Man Utd target edges closer to surprise January transfer

Cameron Smith

• 9 Jan 2024 17:25 GMT
• 4 min read

Paris Saint-Germain defender Nordi Mukiele is close to sealing a move to Bayern Munich, with talks now “advanced” according to German media.

The 26-year-old has struggled for game time since joining PSG from RB Leipzig in 2021, with Achraf Hakimi ahead of him in the pecking order.

However, Mukiele is set to be handed a career lifeline by Bayern, who have identified the Frenchman as their desired right-back target.

The Bavarians are set for a busy month of transfer action, with Mukiele one of several defensive targets sounded out by Thomas Tuchel.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier looks set to move to the Allianz Arena before January ends and RC Lens’ Kevin Danso is now being targeted following the failed pursuit of Radu Dragusin.

The Genoa man was on Bayern’s shortlist of centre-back targets, but he is now set to join Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham instead. Spurs’ interest in the Romanian was first exclusively reported by FootballTransfers back at the start of December.

According to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund is pushing to sign Mukiele and talks are currently “advanced.”

Some reports suggest that PSG will not allow Mukiele to leave the club until a replacement is found, however, which may prove problematic. But, it does seem as though Mukiele will become a Bayern player before the window shuts.

Manchester United lose Nordi Mukiele race

News that Mukiele is on the verge of joining Bayern will come as a hammer blow to Erik ten Hag.

The Manchester United manager had identified the PSG star as a possible right-back target, with Mukiele seen as an upgrade on both Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot, as reported by FootballTransfers earlier this season.

Jeremie Frimpong is also an option, but the Bayer Leverkusen star has established himself as a world-class right-wing back and his attacking threat would be nullified at right-back. In addition, Arsenal are currently ahead of Man Utd in the race to sign him.

While Mukiele would’ve been an upgrade at Old Trafford, it remains to be seen if he will have a similar impact at Bayern Munich.

Although Benjamin Pavard left the club to join Inter Milan last summer, Noussair Mazraoui and Konrad Laimer have shared minutes at right-back this campaign, and there is little evidence that Mukiele is a better option than either player due to his lack of minutes at PSG.

His form at RB Leipzig was immense and he is a proven commodity in the Bundesliga, but it will be interesting to see if Mukiele establishes himself as an immediate first-choice at Bayern.

Furthermore, data analytics experts SciSports believe that a move to Bayern makes little sense for Mukiele. The Bavarians rank as his 47th best transfer option, largely due to the fact that potential playing time is deemed to be low - likely due to the presence of Mazraoui and Laimer.

Atalanta rank as Mukiele’s best-suited club, followed by fellow Serie A side Juventus. As a player with experience at right-back and centre-back, moving to a team in which he can play as a right-centre-back in a back three formation perhaps makes sense, but Mukiele is set to join Bayern instead.