Manchester United have made contact over a potential deal to sign Watford’s £30m-rated attacker Ismaila Sarr as they look for alternatives to Jadon Sancho, according to the Independent.
United have been locked in negotiations with Borussia Dortmund for some time after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer identified Sancho as his prime transfer target as he looks to add a top class right sided attacker to his squad this summer.
However, their pursuit of the England international hasn’t proven easy as Man Utd have failed to agree terms with Dortmund and the Independent says there is increasing doubt that an agreement will be found before the window closes on October 5th.
United are growing increasingly frustrated in their attempts to land Sancho and are prepared to walk away from the negotiating table, so Solskjaer is looking at alternative targets.
According to the Independent, Sarr has been identified as a possible option and Manchester United have now made contact through intermediaries to enquire about a potential deal.
The report claims Liverpool are also showing a keen interest in the 22-year-old but Jurgen Klopp is working from a tight budget and may not have the money to fund a move for Sarr after agreeing a deal to sign Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich.
That could leave United well positioned to sign Sarr if they decide to make their interest official and the Independent suggests that Watford will demand at least £30m for the attackers signature.
The Hornets paid Rennes a similar price to sign Sarr last summer so it looks like they want to at least recoup that fee following their relegation from the Premier League last season.
The Senegal international was one of the few bright sparks for Watford last campaign as he scored 6 goals and provided a further 6 assists in his 30 appearances – which is a solid return in a struggling team that finished 19th in the table.
Sarr is predominantly a right-winger so he’d give Solskjaer another option on the flank if he ends up moving to Old Trafford, however, I think it’s safe to say most United fans will hope the club do all they can to sign Sancho before moving for the Watford star.
Solskjaer has endured a frustrating window so far as he’s only managed to sign midfielder Donny van de Beek from Ajax but it looks as though he’s determined to bring in a winger as he looks to land his second summer signing.
