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It is a well-known fact that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will work with a far less transfer budget compared to last season and he will need to be smart about how to spend it.
With a striker seemingly on top of the manager’s agenda, he might be forced to get creative in order to solve other problem areas in his squad. That is exactly why United are keeping a variety of fall-back options ready.
Recently with reports stating that primary defensive target Kim Min-jae could be headed to Bayern Munich, the Red Devils have been linked with the likes of Monaco’s Axel Disasi, Jean-Clair Todibo of Nice and Robin Koch of recently-relegated Leeds.
The latest surprising name to be linked with a move to Old Trafford is Inter Milan’s Federico Dimarco who was one of the standout performers for the Serie A giants in their run to the Champions League final.
Dimarco emerges as surprise target
The wing-back was extremely effective in the season gone by, registering six goals in all competitions which made him the fifth highest goalscorer for the Nerazzurri.
Add to it his 10 assists which placed him joint third in terms of assist providers, and it is clear to see the impact he has had for Simone Inzaghi’s side.
Despite his superlative displays, Inter are in financial mess and need to offload players and raise cash and that is why United as well as Real Madrid are eyeing a cut-price deal for the Italy international as per The Independent.
“Manchester United and Real Madrid have both spoken to Inter about wing-back Federico Dimarco, as the Serie A club face huge pressure to sell this summer.
“A number of clubs are trailing but United and Madrid have both expressed the most concerted interest so far,” the report revealed.
United’s interest is surprising considering the options Ten Hag has in this position. Luke Shaw was one of the standout performers of last season and was rewarded with a new long-term deal.
New signing Tyrell Malacia was steady, if not spectacular, and is expected to push on further in his second campaign.
However as Miguel Delaney pointed out in his article, Dimarco’s versatility could see the Italian being used in a variety of different ways as Ten Hag plots to increase his side’s unpredictability and add speed.
Dimarco’s versatility would be a huge boon
“While he has been a left wing-back for Inter, Ten Hag thinks he use the player in a few different ways as he seeks to deepen the variability and speed of his squad next season.”
If Shaw is forced to play as a centre-back, a position in which he excelled, Dimarco’s addition could be a game-changer while he has the attributes required to play higher up the pitch as well.
He loves to bomb forward and take shots and was in the top 99 percentile for shots taken by a defender and in the top 91 percentile for touches inside the opposition’s box as per Fbref, which highlights his ultra-attacking instincts.
The Italy international is valued at €35million according to Transfermarkt and his current contract with the team from Milan is valid until 2026.
