Manchester United are reportedly interested in Bayern Munich forward Serge Gnabry amidst a contract impasse.
The Red Devils are now under the new management of Erik ten Hag, who signed off from Ajax by lifting the Eredivisie title last season. There is a renewed excitement among the fans following Ten Hag’s appointment after an extremely disappointing last campaign that saw the club miss out on Champions League football and go trophyless since last winning the 2017 Europa League final.
According to Sky Sports Germany, Manchester United are looking at Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry as an alternative to Antony, who plies his trade for Ajax.
Ajax winger Antony is one of Ten Hag’s top summer targets, as the Red Devils look to bolster their attacking options. The 22-year-old starred under Ten Hag last season, enjoying 22 goal-involvement in 32 games. However, with the Dutch champions only willing to sell their Brazilian star at around £60million, the Mancunian giants have shifted their focus to Gnabry.
That being said, here are three reasons why Manchester United should make a move for Gnabry?
Low transfer cost
Serge Gnabry has just a year remaining on his contract with Bayern Munich. The Bundesliga heavyweights have been trying to tie him down to a new contract for a while now, but there seems to be no breakthrough in negotiations.
This has seen the German international attract plenty of interest from clubs around Europe, including Manchester United, who are looking to reinforce their forward line. The Red Devils want to make as many as six new signings this summer, with Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong being Ten Hag’s no.1 priority.
But while there’s money available to spend, the club are trying to rectify their past mistakes of overspending on players from this transfer window onwards. Gnabry, in that regard, becomes a realistic target as he just has one year remaining on his deal, and signing him from Bayern won’t see Man United break their bank.
Would add genuine quality to Man United’s forward line
Serge Gnabry has proven himself at the highest level and is currently one of the best forwards in the world. He has appeared in 171 games for Bayern Munich, scoring 64 goals and supplying 40 assists on top of that.
The German is a fantastic player and would instantly improve Man United’s attack, which was heavily reliant on Cristiano Ronaldo last season. He’ll instantly lift the club’s attack, whilst adding competition for the likes of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Elanga and Anthony Martial. Plus, Gnabry would free up Ronaldo to focus more on banging goals rather than dropping deep to stitch play and make attacking inroads.
Thus, Ten Hag and the club must make a genuine attempt to lure Gnabry away from Bayern to Old Trafford.
Solve Man United’s right-wing problems
Gnabry scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists for Bayern last season, which is a fantastic return for someone who predominantly played on the flanks. Although his best position is out wide, the ex-Arsenal man can play anywhere across the forward line, and such flexibility could make him a real asset for Man United.
Ten Hag doesn’t have an out-and-out right-winger to choose from at this moment in time. The likes of Rashford, Elanga, Martial and Sancho all like to operate off the left flank, while Mason Greenwood’s continued suspension due to legal matters makes the right-wing position a problematic one, so bringing in Gnabry could be a brilliant move.
At 26, Gnabry is entering the peak years of his career, potentially making him the long-term fit to solve the Reds’ right-wing area with frugal spending.
