We could see yet another exciting young French player in the Premier League if Boubakary Soumare gets his wish of playing in England’s top division.
The 20-year-old, who has impressed for Lille, was courted by one Premier League side in the January transfer window, but that deal did not happen.
As per Le10 Sport, the French Under-21 international rejected a move to Newcastle United last month as he wants to move to either Manchester United or Liverpool.
The Frenchman is worth around €45 million and the Magpies were interested in signing him, but he wasn’t keen on making the move. The report states that United or Liverpool have yet to make a bid for him.
Soumare was a part of Paris Saint-Germain’s youth academy, before signing for Lille in 2017, making his debut in November of that year. He has so far made 68 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring once and assisting once.
Should either club make a move for Boubakary Soumare?
Soumare is a player with good technical ability who has a wide range of passing and is a tall and physical figure, which has earned comparisons with Manchester United’ Paul Pogba.
The Lille midfielder is a strong passer of the ball from his central midfield or defensive midfield position, averaging two longs balls per game in the league this season.
Like Pogba, he too likes to use his body to shield the ball and make quick turns to get away from defenders. He likes to take on opponents with the ball at his feet and dribble from midfield, before playing quick passes to his teammates. His strength and physicality helps him in dispossessing opponents and also make vital interceptions.
Liverpool have an array of quality midfielders with the likes of Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keïta, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all vying for the three midfield spots.
Jurgen Klopp has ample options in the middle of the park at the moment. Soumare’s natural position in defensive midfield is held by Fabinho, who is one of the best in the world in his position which would make it impossible for Soumare to usurp him from that role.
Manchester United, on the other hand, need a few more bodies in the middle of the park. Paul Pogba’s future is uncertain, while Nemanja Matic’s contract at Old Trafford expires in the summer.
This leaves United with just two other good first-team midfielders in Fred and Scott McTominay. Soumare could be a valuable addition to the United lineup, and would be suited to play alongside Fred in the middle of the park. A player like him, who is physical, strong, and can pass from the deep-lying position, has been missing at United for a long time.
At 20 years of age, the Frenchman is exactly the type of player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs in his rebuilding process.
