Jaap Stam says £34m Bundesliga winner would be 'great fit' for Man Utd

03/21/2025 08:49 AM

Jaap Stam has encouraged Manchester United to pursue a move for Jeremie Frimpong, claiming the right wing-back would be a ‘great fit’ for Ruben Amorim’s system at Old Trafford.

Frimpong has been nothing short of a revelation in German football since swapping Celtic for Bayer Leverkusen in 2021.

In that time, the 24-year-old speedster has established himself as a mainstay in Leverkusen’s starting XI, making 182 appearances in all competitions, even chipping in with 29 goals.

But most notably, the Netherlands international played an integral role last term as Leverkusen, led by Xabi Alonso, stormed to their first ever Bundesliga title after going the entire top-flight campaign unbeaten.

However, speculation has been mounting over Frimpong’s long-term future in recent months, with several top teams across European football known to be monitoring the Dutchman’s situation.

Real Madrid, Arsenal and Liverpool are believed to be among Frimpong’s admirers, while Manchester United were reported to have held talks to sign the former Celtic man last summer.

The Red Devils have been linked with Frimpong since as far back as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign – when the full-back was still playing in Scotland- and Stam hopes to see the club reignite their interest again.

‘Jeremie Frimpong can play as a right-wing back having also played as a right winger and a right back,’ the legendary ex-United and Netherlands defender told Makthavare.se.

‘He has pace and is very direct and can score goals as well as create chances for his team-mates.

‘I think he would be a very interesting player for Manchester United to look at, he would fit the style of play on the right-hand side.

‘The only issue might be if the club don't want to continue bringing in Dutch players going forward.

‘But he has a lot of quality and is doing so well in a tough division in Germany, I think he would be a great fit for the system at United.’

Frimpong has a €40m (£34m) release in his current contract at BayArena, which runs through to the summer of 2028.

According to German publication Sport Bild, Alonso is expected to make a decision over his future as manager of Leverkusen before the end of the month.

Whether or not the the Real Madrid-linked Spaniard remains in charge is likely to have significant ramifications on the likes of Frimpong when the summer transfer window opens for business.

‘He’s had Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho – all of them. He was bound to be a great manager with all the experience he's had,’ Frimpong recently told SportBible when asked about Alonso.

‘How he's putting [information] to the players at Leverkusen, we all enjoy playing under him.

‘We really play football. He's got all the trust of the players have his trust.

‘On the pitch, [the style of play] gives us more of our strong abilities. Me and Alex Grimaldo, are abilities are to attack and go forward. Obviously we need to defend as well but it gives us that freedom. We're really enjoying it.’

United strengthened at full-back in the January transfer window, with Patrick Dorgu arriving from Lecce for a fee in the region of £29m to become the first signing of Amorim’s tenure at the Theatre of Dreams.

While the young Denmark international covers both left-back and right-back, the Red Devils could look to further bolster the position at the end of the season.

Amorim also has Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot at his disposal on the right side of defence.

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