MANCHESTER UNITED were dealt a blow in their pursuit of Dayot Upamecano as reports suggest Bayern Munich are in pole position to land the defender.
The Athletic reports Champions League winners Bayern are now in the driving seat over the Red Devils in the hunt for the highly rated RB Leipzig centre-back.
Bayern Munich are reportedly in pole position to sign Dayot UpamecanoCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Upamecano, 22, has a £38million release clause in his contract that can be activated at the end of the season.
The report states the French defender is keen to secure an agreement with one of the European giants chasing him sooner rather than later.
Upamecano caught the eye with some outstanding displays last season as Leipzig made the Champions League semi-final.
And the player is thought to want to tie down his future to improve his international prospects with France playing in World Cup qualifiers in March before the delayed Euro 2020 tournament next summer.
For the calibre of player, the price point of just under £40m for Upamecano is a snip and has got a number of clubs interested.
He has been regularly linked with United who are looking to bolster their options in the heart of defence.
Liverpool have also been suggested as a potential destination as Jurgen Klopp needs reinforcements for his injury-ravaged squad with Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez long-term absentees.
But with experienced duo David Alaba and Jerome Boateng set to leave the Allianz Arena in the summer, Bayern appear to have upped the ante in the race to secure Upamecano’s signature.
The report states that Upamecano is no longer a key priority target for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side and that they have ‘cooled’ their interest.
Bayern were also previously interested in Upamecano but were put off by a higher price and did not need to strengthen at the back.
Upamecano has made 16 appearances for Leipzig this season and has flourished in the Bundesliga under the management of Julian Nagelsmann.
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Solskjaer looking forward to seeing Man Utd transfer target Dayot Upamecano ‘close up’ in RB Leipzig clash
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
