It took a “blitz” of activity for Manchester United to secure the signing of Patrick Dorgu in January amid strong interest from top Serie A sides, reports in Italy have revealed.
The left-back was brought in from Lecce for an initial £25.2 million in the closing days of the winter transfer window, and United had to act quicker than expected to seal the deal – as Calciomercato put it, they “beat everyone” to him.
The report states that Napoli had “already set up negotiations with Lecce to then close them in the summer,” which forced United to “bring forward his arrival to January.”
Juventus and “especially” AC Milan were also interested in the player, with the Rossoneri seeing him as an alternative to Theo Hernandez, who has himself been linked with an Old Trafford switch.
But ultimately United “beat off strong competition” for the player, closing the deal thanks to a “blitz by the directors” in Italy.
The report notes that the parties got very close at a meeting in Milan, and full agreement was reached a few days later.
Despite coming as a bit of a left-field option, after the Red Devils were linked with more familiar names such as Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez and Rayan Aït-Nouri of Wolverhampton Wanderers, the young Dane was far from a last-minute option.
Calciomercato reveal that United had been “watching him for several months, sending scouts to Italy several times to study him closely.”
The Dane seems perfectly suited to Ruben Amorim’s style of play, a marauding left wing-back who fills a gaping hole in the starting XI, but may have been under consideration before the Portuguese took control at Old Trafford.
Dorgu has made two appearances for United so far, starting on the right in the FA Cup against Leicester City and on the left against Tottenham Hotspur.
He moved to England off the back of playing a crucial role for Lecce, who are currently 15th in Serie A – a league position with which United are all too familiar.
The 20-year-old looks all set to be a regular fixture for United and has looked promising in a floundering team, making positive forward runs as well as seeming solid in defence.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
