"Otherwise we will sell": Bundesliga CEO reveals game-changing update on United's defensive target

01/05/2024 11:00

Manchester United’s centre back target Jonathon Tah could be sold from Bayer Leverkusen this summer.

Like all players who ply their trade at the BayArena, Tah’s stock has increased massively over the last season as the German side remain unbeaten in the Bundesliga, cup and Europa League, on track for a historical treble.

Tah has been a rock at the back for the recently crowned champions, making 41 appearances in all competitions as his side have been miserly at the back, conceding just 22 goals in 31 Bundesliga matches.

United, on the other hand, have been incredibly generous to the opposition, conceding a whopping 77 goals in all competitions this year.

This has been due to a plethora of defensive injuries and ludicrous tactical naivety from Erik ten Hag, which has resulted in the midfield being overran time and time again and the United goal being exposed to an incredible number of shots.

The Red Devils have been linked to numerous centre backs this summer to bolster this area of the pitch with Jarrad Branthwaite, Jean-Clair Todibo and Gleison Bremer some of the most frequent names to appear on Europe’s back pages.

One name that has not been so regularly discussed is that of Tah but he has been linked to a move to Manchester for some years now.

Consequently, Sky Sports Germany report that Leverkusen’s CEO, Fernando Carro has admitted that, despite the fact they would love to keep the defender, he may have to be sold this summer.

“We want to extend his contract. We are a club that will not give players away for free. That means that we have to extend his contract, otherwise we will sell him.”

“We have spoken to Jonathan, we value him very much. He knows that the club and all of us want to keep him in Leverkusen. He knows that. But we also respect his wish. We will see whether he stays with us in the end or goes somewhere else. We hope he stays.”

“If I try to put myself in Jonathan’s position, it might be more interesting for him if he wants to move or would end up moving, perhaps not to move within Germany. Maybe it is more interesting to move abroad.”

As previously mentioned, Tah has been a target for United and numerous top level European clubs for a while now. The German international was thought to be on Erik ten Hag’s shopping list in January, where he faced competition from West Ham United and Newcastle United but no deal came to pass.

However, it is well-known that while Leverkusen do need to sell a player or two, there will be no fire sale of talent as the likes of Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz have many suitors around Europe. Therefore, anyone interested in acquiring the services of a player from the BayArena may need to act swiftly.

In addition, Tah has been attracting interest from Bayern Munich and it was relayed here that this may even open the door for United to re-open interest in long-term centre back target, Dayot Upamecano.

There seems to be a lot of moving pieces already in the defender market this summer and once the first domino falls, it will be interesting to see who ends up where, but it is clear that at least one defender will topple into Old Trafford this window.

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