Arsenal and Newcastle United enter race for Manchester United target - Reports

Arsenal and Newcastle United are reportedly set to battle Manchester United for the signature of Olympique Marseille star Boubacar Kamara.

The 22-year-old's contract with the Ligue 1 giants expires at the end of the season. He will be free to leave in the summer if he does not sign a new deal with the club.

According to Le 10 Sport, the Gunners and the Magpies are closely monitoring the Frenchman's situation at Marseille as they look to sign him on a Bosman deal.

The Bosman ruling of 1995 essentially allows players to move to a new club when their contract expires, with their old club not receiving a fee. They can also agree a pre-contract with another club if they have six months or less remaining on their deal with their existing club.

Kamara is one of the most sought-after defensive midfielders in European football right now. The Marseille academy graduate has so far made 149 appearances across all competitions for the club's senior team, scoring four goals and providing five assists.

The 22-year-old has been in scintillating form in Ligue 1 this season. He has helped Marseille maintain the third-best defensive record in the league, with just 11 clean sheets and 20 conceded goals after 23 games.

Arsenal are currently in desperate need of a holding midfielder. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is out on loan to AS Roma and Mohamed Elneny is out of contract in the summer. Moreover, the likes of Thomas Partey and Albert Sambi Lokonga have struggled to perform for the Gunners so far this season.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United are looking to sign a midfield partner for Bruno Guimaraes, who they recently acquired from Lyon for £40 million. They reportedly consider Kamara to be an upgrade on Sean Longstaff and Isaac Hayden.

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Manchester United could miss out on Boubacar Kamara's signature after turning down chance to sign him

Boubacar Kamara is in the final year of his contract with Olympique de Marseille

Manchester United were believed to be the favorites to sign Boubacar Kamara in the January transfer window. However, the Red Devils reportedly declined the chance to sign him as they want to keep transfer funds available for their next manager.

Here's what transfer expert Fabrizio Romano had to say about the situation on his Here We Go podcast:

"Manchester United were offered the opportunity to sign Boubacar Kamara in the last days of the window but they turned down this chance because they will invest more money for the new manager. They want to wait and see what’s best."

This development, however, is unlikely to trouble Kamara. The midfielder has no dearth of suitors, with clubs like Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid also interested in signing him.

It remains to be seen if Manchester United's new manager will consider making a move for him in the summer transfer window.