Liverpool want to hijack Manchester United’s top transfer target

According to reliable reports, Liverpool have joined the race for Manchester United’s top defensive target for the summer.

When Manchester United and Liverpool meet in front of their spectators, the venue trembles. The crowd anticipates and reacts to each move made by the players battling for glory on the pitch and managers endeavouring to cancel each other out in the span of the ninety minutes. The respective fixture holds something much more significant and notable than just mere brilliance on display.

One of the most historical and fiercest rivalries in the footballing world, the spectacle between the two has had offered many memorable moments to the neural football fans over the years. Off the pitch, the rivalry embarks on when talks turn from on-field results to transfer targets monitored by both teams, as is the case with the latest story.

As claimed by The Athletic, Liverpool are considering making a move for Dayot Upamecano in the upcoming January transfer window. Manchester United have been keeping tabs on the defender for a while now. It has been regularly claimed that the Red Devils see the French centre-half as their next big defensive acquisition.

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Having signed a new deal last July, Upamecano is Leipzig-bound until June 2023. Though, his reported release clause of around £40 million kicks in at the end of the ongoing 2020-21 campaign. And it is believed that teams could offer more than around the aforementioned amount to lure the defender in the upcoming January transfer window.

Manchester United have yet to sign the replacement for Chris Smalling, who joined AS Roma permanently last summer. Plus, the long-term absence of Eric Bailly and Phil Jones due to injuries have not eased their worry.

Liverpool, on the other hand, have already lost Virgil van Dijk to a season-ending injury and Joe Gomez for a considerable period of the season. Should everything remain the same, Jurgen Klopp will definitely be looking to bolster their defensive department going into the second half of the campaign. Therefore, Solskjaer could miss out on another transfer target to the arch-rivals.

Do you think Manchester United should make the move before Liverpool’s imminent attempt?