Man Utd transfer news: Red Devils to be involved in ‘tug-of-war’ for highly-valued defender

Manchester United are reportedly set to be involved in a three-way battle for a highly rated Bundesliga defender.

Ruben Amorim’s team acquired a wealth of forwards in the summer, with Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko signed; however, the Red Devils did not bring in any defensive reinforcements.

That is now thought to be on the verge of changing, even though the Manchester giants could face competition for a player they are said to be monitoring.

The player in question is Eintracht Frankfurt’s Nathaniel Brown, who recently became a Germany international in October.

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According to Bild via Mirror Football, the Frankfurt defender is also drawing interest from Manchester City and Arsenal.

The German club could benefit from the rumoured interest of three Premier League clubs, with €63.5m (£56m) being cited as a potential transfer fee.

Brown, 22, signed for Frankfurt in January 2024, putting pen to paper on a five-and-a-half-year deal before returning to Nurnberg for the rest of the 2023-24 season.

The left-back, who has since played 47 times for Frankfurt across all competitions, scoring four goals, also made his debut for Germany in a World Cup qualifying match against Luxembourg last month, coming on as a substitute in a 4-0 victory.

Although no specific timeframe has been mentioned for a potential sale, it will be interesting to see if any or all of the three Premier League clubs proceed with their interest in the highly-rated defender.

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The source above cited quotes attributed to Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krosche, who reportedly considers Brown’s value close to the £56m Chelsea paid Brighton & Hove Albion for Marc Cucurella in August 2022.

“He has three exceptional abilities that you can’t learn,” Krosche is quoted as saying while discussing Brown. “He’s smart and tactically astute, has fantastic technique, and is very fast. And all of that is necessary to have a great career ahead of him.

“Nene (Brown) is simply exceptional. He’s made outstanding progress, especially when it comes to defending at a high level. Just look at how he plays against top opponents in the Champions League.”

The sporting director then suggested that the club are not looking to sell the defender, despite the value placed on him due to his talent, as his development is better served by staying in Hesse a while longer.