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Heading into the summer transfer window, Manchester United were always planning to sign three new midfielders, with Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte both expected to depart, albeit for differing reasons.<\/p>\n
The best laid plans of Wilcox and Berrada often go awry<\/h5>\n
Were Casemiro ten years younger, the Brazil international would be a superstar worth well in excess of \u00a3100 million. But at 34 years of age, the five-time Champions League winner\u2019s race is well and truly run. INEOS had the option to trigger an automatic one-year extension in his contract \u2013 the most expensive at Old Trafford \u2013 by a year, but ruled against it, preferring to turn to a younger, more mobile No.6.<\/p>\n
Conversely, Manuel Ugarte has proven incapable as a deputy to his South American teammate. Signed for a fee worth potentially \u00a350 million from Paris Saint-Germain, the 25-year-old Uruguayan is not cut out for the physicality of English football. United were intent on selling him to fund a more suitable replacement, only for a serious knee injury at the World Cup to spoil this plan.<\/p>\n
Spearheaded by sporting director Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada, the Red Devils have agreed deals, worth \u00a385 million in total, for Chelsea dynamo Andrey Santos and Aston Villa maestro Youri Tielemans. Both players are Premier League-proven operators, with skillsets that fit the bill for what is needed in Michael Carrick\u2019s engine room.<\/p>\n
However, there remains the need for a powerful enforcer to anchor the midfield; a mobile ground-eater capable of covering large distances and dominating duels in transition. Aurelien Tchouameni was considered the \u201cdream target\u201d for this role by United\u2019s hierarchy, but the Real Madrid star leveraged their interest to land an improved contract at the Santiago Bernabeu.<\/p>\n
In the Frenchman\u2019s absence, Brighton & Hove Albion\u2019s Carlos Baleba is, stylistically at least, a suitable alternative. An approach was made for the 22-year-old Cameroon international last summer, with personal terms agreed. Yet the Seagulls\u2019 exorbitant valuation \u2013 as high as \u00a3100 million \u2013 vanquished any hopes of a deal.<\/p>\n
The fact that Brighton are understood to still be holding out for a fee in this range, despite Baleba\u2019s form torpedoing over the past 12 months, will prove as prohibitive this summer once again, forcing United to explore alternatives \u2013 with the perfect candidate having emerged in France.<\/p>\n
Mali\u2019s Midfield Monster<\/h5>\n
Mamadou Sangare has enjoyed a superb season at the heart of a rampant RC Lens side, who took Ligue 1 by storm to unexpectedly finish second, just six points behind back-to-back European champions, Paris Saint-Germain.<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old Mali international \u2013 who was awarded the Marc-Vivien Fo\u00e9 prize, which crowns the best African player in French football \u2013 is an all-action midfield dynamo, capable of playing in the No.8 or No.6 role.<\/p>\n
Combining outstanding physical traits with excellent instincts and timing, Sangare is a defensive monster. Out of all midfielders in Ligue 1, he ranked second for ball recoveries, third for tackles, 10th for aerial duels, and 11th for interceptions.<\/p>\n
The Athletic<\/em> has drawn a comparison to Tchouameni, though Sangare\u2019s 5\u20199\u2033 frame does not quite match the 26-year-old\u2019s imposing 6\u20192\u2033 build, even if he outranks the Frenchman elsewheere. The report predicts the Lens star is \u201cgoing to be very expensive in a few years\u201d, with a profile that translates perfectly to the cut and thrust of the Premier League.<\/p>\n It would be little surprise were Manchester United to fork out a record-breaking fee to convince Brighton to part ways with Baleba, for the south coast side to then turn around and sign Sangare at a fraction of the price to replace him.<\/p>\n A report in France relayed by The Peoples Person<\/em> last month claimed the Red Devils, led by Wilcox and co., were \u201cpreparing an offer\u201d amid widespread interest in the Malian. A price tag of around \u00a334 million has been set \u2013 roughly a third of the price Brighton quoted for Baleba, though is noted the price may rise due to growing interest.<\/p>\n When the two midfielders are compared alongside AS Roma\u2019s Manu Kone \u2013 another target on the radar at Old Trafford \u2013 there is no evidence to support their price differential, outside of the dreaded \u2018Premier League tax\u2019, as Data Mob<\/em> shows. <\/p>\n \ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddf1\ud83d\udfe1 Mamadou Sangar\u00e9 (Lens, 23)\n
\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf2\ud83d\udfe2 Carlos Baleba (Brighton, 22)
\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7\ud83d\udd34 Rabbit Bird (Rome, 25)<\/p>\n
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