Perhaps not the best but certainly an exceptional defender of his age group, Dayot Upamecano has been one of the most, if not the most, sought-after names linked with a summer move to Manchester United.
But his growing fame have not only brought the shower of plaudits from fans and pundits but also allures the interest from all the elite clubs around Europe. First, the contest was seemingly between Manchester United, Real Madrid and a few other Premier League sides.
But since Bayern Munich registered their affection for the 22-year-old centre-back, it looks like that is where he is headed in the summer. As previously reported, Manchester United now stand no chance of obtaining his services in the upcoming summer.
And this was backed by Fabrizio Romano’s claim earlier as he confirmed that Upamecano was indeed headed to Bayern Munich at the end of this season:
Salihamidzic just confirmed to Bild that Dayot Upamecano has reached an agreement with Bayern Münich on personal terms: “I can confirm, we’re very happy!” 🔴
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 12, 2021
The deal will be signed and completed in the coming months, when the release clause [€42.5m] will be paid to RB Leipzig.
Manchester United identify Dayot Upamecano alternative
If you track each movement that Manchester United make in regard to their incomings, then you might have noticed that an array of potential defenders has already been lined up to be alternatives to Dayot Upamecano.
There have been the links to Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, and Jules Koundé. It seems as if Manchester United have made their mind up about bringing in a defender who has some playing experience in Spain, isn’t it? Then comes our latest addition to that list.
According to the Independent, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has identified Upamecano’s RB Leipzig team-mate Ibrahima Konate as the perfect alternative target. The outlet has labelled the 21-year-old as United’s “main centre-half target in the summer”.
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Though, their enthusiasm is unlikely to go unmatched as Liverpool and Chelsea are ‘seriously’ keen on landing the Paris-born defender. Having missed a number of games through injuries this season, the highly-touted asset has made only six appearances in Bundesliga in 2020/21.
Just like Upamecano, Konate is the possessor of immense pace and supreme physicality. His game reading ability and astute defensive traits have earned him many appearances in France’s youth national teams.
Solskjaer’s main worry this season has been the lack of pace the defensive pairing of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire offers. Therefore, the respective position has become an area the Norwegian will be hoping to strengthen in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Konate’s current contract with the Bundesliga side will expire in June 2023. And if reports are true, he has a release clause of €50million (£45m), which clubs would be able to activate in the summer of 2022.