Manchester United’s hopes of reigniting their prior interest in Jeremie Frimpong may have taken a hit.
Bayern Munich are now understood to have changed their tack over the player’s future following a change in personnel at the top of the club.
A long-term contract running until 2028, however, could cause problems for both potential suitors, Christian Falk reports.
“It was hard for Jeremie Frimpong that Manchester United didn’t get concrete for his services in the end,” the head of football at the BILD group wrote in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.
“Coach Erik ten Hag had high hopes of a transfer that failed to come to fruition. Interest could become more concrete again next summer.
“The name was also discussed again and again at FC Bayern. However, under former sports director Hasan Salihamidzic, the player wasn’t rated highly enough. That has changed under the new leadership. The name Frimpong could become current.
“The problem: the player has a new contract until 2028. That could make him too expensive. If Leverkusen plays in the Champions League next year and Xabi Alonso remains coach, he will keep the player.”
Diogo Dalot’s emergence under Erik ten Hag could throw something of a spanner in the works when it comes to recruitment in the summer.
MORE: Liverpool could battle Man City for Bayern stalwart amid souring relationship with Tuchel
Will Ten Hag keep the faith in Dalot next summer?
The Portuguese fullback has been trusted to start the vast majority of the Red Devils’ fixtures this term, being benched only for the 2-0 loss to Tottenham and Wednesday’s calamitous collapse against Galatasaray.
The question remains, however, whether this is an alliance borne out of necessity or genuine trust.
Could the manager’s head be turned by Frimpong’s strong output from a wide position (admittedly the Dutchman has featured mainly higher up on the right flank), registering 13 goal contributions in 17 games?
The Leverkusen’s defensive metrics are astonishingly poor compared to other fullbacks – and in particular to Dalot – when taking a look at the data available on FBref.
One might argue, however, that the Bundesliga star is mainly entrusted with more offensive duties in Xabi Alonso’s setup, which is surely impacting his value defensively.