OFFICIAL: Manchester United officially announce the signing of £40m Dutch striker, offered him reserved legendary shirt number as player arrived in Manchester for unveiling
OFFICIAL: Manchester United officially announce the signing of £40m Dutch striker, offered him reserved legendary shirt number as player arrived in Manchester for unveiling
Matthijs de Ligt doesn’t seem to be the only name at Bayern Munich that Man Utd are interested in this summer. Yes, the Dutchman is on top of their transfer targets list but the Red Devils have added a new name to the list.
Journalist Florian Plettenberg broke the news that Man Utd and West Ham Utd are exploring a deal to sign Noussair Mazraoui. The player is keen on moving to the Premier League and will be allowed to leave Bayern.
The journalist adds that €15-20m will be sufficient to sign the player this summer. The Moroccan international hasn’t had the kind of career he would have envisioned when he joined Bayern in 2022 but that can be said about most of their players in the last couple of seasons.
Mazraoui however is a versatile presence on the pitch, capable of playing on both the right and the left. He often features at LB for his nation due to the presence of Achraf Hakimi.
Now, The Mirror have come out with a report today stating that the German giants value the ex-Ajax defender at around £25m. Man Utd are trying to close a deal for around £18m whilst the Hammers have decided not to go over £15m.
However, the report adds that United can make a move for the 26-year-old only if they sell Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The English defender has divided opinion throughout his time at Old Trafford and could leave this summer.
Mazraoui is yet another player who was previously coached by Ten Hag at Ajax. He came up through the youth ranks at the Dutch club and had a significant impact under the Red Devils coach. However, this is a worrying trend.
Whilst there is nothing wrong with a coach signing players that he has worked with before and is comfortable with, there seems to be an over-reliance on such signings. Ten Hag’s track record over the past couple of seasons has been a mixed bag as well.
Mazraoui is an upgrade on Wan-Bissaka’s attacking ability. However, it remains a doubt if he defensively succeed in the Premier League.
Still, at the price he is being offered, this could be a transfer coup. Let’s wait and see how this transfer pans out.
