According to French outlet Foot Mercato, Lille’s defensive midfield starlet Boubakary Soumare is not seen as a ‘first-choice’ target by Manchester United.
The Red Devils are interested in the 21-year-old, but Soumare is just one name on an ‘expanded’ list of targets, United’s rivals Arsenal are also keen on the talent.
Soumare has been involved in Lille’s first-team ever since he left Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017, but the 19/20 campaign was a breakthrough campaign for the starlet.
Foot Mercato report that Lille may be resigned to losing the France Under-21s maestro, following the departure of Victor Osimhen and imminent sale of Gabriel Magalhaes to Arsenal.
The Mail report that Soumare is valued at £50m.
Soumare impressed in 30 appearances across all competitions as Lille finished 4th in Ligue 1, the ace came off the bench in the 82nd minute of the French outfit’s season opener vs Rennes.
Whilst the Frenchman is strongest on the defensive side of the game, he’s looked very comfortable with the ball at his feet and his energetic style could make him an effective box-to-box midfielder.
As exciting as the talent may be, the fact that United haven’t made Soumare a prime target could be a wise move at this moment in time.
The Red Devils’ usually start two of Nemanja Matic, Fred and Paul Pogba in the middle of the park, leaving a minimal role for academy graduate Scott McTominay when everyone’s fit.
Signing Soumare could be a very smart move in the future, but an addition like this right now would massively hurt McTominay’s chances of developing as part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.