Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted the club are working on “one or two things” as transfer deadline day approaches next week and the Red Devils are one of a number of teams interested in Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare.
The 20-year-old’s performances for Lille have caught the attention of Europe’s top clubs and ahead of the French side's match with Paris Saint- Germain this weekend, Lille coach Christophe Galtier insisted he cannot guarantee Soumare will be at the club at the end of next week.
When Galtier was asked if the midfielder’s final outing for the club will be against PSG on Sunday, he said: “I don’t know. About Bouba Soumare, I don’t know.
“No-one’s told me anything about his situation, maybe it won’t. I don’t know.
“He wants to play and fight with the other players to win on Sunday. That’s certain.”
The defensive midfielder helped the club finish second in Ligue 1 last season and has been involved in 18 of their 20 league matches this
campaign.
He was also involved in all six of their Champions League matches and although the French side only managed to pick up one point from their six group games, his performances caught the attention of scouts.
Lille club president Gerard Lopez thinks it is only a matter of time before the youngster is promoted from the France under-21 squad to the national team.
“He’s technical, with incredible physical power
and wins a great deal of possession,” Lopez
said.
“He’s a modern No.6 or 8. We’ll see him in the
France team very soon.
“He’s a clear vision of where he wants to go
and he’s working very hard to get there.”
Soumare is currently under contract until 2022,
but Lille could be pressured into cashing in on
their star, as according to Goal, the club are
under pressure to balance their budget by
French football’s financial watchdog.
If Soumare is sold Lille are expected to look for a price around £51million (€60m).
The addition of Soumare’s ball-winning ability
could give Solskjaer’s side an added edge in central midfield and help the club push on to claim a top-four spot in the league.
Currently United sit fifth in the table and are six points off fourth-placed Chelsea.
The Blues have also been linked with Soumare but in a recent interview boss Frank Lampard insisted the player isn’t on the club’s radar for this window, as they are focused on adding to their attacking options.
United take on League One side Tranmere in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday and ahead of the clash Solskajer talked about the club’s transfer plans.
“We're still working on one or two things,” he said.
“So let's see if the club can get it over the line.”
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