Manchester United reluctant to meet transfer target’s release clause

While Ed Woodward might not be everybody’s cup of tea, it is hard to deny that he has done a great job in the last few years when it comes to recruitment, which has left Manchester United in a spot where they can challenge for the Premier League title once again.

Yet, the Red Devils still have serious issues in their defence. And it is speculated that a new signing will be made in the summer in order to fix the problems at the back. And the club have targeted Jules Kounde from Sevilla as their top defensive target in the upcoming summer transfer window.

But according to a fresh report from Daily Mail, the Manchester United hierarchy might be reluctant to pay a whopping release clause of £68 million for the Frenchman.

Touted to be one of the brightest prospects in Europe, Kounde has registered 33 appearances this season for the La Liga giants. And while he is certainly a top prospect, that kind of a transfer fee is steep for most players, especially in the current financial situation amidst the global pandemic. On the other hand, Sevilla is under no pressure to let the 23-year-old leave as the prodigy has a contract with them until 2024.

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Manchester United want a new centre-back

A few days ago, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appeared to hint that their defence could do better than what we have seen from them so far. In the Premier League 2020-21 season, United have conceded 32 goals so far, which is as many as the 18th-placed Fulham in the league. As reported by The Guardian, the manager said:

"“We’re working hard and they’ve got the class and quality. And that means we’ve had goals from other places and positions, which is an improvement from last season. [If we] can marry these two bits together plus defend a bit better then we can be successful this season.”"

Surprisingly, the United had done better last season than they have this time around. In 2019/20, they had conceded just 36 goals through the entire campaign.

Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic is another named linked with a summer move to Manchester. But as per the aforementioned story, the Serbian is not on top of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s list of defensive targets for the upcoming summer.

Other than a centre-back, Solskjaer will be looking to bring in a right-back, a right-winger, and a central defensive midfielder. It is going to be an interesting window for the Red Devils. And Ed Woodward will have a major part to play in it.