The Athletic claims that two midfielders believed to be high on Manchester United’s list of alternatives to Frenkie de Jong have been discounted by the club.
De Jong remains the Red Devils’ top transfer target this summer but a dispute over back pay owed to him by Barcelona has reached deadlock, leaving the transfer in doubt.
In an article looking at possible alternatives to the Dutchman should the issue not be resolved, The Athletic’s Carl Anka and Mark Carey have made a bold statement about United’s opinion of Wolves’ Ruben Neves and Leicester’s Youri Tielemans, both frequently touted as being on the club’s shortlist.
“Ruben Neves .. does not feature on this list,” the reporters claim.
“For all of his technical qualities, the Wolves midfielder lacks the mobility to work effectively within United’s ecosystem and has never been strongly linked with the club.
“Youri Tielemans of Leicester is another omission.
“United are aware of Tielemans’ availability this summer and the Belgium international was sounded out as a potential replacement for Paul Pogba in the summer of 2019.
“Tielemans is a fine midfielder but there are questions over his mobility and his top speed.”
The omission of these two proven Premier League stars will come as a shock to many fans, who would gladly see one or both as a significant upgrade on United’s current personnel.
Reports had previously and regularly claimed United’s interest in the Portuguese star but Wolves’s high asking price was seen as the deterrent.
As for Tielemans, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has mentioned several times this summer that the Belgian is on United’s list as a possible De Jong fallback option.
Arsenal have also been linked as he enters the last year of his Leicester contract.
In terms of who United might be considering as an alternative to the Barcelona man, Anka and Carey’s top tip is PSV Eindhoven’s Ibrahim Sangaré.
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