Manchester United told to sign £53.4 million defender

Manchester United have been told to sign the £53.4 million defender in January although Liverpool might also be looking to get a deal done.

Unexpectedly, Manchester United find themselves at the top of the Premier League table. This is something nobody would have predicted when the Red Devils succumbed to a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the season.

At this moment, they are on an incredible run though and lost their last league game in early November, against Arsenal. But even then, there are still question marks about the title credentials of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

The biggest concern is the lack of depth. It is hard to see who can replace Bruno Fernandes if he did get injured sometime in the near future. But even then, the midfield is perhaps the strongest area of this squad. You cannot say the same thing about their defence.

Although they have done a decent job in recent weeks, the defence does have a tendency to get exposed against top sides. And Manchester United have been told by transfer expert David Webb to go after Dayot Upamecano if they want to solve this issue.

He told Sky Sports:

"“It’s an interesting one because both teams are looking to compete on all fronts, especially with Manchester United’s recent surge up the league and Liverpool’s defensive problems at the moment.“A particular player (I would recommend) that springs to mind is Dayot Upamecano; one I’ve known for quite a long time. He broke onto the scene when he was signed from Valencia to Red Bull Salzburg.”"

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If United want to sign Upamecano this month, they will have to shell out £53.4 million. Or they could wait for the summer transfer window when a €42 million release clause will be activated in his contract, which runs out in 2023.

That is quite a steal for a player who is considered as one of the best centre-backs in all of Europe and is still just 22 years old. And it is not hard to see why United would try to sign the defender, considering their shaky defence.

It will not be easy to get a deal over the line for Upamecano though. Liverpool have been tipped to make a move as well after both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have suffered long-term injuries. Other than them, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are also reportedly interested in going after the France international in the summer.