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With the transfer window heating up before it has even begun, Manchester United look to be acting fast to secure deals ahead of Erik ten Hag gets his team back for preseason.
The Red Devils have already made an approach for Mason Mount, while the club are prepared to move swiftly on from what could have been a protracted Harry Kane saga to establish contact with Atalanta forward Rasmus Hojlund.
But United are also in the market for a central defender. Harry Maguire‘s future at the club remains uncertain, and his departure would leave Ten Hag with a recovering Lisandro Martinez, an injury prone Raphael Varane, and Victor Lindelof.
While those three certainly have the quality to fit into the manager’s plans, more depth is needed.
And according to L’Equipe (via Get French Football News), Man United have concluded that Axel Disasi is the perfect player to provide it.
The World Cup finalist has been linked with a move to Old Trafford over the last few months, with AS Monaco willing sellers after missing out on European football next season. The Ligue 1 club are looking to do business at around €40m-€50m for the 25-year-old, a deal which could represent good value for United.
Disasi in excellent in the air and quick enough to allow Ten Hag to operate with a high line, which would make him more suited to a possession outfit than Maguire, should the captain leave the club.
He is also excellent on the ball, ranking in the top 4% of all central defenders in Europe’s ‘Big 5’ leagues for both progressive carries and progressive passes, as per Fbref. With five goals and four assists this season, he could even improve United’s threat from set pieces.
A long-term pairing of Disasi and Lisandro would have plenty of potential to challenge for trophies while dominating games.
The Monaco man has only two years remaining on his current contract which, along with his side’s aforementioned failure to make European football next season, explains his reasonable price tag.
But Manchester United may well be assessing other options as well at this early stage of the summer. While the French media claim the club are “close to completing” a deal for Axel Disasi, the Italian media have been putting Kim Min-Jae on a flight to Manchester for weeks.
Erik ten Hag would likely be pleased to add either player to his ever-improving squad.
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