According to Fabrice Hawkins of RMC Sport, Manchester United are ‘closely monitoring’ RB Salzburg centre-back Oumar Solet ahead of a potential move this summer.
The 24 year old is expected to leave the side who’d won ten successive Austrian Bundesliga titles, before being dethroned this season, considering his contract expires in 12 months time.
Hawkins says Man Utd are keeping a close eye on Solet’s situation ahead of the summer window. However, the EPL giants face a fight as Bundesliga clubs Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund are also interested in securing the services of the 6ft 3in defender.
Since leaving Olympique Lyonnais in 2020 due to a lack of first-team opportunities, Solet had made 106 appearances for RB Salzburg, winning two Bundesliga and ÖFB-Cup doubles, starting 12 times in the Champions League, now ready to take the next step in his career.
Given the contractual situation, Salzburg would be willing to sell him for around €15 million (£12.7 million), as per Hawkins, which would represent a small profit, having signed him for €4.5 million, albeit Lyon have a 15% sell on clause, so a small windfall could be heading their way.
Solet attracting a lot of interest
As noted by Grégoire Devaux of Get French Football News, Napoli and Lens both attempted to sign Solet in January, but neither were able to get a deal over the line.
The same article claims Liverpool and West Ham are interested in his signature, so there is set to be quite the fight for his services.
This would certainly be good news for RB Salzburg, as a biding war will only lead to his price rising, potentially incentivising clubs to act fast.
Manchester United seeking to overhaul their centre-backs
With Raphaël Varane having already departed, while the futures of Victor Lindelöf, Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans all remain up in the air, it could be a summer of change when it comes to Man Utd’s central defenders.
Jarrod Branthwaite, Trevoh Chalobah, Jean-Clair Todibo, Marc Guéhi and 18 year old Leny Yoro are also on their shortlist, according to James Ducker in the Telegraph, so could Solet be a younger option at a cheaper price?
Following the recent news that Erik ten Hag will remain as Manchester United manager, it’s clear that planning for next season has began, with this the first summer transfer window since Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought 28% of the club last December.
