According to various reports, Manchester United United are interested in signing RB Leipzig midfielder Christopher Nkunku in the summer. The Red Devils have added the Frenchman as one of their transfer targets after Rangnick urged the club to take a keen interest in the player.
Just like Arsenal, Manchester United failed to sign any player in the January transfer window. The club, however, saw four loan deals for their players, with Tuanzebe off to Napoli after his loan deal with Aston Villa ended, Martial moving to Sevilla, Amad Diallo joining Rangers and Everton signing Van de Beek till the end of the season.
Now, Manchester United are planning for summer recruitment with interim manager Ralf Rangnick. The club have yet to announce a permanent manager after the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the German appointed as an interim till the end of the season.
The Red Devils, however, wish to prepare beforehand in case midfielder Paul Pogba leaves the club in the summer for free. The French star’s contract expires at the end of the season, with no signs of him wanting to extend his stay at Old Trafford. Therefore, United wants to sign an able replacement for the player and have targeted Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig.
According to reports from ESPN, United are keeping tabs on Christopher Nkunku, who was signed by RB Leipzig when Rangnick was the director of football. The report added that the Manchester club were not previously after the midfielder until December when Rangnick was appointed. After the German arrived, he reviewed the list of United’s targets and suggested Nkunku’s name. To strengthen their midfield department, the club scouts have turned their attention to the French midfielder.
Ralf Rangnick transfer target Christopher Nkunku could be the face of Manchester United's new era. #mufc https://t.co/Ck1LMgeKsz pic.twitter.com/lEL2gA6slA
— Man United News (@ManUtdMEN) February 15, 2022
The 24-year-old arrived at the Red Bull Arena from Paris-Saint Germain in 2019, for a fee of around £10 million. In three-and-a-half seasons with RB Leipzig, the attacking midfielder has scored 31 goals and provided 40 assists across all competitions, with 22 goals and 31 assists in 82 Bundesliga matches. This season, he has 22 goals and 13 assists to his name in 33 games. Each season, his goal involvements keep on increasing.
Nkunku can play as a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder as well as a wide player on both flanks. Due to his attacking statistics and ability to play in multiple positions, he is regarded by many as one of the best emerging players in the Bundesliga.
The midfielder has played for France at the under-21 level but is yet to appear for the Les Bleus senior team. The midfielder’s contributions at the Bundesliga club has garnered the eyeballs of many European heavyweights, including Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal as well as Real Madrid.
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However, he still has a contract of two-and-a-half years left with the German club until June 2024. RB Leipzig’s global head of football Oliver Mintzlaff cleared the club’s stance to try and keep him beyond this summer window. He told Sky Deutschland (via ESPN):
“He [Nkunku] will also play with us next season because of course he is a very important player.”
“In football, nothing is ever certain, but that’s our plan.”
“We don’t have many players who can leave us in the summer. We want to strengthen the team rather than weaken it.”
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