Manchester United are very interested in Fenerbahce defender Yusuf Akçiçek and are expected to make an offer of around £10-15 million for the young centre-back in June.
The Red Devils have invested heavily in their defence over the past year and this was showcased last night as four of the starting five defenders against Real Sociedad have all been at the club for less than one year.
Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 system requires more centre-backs and he has not been shy about including youngsters in his starting line-up with 19-year-old Leny Yoro featuring regularly under his management.
What’s more, 18-year-old Ayden Heaven has recently been given chances to shine and was fantastic in his first ever start for the club last night in the Europa League.
This coming summer will likely see United say goodbye to Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans, so it is probable that the Red Devils may look to recruit another central defender.
Turkish outlet Sports Digitale have claimed that “Manchester United officially wants Yusuf Akçiçek. In fact, along with Manchester United, one of the five big teams in England has also stepped in for Yusuf Akçiçek.”
The Peoples Person has already relayed that United are scouting the player and have expressed their interest in the young Turk.
According to the outlet, there are two teams who are seriously interested in the youngster at the moment, United and a French club who is not Paris Saint-Germain.
Journalist Yağız Sabuncuoğlu claimed that United were scouting the player last night, alongside the unnamed French club, in Fenerbahce’s bitterly disappointing penalty shootout defeat to Glasgow Rangers.
The youngster put in an outstanding performance, making nine clearances, winning eight ground duels while completing 87% of his passes.
The Sports Digitale reporter also claimed, “Manchester United wants him very much… I expect an official offer of around £10-15 million to come out in the summer. United will meet with Fenerbahçe in June.”
The 19-year-old has already played 16 matches this season for the senior team, scoring twice.
Jose Mourinho is clearly a big fan of the player and has claimed that he can’t help but draw comparisons between the Istanbul native and French legend and former United star Raphael Varane.
He has also been described as being a “complete, elegant, and dominant centre-back” who is a “composed and cultured passer with a proclivity for breaking the lines with intricate vertical balls.”
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Alex Browne
Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.
