Manchester United’s hopes of sealing a £55m deal to sign Dayot Upamecano this month have been dealt a blow after Chelsea and Bayern Munich made contact with the RB Leipzig star, according to reports via The Sun.
Upamecano joined Leipzig from Red Bull Salzburg in 2017 and he’s developed a reputation as one of the most gifted young defenders in European football having established himself as a rock at the back in Julian Nagelsmann’s side.
The 22-year-old has been linked with a number of top clubs in recent months and The Sun claims that Manchester United were in pole position to secure a £55m deal this month as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to add to his backline.
The Red Devils currently sit top of the Premier League table but Solskjaer still wants to strengthen his defence and he’s reportedly ready to make his move for Upamecano after scouting the Frenchman for over a year.
Upamecano’s £38m release clause becomes active at the end of the season but the newspaper says United are prepared to pay substantially more now to get a deal done this winter in the hope of avoiding a transfer battle in the summer.
However, Manchester United’s hopes have been dealt a blow as The Sun is citing a report from Kicker that claims Chelsea have made contact with Upamecano to express their interest while Bayern Munich have also held talks with the defender about a move to the Allianz Arena.
Frank Lampard was sacked as Chelsea manager today with Thomas Tuchel widely reported to be lined-up as his replacement and it appears owner Roman Abramovich is ready to back his new coach with a big-money move for Upamecano.
I’m sure Man Utd won’t give up without a fight as Upamecano would be a superb signing for them, or indeed Chelsea, however, the Premier League giants will have to fend off stiff competition from Bayern if they want to lure the centre-back to England.
Bayern are in the market for another centre-back as David Alaba and Jerome Boateng are set to leave when their contract expires this summer and it looks like the Bundesliga champions have identified Upamecano as a key target.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming weeks but Upamecano is hot property and he’ll be a sensational signing for whoever ends up winning the race for his signature.
