Manchester United are reportedly leading the race to sign Monaco centre-back Benoit Badiashile this summer.
Le 10 Sport claim that the Red Devils are now in pole position for the 19-year-old’s signature, despite interest from Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen.
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It’s added that the 6ft4 defender extended his contract with Monaco at the start of the year, with the French side hoping to net at least €30m from the talent’s sale.
There may be some hope for the Ligue 1 outfit if they wish to keep hold of their prized asset as Le10Sport add that new boss Niko Kovac is a massive admirer of Badiashile.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side desperately need a new centre-back parter for last summer’s marquee signing and now captain Harry Maguire, with the side still looking quite shaky at the back.
Badiashile broke into Monaco’s first-team last season and has since gone on to make 46 appearances at senior level for the club, turning in some quality performances and attracting admirers along the way.
Badiashile is clearly also rated very highly at national level with the ace representing France from Under-16s through to 19s level so far.
One of the starlet’s main selling points is that he’s comfortable at playing out from the back – something that the Red Devils like many other top clubs are insisting on from their defenders.
Badiashile is also left-footed which is a rarity for quality centre-backs, which will no doubt heighten the number of potential suitors keen on the ace.
Solskjaer needs a new face to partner Maguire, who has led the side while but has endured an average debut season, both Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly are unreliable options for their own different reasons.