proposal, the club will seek a replacement.
Upamecano would probably want a higher salary than Maguire, in addition to the aforementioned signing-on fee, but he is six years younger than the England international, which would justify a bigger wage packet.
Read more about the Manchester United First Team Squad for 2025/26 here
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 National World’s Football News Network.
