Manchester United have continued to track Lille’s Boubakary Soumare, and they could make a move for him in the January transfer window, if reports are to be believed.
Reports a few months ago had indicated that the Red Devils were after his signature, and it seems that they are keen on adding him soon.
As per La Voix du Nord (via Daily Mail), the English side will have to pay somewhere between €50 million to €60 million to sign the young midfielder.
United have competition from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who are also keen on signing the Frenchman. The likes of Real Madrid, Valencia and Napoli are also keen on securing the signature of Soumare.
The 20-year-old was a part of the Paris Saint-Germain youth academy, before joining Lille and progressing to the first team.
The France Under-21 international has been in good form this season for Lille in the league as well as the Champions League, which has attracted more attention from the bigger clubs in Europe.
Boubakary Soumare – The kind of player Manchester United need?
Soumare is an exciting young midfielder, and yet another one coming through the ranks in France. The youngster is strong and powerful, capable of playing as a defensive midfielder or central midfielder.
While his physique and movement have likened him with current Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, Soumare isn’t as prolific or creative going forward.
He plays more defensively and is a box-to-box midfielder that concentrates more on defending than attacking.
United need midfielders – at least two, in the next two transfer windows. But, they need established players who will fit into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s style of play and offer something different to the kind of players they have at the moment.
Soumare doesn’t seem to be the kind of player that Manchester United need at the moment. Scott McTominay and Fred have grown by leaps and bounds in the last month or so, and there seems to be potential in that midfield pairing.
What United need now is a player who can open defences with clever passes and dictate the tempo of play from midfield, while also bombing forward to join in the attack.
Soumare is a player with a lot of promise, but he may be too raw a talent, while also not being the type of player that United need now.