Man Utd hold transfer upper hand in two-club battle for summer free agent

Manchester United have their sights set firmly on Jonathan Tah, who will become a free agent this summer, with Bayern Munich also keen on the Bayer Leverkusen star

Manchester United are ready to battle with Bayern Munich for the services of Jonathan Tah. The Bayer Leverkusen defender will be a free agent this summer and won’t be short of offers.

United have held talks with Tah’s agent Pini Zahavi about a move to the Premier League and are confident of landing the 29-year-old, who tasted Bundesliga success with Leverkusen last season.

Bayern, as has been the case for decades, have often looked to land their rivals’ top talent and they now want to sign Tah when his time at the BayArena ends. They seem him as a replacement for Eric Dier, who will leave for Monaco this summer.

Tah is flattered by Bayern’s interest, reports the Daily Star, but has had a long-standing ambition to play in England’s top flight with the Manchester outfit ready to grant him that opportunity as Ruben Amorim looks to bolster the options in his backline.

The German defender is willing to ramp up negotiations with the Red Devils if they land a spot in next season’s Champions League, which would need them to beat Tottenham in the Europa League final later this month.

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Qualifying for the Champions League would bank United an extra £100million and transform their summer transfer plans. Amorim will need a huge window if he is to turn around the team’s fortunes and has concerns over the long-term fitness of Lisandro Martinez, who is again sidelined.

Last summer United spent big to land Leny Yoro from Lille. The defender was highly though of in France and, after originally being sidelined through injury, has shown in glimpses that he can be hugely effective in the backline.

It has also been reported that Newcastle hold an interest in Tah with the Magpies looking to add more quality to their squad. Like United, their summer plans are dependent on qualifying for the Champions League, but they are in a strong position in the league.

Leverkusen are set for a summer of mass change. Tah’s exit is imminent and Xabi Alonso has announced that he will depart following some stunning achievements with Real Madrid seen as his most likely destination. Attacking star Florian Wirtz is of interest to Manchester City.

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