'We are flattered' – Club president confirms Man Utd transfer talks for £34m star
Today at 04:29 AM
Lecce president Saverio Sticchi has confirmed that Manchester United have held talks with a view to signing Patrick Dorgu, but the club’s ‘priority’ is to keep hold of the defender.
Dorgu, 20, has been placed on a three-man shortlist of left-backs at Old Trafford, along with Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez, 21, and PSG's Nuno Mendes, 22.
Luke Shaw’s injury problems have forced United to turn to the transfer market for cover this winter and Ruben Amorim is desperate for the position to be bolstered before the January transfer deadline.
Dorgu joined Lecce’s academy from boyhood team Nordsjaelland in 2022 and has gone on to make a name for himself as one of the most promising young wing-backs in Serie A.
The highly rated Denmark international, who is tied into a contract at Lecce until 2028, is also attracting strong interest from Italian giants Napoli this month.
According to Fabrizio Romano, United sent a delegation to Italy on Tuesday and a formal offer of (€27million) £23m – plus add-ons – was made for Dorgu during an initial round of discussions.
However, the bid was swiftly knocked back, with Lecce holding out for a fee in the region of €40m (£34m).
‘The meeting went well, very cordial. For us, it is satisfying to speak with Manchester United about one of our players,’ Lecce president Sticchi told Sky Sport Italia when asked about United’s negotiations.
‘It means the club is on a remarkable path and we are happy about that.
‘But we explained that our intention is to try and leave the squad unchanged, keeping hold of all of our big names, including Dorgu.
‘We tried to make them understand that we are flattered by United’s interest but the priority is our sporting outcome and staying in Serie A.’
Last month, Lecce sporting director Pantaleo Corvino made similar comments over Dorgu’s future, stressing that the club had no plans to part ways with the young Dane at this stage.
'Dorgu is a potential champion. Correction: he is a champion,' Corvino told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
'On the left or right wing, he runs like three players and can find the goal. He has an engine that no one else has.
'A player like him has admirers, of course, and there are plenty of them, even abroad.
'But Dorgu will stay here, and then we'll talk about it in the summer, because his destiny is already set – his future belongs to him.'
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