Despite being tracked by Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, Leander Dendoncker doesn’t appear to be going anywhere, at least according to his current club Anderlecht.
The club’s director of football, Herman Van Holsbeeck, who already agreed to sell Youri Tielemans to Monaco this summer for around €25m, made it clear he wasn’t planning on weakening his midfield anymore by letting the 22-year-old go, even if the defensive midfielder himself want to move.
This is, at least, what his agent, Christophe Henrotay, told Foot Mercato on Friday evening.
He said: “Anderlecht want to keep him, but the kid wants a new challenge. We’ll see if we can find an agreement with the club, but that seems difficult.”
Impressing greatly over the two legs in the Europa League quarter finals against Manchester United last season, it’s no surprise José Mourinho, who wanted a defensive midfielder this summer, took an interest in Dendoncker.
Since then, Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic has been signed and the need for such a player has dissipated somewhat.
However, with the Serbian midfielder getting close to his 30s, it wouldn’t be surprising if José Mourinho, who’s made it clear he wants to stay at Old Trafford for a long time, was already thinking about the post-Matic era.
Buying Dendoncker one or two seasons before Matic moves on would ensure a smooth succession.
Plus, at around €30m, he could be considered a wise investment in today’s market.
