Rijo Sam Daniel
Transfer News: Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick eyes Manuel Akanji as Borussia Dortmund sign Niklas Sule
According to German media outlet Bild (h/t The Scottish Sun), Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick has turned his attention to Manuel Akanji as Borussia Dortmund have pipped his side to complete the signing of Niklas Sule. The recent 1-1 draw to Burnley in the Premier League has further highlighted the need for quality centre-backs within his team.
Man United were in the race to sign Sule from Bayern Munchen, but Dortmund were the eventual winners as they have agreed on a deal to sign him at the end of this season. As a result, Rangnick has declared Akanji as a priority signing, who is currently in a contract standoff with BVB.
The 26-year-old currently earns £4.2million in wages per year, but he has plans to increase it to around £8.4million. However, Die Borussen has only offered him a salary package of £6.75million-a-year. The Red Devils could be looking to bolster their backline and hope that the centre-back can be influenced by the prospect of playing alongside former teammate Jadon Sancho.
Good replacement?
It is understandable why the 63-year-old coach had identified the Bayern Munich centre-back as the first choice option. He has become a crucial part of his current side’s backline over the years. Unfortunately, we lost out on him, but it is good to know that we have taken immediate action by lining up the Swiss international.
If the Dortmund star and Die Schwarzgelben cannot reach an agreement before the end of this campaign, we could have a greater chance of signing him. After all, his current contract would end after next season and the German club would know they can lose him for free if they don’t sell him before it.
The Bundesliga club has already set up a valuation for £21million for getting the Swiss defender’s signature, indicating that the player could leave the Signal Iduna Park for the right price. And so, we must keep a close eye and the situation as the arrival of the Bayern ace could also shift things in our favour next term.
Even if we have a good depth in terms of our options in the centre of the defence, the quality is questionable compared to top teams across Europe. Phil Jones and Eric Bailly can be upgraded upon if we have ambitions to challenge clubs like Liverpool and Manchester City regularly.
Moreover, Harry Maguire has not covered himself with any glory as his performances have been inconsistent throughout this term. That has been the case in our last league match as well, so it would not hurt to bring in quality signings who can raise the competition.
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That could also force Maguire to raise his level, which would eventually help us in the end. Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen but it is good to know that the club is recognizing the need for a quality defender. Although fans could argue that we would be wise to focus on this issue after getting in a top-level defensive midfielder first.
