Liverpool and Manchester United are battling it out for the signature of AS Monaco’s Aymen Abdennour this summer, according to reports from France.
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L’Equipe claim that the centre-back is attracting a significant amount of interest ahead of the opening of the international transfer window next Wednesday. The French newspaper state that the Tunisian defender has caught the eye of the fierce Premier League rivals, and Leonardo Jardim could be willing to cash in if a ‘big offer’ is submitted. L’Equipe suggest €30m is their valuation.
Abdennour caught the eye in last season’s Champions League, as the Ligue 1 outfit completed a shock victory over Arsenal in the last 16 to reach the quarter-final of the European competition.
There had been question marks raised over the defence of both the Red Devils and Liverpool last season; with both Louis van Gaal and Brendan Rodgers seeming to have not yet found a first-choice centre-back partnership.
Manchester United have struggled with the position since the departure of formidable duo Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand at the end of the 2013-14 campaign. However, with Sergio Ramos [Telegraph] a top summer target, and Chris Smalling and Phil Jones having impressed van Gaal last season, a move to Anfield seems the more plausible.
The Reds are struggling to hand Martin Skrtel a regular partner with Dejan Lovren, Kolo Toure and Mamadou Sakho yet to really convince that they could fill the position long-term. Predominantly a central midfielder, Emre Can also had to play at centre-back on 16 occasions last season.
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