Manchester United look set to rival Nottingham Forest for the signature of a £7m defender as they look to bolster their squad ahead of the next campaign.
In Manchester United’s pursuit to bolster their squad ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, they have had a very active start to the summer transfer window.
Having secured the £62.5m acquisition of Wolves’ Matheus Cunha, United are now facing some turbulence regarding a deal for Bryan Mbeumo. The same applies in their chase of a striker.
It appears so far that the frontline is the main concern for Ruben Amorim this summer, whilst the rest of the targets remain on the back burner as of now.
This being said, however, recent reports suggest that the Reds are ‘in pole position’ for the signing of a £7m defender, who Nottingham Forest are also in for.
United in pole for Sangante
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Forest side face the prospect of European football next season after finishing seventh in the league, hence the necessity to improve their squad depth.
According to French publication Le Quotidien, via Nottinghamshire Live, Forest are looking to bolster their side similarly to United, but it is Amorim’s side who are leading the way for Le Havre defender Arouna Sangante.
The report states that, “it is Manchester United who appear to be in pole position to snap the 23-year-old up. The Old Trafford outfit are said to have him firmly in their sights.”
Sangante is available for a fee in the region of £7 million, and has only 12 months remaining on his contract with the Ligue 1 side, with whom he has been since 2017.
The 23-year-old centre-back had a solid campaign last season despite limited appearances, scoring three goals to help his side narrowly avoid the dreaded relegation zone.
Is astute business the answer for Amorim?
With profit and sustainability rules casting a shadow over a lot of England’s top-flight, astute business may be the way to go for Amorim’s side this summer.
The Reds look set to spend well over £100 million on their forward line in the coming months, which may leave only a fraction of the budget remaining, unless some substantial sales are made.
Amorim’s squad depth provided him with some deep issues last campaign, especially defensively, as he often saw the likes of Lisandro Martínez, Matthijs De Ligt, and Ayden Heaven sidelined.
This may make signings such as Sangante more beneficial to United, as it doesn’t overly dent the budget, yet it may go a long way toward improving the depth of the squad.
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