Manchester United are aiming to add their defensive depth with the highly-rated, versatile defensive player Eivind Helland.
As the transfer window heats up, so do Manchester United’s transfer pursuits. With Jason Wilcox and team scouting Norwegian defender Helland in his recent 3-1 win for Brann against title-rivals Viking.
Helland impressed in a 90-minute appearance on Sunday, as the Brann defence kept a dangerous Viking attack to just one goal.
After making 37 appearances for Brann’s senior team, Helland has certainly captured the attention of United’s scouting department.
As the Reds move into their second week of pre-season, Ruben Amorim will hope to have his squad finalised as soon as possible to maximise his time with the players.
Brann set Helland’s price tag at around £6 million
As captain of Brann’s under 21’s, the Norwegian team appreciate Helland’s value. In his third season playing in the Norway’s top division, the club may decide to sell the player as his market-value increases.
Reports from The Athletic suggest a £6 million to £7 million fee is required to be accepted for the 20-year-old, with add-ons and clauses also a possibility.
With £7.5 million and £6 million coming in from the player sales of former Reds Alvaro Carreras and Anthony Elanga, United could reinvest the revenue raised into a future prospect like Helland.
The player himself has addressed the transfer rumours with United by claiming that he “hasn’t thought much about it”.
It is safe to say Helland is gaining crucial status, starting 15 out of the 15 games SK Brann have played this season, and impressing in all as they mount their title fight.
Helland could bolster United’s defence after frequent injury problems
Inconsistency is a trait that has followed United for some time now, with important players constantly battling injury. Heaven, Martinez and De Ligt to name a few out of the first-team defenders.
Ruben Amorim will have kept his squad’s injury troubles in mind coming into the summer transfer window, with the club needing to add to the depth of the whole squad.
However, with no European football in the 2025/26 season, United must find room to accommodate new additions into the first-team or they may become unhappy, which could happen with Helland.
It is unclear wether the Norwegian is ready for first-team football, but the price-tag reported suggest that he is far too valuable to be playing academy football, which leaves Amorim in a predicament.
Despite this, Helland is obviously an exciting talent and could definitely help improve the quality of the red’s defence in the future. If United decide to pay the £6m million fee, the club may have a potential Premier League star on their hands.
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