Manchester United are set to face competition from rival Premier League club Aston Villa for the signing of Fenerbahce defender Yusuf Akcicek.
United are expected to be busy in the upcoming summer transfer window as Ruben Amorim aims to shape the squad in his image.
In January, United strengthened their defence with the signings of Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu. Both have shown great promise, reflecting the club’s long-term transfer strategy. However, with Lisandro Martínez recovering from an ACL injury, Harry Maguire struggling with fitness issues, and both Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans set to leave in the summer, reinforcing the backline remains a key priority.
United continue to be linked to a number of defenders including Jarrad Branthwaite, Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth) and Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), just to mention a few names.
Another player who has emerged on United’s radar is Akcicek, who has risen to prominence at Fenerbahçe under José Mourinho.
The 19-year-old made his first-team debut in 2023, having joined their academy from Galatasaray in 2019. The youngster made his league debut in May 2024.
So far this term, Akcicek has made 12 appearances across the Super Lig and the Europa League, registering one goal and one assist in that period. A left-footer, Akcicek is strong, physically dominant and possesses most of the attributes of a modern-day defender.
A report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that United have scouted him. But, they’re not the only interested party, with the likes of Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig also believed to be eyeing him.
Now, Sabah [via SportWitness] report that Villa have also entered the fray for Akcicek’s signature. It’s understood that Villa and United retain a “great interest” in Akcicek.
“Significant offers” have started to arrive for him, although there is no mention of which clubs have tabled these proposals.
Ex-United boss Mourinho previously hailed Akcicek, likening him to a younger Raphael Varane.
Mourinho said [as quoted by Football365], “If he doesn’t go well, you will kill me. I know how it works. To play the kid in a match like that, I’m sorry for the word but he saved my ass.”
“He was amazing. I’m very proud of him, I trust him. He’s not perfect but he will be perfect.”
“I don’t want to compare him to Varane because he has won four Champions Leagues, World Cup and won everything. But I played Varane when he was 18 and I was not wrong. And I’m not wrong with this kid. [He has a ] big personality and is very confident.”
Akcicek recently achieved a major milestone, making his debut for the national team after coming off the bench in the victory over Hungary in the Nations League.
Reacting to this, the United target remarked, “Being on the national team is very valuable. When we played in the youth categories, our goal was always to reach this point. I need to work much harder. We are about to play a very important match. We gained a good advantage in the first match, but nothing is over yet. We deserve to be in League A. We are aware that our level signifies we belong there. We want to elevate to League A with a nice victory.”
“I want to develop every aspect of my skills—game building, aerial duels, and defense. I work on these in every training session. I need to address my deficiencies.”
Interestingly, he opened up about playing in a three-man defence system, which Amorim uses at Old Trafford.
“It’s imperative to work on all my attributes. The left side of a three-man defense plays very differently than the left stopper in a four-man defense. In a three-man setup, you engage more in the attack; in a four-man setup, it’s less so. I must adapt to whatever system my coach chooses.”
United are back in action on Tuesday, April 1, when they go away to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest.
Featured image Ahmad Mora via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
