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Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United team remains a work in progress and while a striker seems to be the most obvious summer addition, a case can also be made for a new defender.
First-choice pairing Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are currently out and while the Argentine has been ruled out for the season, there remains a chance for the Frenchman to make an unlikely comeback.
However, the former Real Madrid star has been quite injury prone since his move to Old Trafford, being out of action for a total of 142 days.
Ten Hag has tried club captain Harry Maguire in his stead and the England international has looked slow and ponderous and has also committed a few high-profile errors.
United need a new top-class CB
His time at the club could be coming to an end in the summer, especially with the Dutch boss required to offload stars in order to balance the books.
If Maguire leaves, United will need to bring an elite defender in his place and so far, they have been linked with a plethora of stars including Goncalo Inacio and Jurrien Timber to name a few.
The latest name to be added to the fray is Barcelona’s defensive rock Andreas Christensen. The former Chelsea star has been a revelation this season for the Blaugrana.
In La Liga, Xavi’s side have conceded only 11 times and are cruising towards the title while he has also helped them win the Spanish Super Cup.
The Danish star has played 27 times in all competitions and managed one goal and an assist and has built up an impressive partnership with Ronald Araújo at the heart of the Barca defence.
In an ideal scenario, the Nou Camp outfit would be fighting tooth and nail to keep the Denmark international with them but due to financial fair play rules, they will need to raise quite a bit of cash through player sales.
According to Fichajes, this is where United come in. The Red Devils have proposed a €70million deal for the former Chelsea star as they look to bolster their own defensive ranks.
Being Premier League-proven and winner of a Champions League will help add that winning mentality to the squad being built by the Dutchman.
Andreas Christensen could be the perfect addition for Ten Hag
“Manchester United is looking to reinforce its central defense for the 2023/2024 season, and one of the names that the Dutch coach Erik Ten Hag has put on the table is that of the Danish central defender of FC Barcelona, Andreas Christensen.
“He would be willing to throw the house out the window, being able to pay up to 70 million euros for the 25-year-old footballer,” the report added.
Ten Hag has already seen him in action first-hand during the Europa League encounter between the two sides.
The 27-year-old has certainly improved a lot since his move to Spain and bringing him back at this stage of his career could prove to be quite the masterstroke.
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