Not De Ligt! Another ex-Ajax star surges to top of Man Utd shortlist

Tom Weber

Updated: 22 Jul 2024 21:49 BST
3 min read

Erik ten Hag, Ajax — © IMAGO/FootballTransfers

Noussair Mazraoui has surged to the top of Manchester United's right-back shortlist, according to German media.

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Despite already spending north of €100 million, Bayern Munich are keen to bring in more fresh faces and for this, they need to raise some funds. Honorary president Uli Hoeness announced on Sunday that the German giants won't make any more signings unless two or three 'big-name players' leave.

A host of stars have been made available for transfer, most notably Matthijs de Ligt. The centre-back had been in talks with Man Utd for a while now, though the deal is currently on standby because of the Red Devils' acquisition of Leny Yoro for a whopping €70m.

Nevertheless, Man Utd are expected to eventually restart the talks once they have managed to shift some dead weight. Intriguingly, however, De Ligt isn't the only Bayern star the Red Devils are keen on.

Man Utd want Mazraoui

According to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, Mazraoui is at the top of the right-back shortlists of Man Utd and West Ham. Bayern are keen to sell the Moroccan, though they will have to lower their demands if they want to actually be able to move him on.

The journalist reports that the Bavarians had initially wanted to raise €30m from his departure, but this is simply not a realistic price. Now, Bayern are trying to get up to €25m, though the expectation is that they will likely have to settle for a fee in the region of €15m-€20m.

Mazraoui arrived from Ajax on a free transfer in 2022 but has never really managed to impress or establish himself at the Allianz Arena. He is still under contract until 2026.

The 26-year-old is the latest of Erik ten Hag's former Ajax protégés to be targeted by Man Utd since the Dutchman's arrival. However, the coach recently insisted that he is not the one suggesting these players but rather that the recruitment department independently identifies them.