Manchester United face competition from Al-Ahli in race to sign 30-year-old star: Reports

Manchester United are reportedly in the market to sign Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder Marco Verratti. But they could face competition from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli for the Italian's signing.

As per L'Equipe, Manchester United are trying to bring Verratti to Old Trafford in the ongoing summer transfer window. The PSG midfielder is also attracting interest from Al-Ahli and has agreed on personal terms with the club.

However, with the French giants yet to agree on a fee for Verratti, it is believed that the Red Devils are still in with a chance to sign the 30-year-old.

United are eager on strengthening their midfield following the departure of Fred to Fenerbahce. Erik ten Hag's side were heavily linked with a move for Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat but Liverpool have reportedly entered the race for the Morocco star.

Verratti, meanwhile, still has three years left on his current PSG contract. He has now played for 11 seasons with the French club since joining them from Pescara in 2012 for a €12 million fee. He has made 416 appearances for them across competitions, scoring 11 and assisting 61 goals.

A departure seems imminent for Verratti, who wasn't part of manager Luis Enrique's squads for the first two games of the ongoing Ligue 1 season.

Manchester United in desperate need of a midfielder

Erik ten Hag has played a midfield three of Casemiro, Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes in their first two Premier League games of the season. But that hasn't worked well so far.

United midfielders are often caught leaving acres of space in the middle of the park, allowing the opposition to run them over easily. With both Mount and Bruno more attack-minded mids, Casemiro is left clearing up alone.

As a result, it is imperative for Manchester United to add a deep-lying midfielder to partner the Brazilian and add more strength to their midfield.

Moreover, Fred's departure has also left them thin in the department, with the likes of Donny van de Beek and Scott McTominay seemingly not in the manager's plans going forward.

United have so far won one and lost one of their two league matches. They were lucky to come out as 1-0 victors against Wolverhampton Wanderers in their season opener but fell to a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in their next encounter.