Man United Eye Move For £43m Ligue 1 Titan
Manchester United are working on a number of deals to bolster their squad ahead of next season and now a reliable source has revealed a fresh update on a potential transfer target.
What's the latest on Man United's interest in Axel Disasi?
According to Italian journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United are "exploring" a move for Monaco centre-back Axel Disasi.
Romano revealed on Twitter:
"Newcastle and Manchester United are both exploring Disasi deal, no bids yet. Newcastle approached player side this week, expected to make contact with Monaco.
"Ten Hag approved Disasi — talks for weeks on player side but still waiting for approach with Monaco. More to follow."
Is Disasi a good player?
Erik ten Hag is pushing to improve a number of key areas on the pitch at Old Trafford with a new goalkeeper imminent due to David de Gea's departure and an extensive search to identify the next centre-forward who can lead the front line next season.
The Red Devils have already completed the signing of Mason Mount this summer, however, with recent reports claiming that the club are ready to offload a number of players before they return to action next month, there is still plenty of work to be done.
One of the players the club is keen to sell to boost transfer funds is club captain Harry Maguire, with the England star falling out of favour since the arrival of the former Ajax boss – tallying up just eight Premier League starts last season.
As a result, the signing of Disasi – who has a €50m (£43m) price tag – could further push Maguire out of the team and potentially out of the club altogether before the transfer window closes, as the Monaco ace could provide Ten Hag with a fresh, energetic and youthful prospect who can become part of the future of the team.
The 25-year-old Frenchman ranks in the top 10% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for non-penalty goals, assists, progressive passes, progressive carries, successful take-ons and touches, demonstrating strong ball-playing qualities from his centre-back position, as per FBref.
Not only that, Disasi has been attracting huge praise for his Ligue 1 performances, with football talent scout Jacek Kulig claiming he was made to play Premier League football:
"Disasi is one of the most underrated youngsters in Ligue 1 at the moment. A true hidden gem. We don’t talk about him enough."
"He would be an amazing signing for any top Premier League club. He was born to play in England."
The Man United head coach is keen to implement his preferred style of play by developing the players who are capable of his intuitive ball-playing style and replacing those that can't adapt, which is the likely reason why Maguire hasn't been featuring as much.
When comparing Disasi's output over the last 12 months to Maguire's, the Monaco titan delivered more progressive passes per 90 (5.80 v 3.09), interceptions completed per 90 (1.81 v 1.35), more progressive carries per 90 (1.70 v 0.95) and successful take-ons per 90 (0.57 v 0.24), showing the younger man's superior ease with regard to playing out from the back.
With that being said, if Man United can beat off their competition to sign Disasi it would be a great piece of business for a player who fit Ten Hag's philosophy perfectly and will give the squad the depth needed to finally offload Maguire too.