Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to sign RB Leipzig central defender Dayot Upamecano once they seal a deal for Ajax star Donny van de Beek, according to reports.
The Red devils have now agreed a £40.3m deal with the Dutch side for the 23-year-old midfielder and a deal could be officially announced this week.
United are still keen on signing Jadon Sancho, but they have still been unable to agree a transfer fee with Borussia Dortmund for the player.
Solskjaer is also looking to strengthen his defensive options ahead of the new campaign and according to ESPN, the United boss is pushing to sign Upamecano.
According to reports, Solskjaer is ‘prioritising’ a new centre-back to play alongside Harry Maguire, while United believe an agreement can be reached with RB Leipzig over a possible deal before the transfer deadline.
In July, the defender signed a new contract with RB Leipzig which keeps him tied to the German side until 2023.
But, reports in Germany claim that the player’s new deal includes a £37.6 million release clause which will only become active from next summer.
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Manchester United, meanwhile, are open to selling Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo before the end of the window to raise funds.
According to ESPN, Solskjaer is also ‘concerned’ by the reliability of Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly, which is why he is so keen to sign a new centre-back for the club this summer.
‘I think they could do with a centre half, I’ve said that all along,’ said Scholes earlier this month.
‘I’m not sure Lindelof going to be good enough as a partner for Maguire. I think they need a dominant defender next to him. ‘Defensively, the full backs are OK. On the ball you’d have to question but defensively they’re OK.
‘I think the defensive record over the last 15, 20 games has been very good, probably one of the best in the league so you have to take that into respect as well.
‘But I still think a dominant centre-half next to Maguire, just to cover for the slight weaknesses he has.’
