According to The Athletic, Manchester United have made enquiries about the availability of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha this summer.
The Red Devils suffered a huge transfer setback on Tuesday as Tottenham Hotspur reached an agreement to sign West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes, as per David Ornstein.
The Times claim that United were willing to almost meet the £85 million valuation for the Portuguese, but they preferred to pay a much lesser fee upfront with the remainder in add-ons.
Spurs, on the other hand, guaranteed the entire figure as a fixed fee, which contributed to them winning the race for the 21-year-old.
United will now explore alternatives in the transfer market and it has been reported that they have already made multiple enquiries about the possibility of signing Nmecha from Dortmund.
Difficult deal
Nmecha has been one of the leading defensive midfielders in the Bundesliga in recent years, and he was recently part of the German national side which exited the World Cup at the round of 32.
The 25-year-old dazzled at the tournament with an average of 5 duels and 3 tackles won per game with 5 recoveries. He also chipped in with 2 goal contributions and stood out for his national side.
The German has developed into a top-quality number 6, and it remains to be seen whether United can persuade Dortmund into sanctioning his sale during the ongoing summer transfer window.
The midfielder signed a new long-term deal with the Bundesliga giants earlier in March and there is no release clause for the summer. Instead, there is a £69 million buy-out clause for June 2027, which decreases to £60 million in the summer of 2028, as per Kicker.
At the current point, Kicker claim that Dortmund are looking for £85 million on the table to contemplate his sale. United were willing to pay a similar fee for Fernandes, but the question is whether the German side would accept add-ons to lower the initial fixed package.
Dortmund are a tough negotiating side and are in a strong position to keep their prized asset after a contract renewal in March. Hence, it could be difficult for United to secure a transfer agreement for Nmecha, who graduated through the Manchester City youth ranks.
United may have to look at possible alternatives. Bournemouth’s Alex Scott has recently emerged as a potential target.
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