Manchester United Transfer News Roundup: Red Devils enter race for French midfield star, Bundesliga club drop hint on star target's future, and more — 9th January 2021

Manchester United will look to recover from their 2-0 loss at Old Trafford to cross-town rivals Manchester City in the EFL Cup semi-final with a win against Watford in the FA Cup. The Red Devils will come up against Xisco Munoz's Hornets who currently sit sixth in the Championship table.

Ahead of their game against the second-tier side, here is some of the latest Manchester United news.

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RB Leipzig hint at potential transfer for Dayot Upamecano

Leipzig star Upamecano

French star Dayot Upamecano has been linked with a host of clubs in the Europe over the last two years including Manchester United, who were close to signing him before his contract extension with RB Leipzig. The Red Devils have been on the lookout for a pacey centre-half to complement Harry Maguire, and Leipzig's defensive stalwart has been mighty impressive over the last few months.

Amidst rumours of a potential move to one of Europe's elite clubs, the Bundesliga club's CEO, Oliver Mintzlaff, revealed that they will "sell top performers again if it makes financial sense," hinting at a potential transfer. He said;

"We have a squad that is very broad in terms of quality. So we will sell top performers again if it makes financial sense and we can cope with it from a sporting point of view. When I think of Werner, [Matheus] Cunha, [Naby] Keita or [Diego] Demme, we’ve already made a lot of money and still made progress in terms of the sporting side."

1 - Dayot Upamecano 🇫🇷 in the Champions League 2019/20:🥇 71% duel success - 1st (min. 75 duels)🥇 125 progressive carries (5 m or more) - 1stBleu. pic.twitter.com/kkRt1BBnFM

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) August 27, 2020

He added,

"Overall, we have invested a lot in our team, no question about that. But look: the current squad had a market value of less than €250 million when the individual players made their debut. And if we now take the current market value, we are at around €550 million. You have to take this plus of over €300 million into account when you talk about investments. We are creating value with our path."

Upamecano is believed to have a €42m release clause in his contract which will be active come summer.

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Manchester United opt against signing Moises Caicedo

Caicedo in action for Ecuador

Manchester United are set to decide against signing highly-rated wonderkid Moises Caicedo despite immense speculation over the last few weeks, as per reports. The Independiente del Valle star, a confessed Red Devils fan, was said to be closing in a move to his dream club after being extensively scouted by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

However, reports have now suggested that Brighton & Hove Albion are set to make an official approach to sign Caicedo and are keen on signing the Ecuadorean. The Seagulls' midfield destroyer Yves Bissouma has also been linked with moves away from the club and could potentially replace him with the Manchester United target. Caicedo will set Brighton back by a fee of £4.5m.

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Boubakary Soumare added to Manchester United's wishlist

Boubakary Soumare for Lille

French midfield star Boubakary Soumare has been added to Manchester United's wishlist as they look to bolster their options in defensive midfield, as per Italian journalist Vito Angele. The LOSC Lille midfielder has been linked with several of Europe's elite clubs including Liverpool and AC Milan, but Manchester United could move ahead of them in the race to sign him.

Manchester United are working on signing Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare and are the favourites to sign him right now. #MUFC [@VitoAngele, @ItaFootPod]

— mufcmpb (@mufcMPB) January 9, 2021

Speaking on their interest in the French midfield dynamo, Angele said;

"He [Boubakary Soumare] is an important player but I don't think he will be coming to Serie A. Man Utd are working on him and they are the favourites to sign him right now. Lille are also asking a high price for him which is too much for [AC] Milan."

Soumare's current deal at Lille is set to expire in 2022, which could increase the likelihood of a potential transfer this summer.

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