Manchester United and Arsenal are both said to be scouting a 17-year-old French defender currently playing in Ligue 1.
Since taking over at Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have put an emphasis on signing some young talent for minimal fees.
In the last 18 months, United have secured the signatures of Ayden Heaven, Diego Leon, Chido Obi, Sékou Koné and Enzo Kana-Biyik.
The club reportedly also have a deal in place to sign 17-year-old midfielder Cristian Orozco from Fortaleza, adding to the stack of talented youngsters already at Old Trafford.
The advantage of signing players like these is that if they come good and fulfil their potential, the club would’ve signed a top-class player for almost nothing. And even if they turn out not to be at the required level, the club can then sell them on for what would still likely be a profit.
United scouting Tati
According to CaughtOffside, United are scouting FC Nantes’ Tylel Tati. The 17-year-old centre-back has started 6 out of Nantes’ 7 Ligue 1 games this season, and European giants are starting to circle.
In addition to United, CaughtOffside also report that Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Brighton, Brentford and Aston Villa have all sent scouts to monitor him, while there is also interest from Spain in the form of none other than FC Barcelona.
The report also claims that Bundesliga outfits RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen are also tracking him closely. Tati has been subject to interest from some of the best clubs around Europe, and for very good reason.
Nantes are not keen on parting ways with the young sensation yet, though. The Ligue 1 club are prioritising his development. They want to give him regular minutes and in multiple roles before considering offers.
Who is Tati?
Tylel Tati is only 6 games into his senior career, but has already shown some very positive signs this season.
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The Frenchman is extremely comfortable on the ball and has operated in midfield as well as at full-back. Tati remains composed when pressed and is good at keeping the ball in tight areas. He is also a solid passer, and his ability to dribble away under pressure suggests he could also develop into a good ball-carrier.
His physical profile is also likely very attractive to clubs. He’s strong and 1.9m tall. Despite this, he has struggled in duels so far this season since making the step up into Nantes’ first team, but this was to be expected considering he’s still so young and inexperienced.
With all the clubs keen on signing him, United will need to be attentive and move fast when the time comes, but Tati would be another exciting addition to Rúben Amorim’s squad.
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