Man Utd steal march on Arsenal after opening formal talks to sign £43m star

Manchester United have stolen a march on Arsenal after opening formal transfer talks with Rennes over a potential deal to sign midfielder Eduardo Camavinga this summer, according to reports.

Camavinga has been with Rennes his entire career having joined the clubs youth system in 2013 and he’s made 82 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit since breaking into the first team set-up in 2018.

The 18-year-old is considered to be one of the most exciting young talents in European football and he’s already been capped three times by France having represented his country at various youth levels.

The midfielders potential has caught the attention of clubs here in the Premier League as Le10 Sport reported last week that Arsenal have made Camavinga one of their key summer transfer targets.

Mikel Arteta is expected to overhaul his squad this summer and midfield is going to be an area of concern as Granit Xhaka is tipped for a move to Italy while Dani Ceballos and Martin Odegaard have returned to Real Madrid following their loan moves.

Joe Willock, Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are also expected to leave Arsenal this summer so Arteta is in the market for midfield reinforcements and Le10 Sport says the Gunners are actively trying to land Camavinga.

However, it appears Arsenal will face stiff competition for his signature as the Daily Mail claims that Manchester United have now opened talks with Rennes over a potential deal to sign the talented youngster.

Ole Gunners Solskjaer is being linked with big-money moves for attacker Jadon Sancho and centre-back Raphael Varane but it looks like the United boss is also hoping to bring in another central midfielder this summer.

Camavinga appears to be on their radar and the Daily Mail says Man Utd chiefs will hold further talks with Rennes and the players representatives this week as they look to thrash out a deal.

The teenager has just one year remaining on his contract so the report says Rennes are ready to cash-in rather than risk losing their star man for nothing in 12 months time if he doesn’t sign an extension.

However, the Ligue 1 club are still going to demand a sizeable fee as the Metro claims Camavinga will cost around £43m so the likes of Arsenal and Man Utd will have to dig deep if they want to get a deal agreed.