MANCHESTER United have a received a boost in their bid to sign RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano – as the German club appear to have agreed a deal to recruit his replacement.
Leipzig have reportedly settled on an agreement worth up to 19million euros for Dinamo Zagreb’s Josip Gvardiol – freeing the path for the Red Devil’s pursuit.
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The news comes as a big blow for Leeds, who had been eyeing up Zagreb’s 18-year-old wonderkid for themselves.
Sportske report that the Yorkshire club had been in for the player, but he opted for Germany as he believed it would be better for his development.
It’s a move that will leave Man United on alert as they have been consistently linked to Upamecano.
The French 21-year-old has become the talk of Europe after a string of top performances in the Champions League.
And Manchester United’s interest has reportedly intensified after Wilfried Zaha led the relentless Crystal Palace charge through their defence in Saturday’s defeat.
Upamecano is believed to be capable of bringing some much needed stability at the back despite his young age.
Victor Lindelof has come under fire for his performances of recent months while Harry Maguire is also being questioned despite his £80million transfer fee a little over a year ago.
Despite the criticism, some reports suggest Old Trafford chiefs may hold back on a centre-back raid until next summer while other areas of the team need addressing.
The reported deal for Gvardiol is bad news for Leeds who apparently launched their own bid for the player.
Reports say Leeds had offered as much as £20million for the 18-year-old defender and a far bigger wage packet.
But that does not appear to have been enough to tempt Gvardiol to join Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds project as Leipzig look to confirm the deal.
Had he joined, it would have been just the latest in a blitz of youth players coming to Elland Road this summer.
