Manchester United are keen to bolster their defensive options next season and have turned their attention to Bundesliga talent.
That’s according to a recent report from the Daily Mail, who claims the Red Devils are interested in signing soon-to-be free agent Manuel Akanji.
Akanji, 26, who has been with the club since he signed from Basel back in 2018, will be out of contract in 18-months time and despite being offered a new deal worth £6.7m-per year, there are no guarantees the Switzerland international will remain a Black and Yellow player.
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Having sounded out the centre-back’s availability in an effort to provide captain Harry Maguire with more competition for his place, interim boss Ralf Rangnick is understood to be an admirer of the 26-year-old from his days working with RB Leipzig.
Maguire, 28, has come under heavy fire in recent weeks following what many perceive to be a period of poor form, even resulting in calls for his captaincy to be removed.
Discussing the possibility of fans seeing the England international lose the club’s armband, Rangnick, as quoted by The Athletic, recently said: “I have never spoken with any player about a change of captaincy. This has never been an issue. It is me who decides who is captain.
“Harry is our captain and he will stay captain until the end of the season.”
Although the Red Devils have yet to offer the experienced defender a formal deal, enquiries are believed to have been made ahead of the 2022-23 season.