Man Utd in transfer talks with Germany international ‘like Zidane’

Robin Bairner

• 12 Jun 2023 09:02 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United have “held talks” with Felix Nmecha of Wolfsburg, but face potential competition for the player from Borussia Dortmund, according to a report in Germany.

Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag is known to be eager to bolster his midfield options this summer, with the former Ajax boss targeting a player to feature alongside Casemiro in the heart of his team.

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While the likes of Mason Mount and Declan Rice have been linked with the Red Devils, Sport1 reports of Ten Hag holding an interest in Nmecha, a player described by the Bundesliga’s official website as having a similar style to France great Zinedine Zidane.

A transfer fee of around €15 million has been mooted for Nmecha, whose Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) is €15.5m. Earlier this season, his ETV came close to touching €20m, so there are no concerns over the value of the player.

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How good is Felix Nmecha?

United fans expecting the second coming of Real Madrid, Juventus and France hero Zidane are liable to be left disappointed.

Nmecha, who featured for England at youth level, has primarily featured as a box-to-box midfielder this season – playing in the No.8 role that Ten Hag is seeking. Furthermore, his greatest strength is his pressing – something that the Man Utd boss doubtless admires given the style of play he is trying to implement at Old Trafford.

Dortmund, meanwhile, rate the 22-year-old highly enough to consider him as a replacement for the Real Madrid-bound Jude Bellingham, while he has also received international recognition as he won his first Germany cap against Belgium in a friendly earlier in 2023.

Nmecha began his footballing education at Manchester City and even featured for Pep Guardiola’s side in the Champions League, assisting a Kevin De Bruyne goal in a 3-0 win over Olympiacos.

He was released by City in 2021 but quickly picked up by Wolfsburg, where his career has gone from strength to strength. Last term, he scored three goals and created six more in the Bundesliga.

Nmecha could return to Manchester this summer with United, but Dortmund and Wolfsburg will have their say, too.