Manchester United are keeping a close eye on Bayer Leverkusen this season, with quartet Exequiel Palacios, Jeremie Frimpong, Edmond Tapsoba and Odilon Kossonou all on their radar.
That’s according to SportBILD, who say Manchester United are interested in all four players ahead of the summer transfer window.
Leverkusen currently lead the Bundesliga by eight points after a superb season under Xabi Alonso, who has them playing an attractive, attacking brand of football and undefeated so far.
That’s naturally put all of their players on the radar of clubs around Europe and it seems Manchester United are keeping a close eye on a few.
Frimpong is the most serious target, with SportBILD explaining that Manchester United already set their sights on the full-back in 2023 but had doubts about his height so a move did not happen.
He’s now put those doubts to rest with his performances this season and is ‘probably leaving’ as a result, although Leverkusen will want his €40m release clause matched given his contract doesn’t expire until 2028.
Palacios, meanwhile, is a player that Manchester United are ‘dealing with’ but he doesn’t have a release clause and Leverkusen’s ‘willingness to sell is low’. He is currently valued at €40m and that would be the minimum starting point for any negotiations.
It’s a similar story for Edmond Tapsoba, who arrived at the club for €20m in 2020 and is now valued at double that by Leverkusen having fitted in perfectly under Alonso and developed accordingly.
Manchester United are ‘interested’ in him too, but with the player only having signed a new contract in September 2023, which links him to Leverkusen until 2028, a sale seems unlikely.
Lastly, there is Kossounou, who would cost at least €50m, having developed into a ‘top defender’ under Alonso’s leadership after previously being labelled as an ‘average player’.
In short, Manchester United would need to spend a minimum of €180m to get all four, which seems unlikely to happen, especially as there is little chance of Leverkusen wanting to weaken themselves that much next summer regardless of whether their manager stays or goes.
