According to Marca (h/t Express), Manchester United are keeping tabs on RB Leipzig midfielder Dani Olmo and are set to make an effort to sign him next year. The Spanish midfielder caught the eye of several clubs this summer, including Barcelona who were close to signing the player but failed to get it over the line on deadline day.
Olmo joined Leipzig from Dinamo Zagreb for €30million at the start of 2020, and the 23-year-old has not looked back since. A pivotal part of the side that secured a 2nd place finish in the Bundesliga last season, the attacking midfielder has only featured once for the German outfit this season. So, Will the Spaniard make the move to Old Trafford next year? And does Ole Gunnar Solskjaer need a player of Olmo’s qualities in his ranks?
Olmo has proven over the last couple of years that he is a talented attacking midfielder. In the last year and a half, the 23-year-old has racked up 12 goals and provided a further 13 assists in 62 appearances for the German club. He also played a vital role in helping Spain win the U-21 Championship back in the summer of 2019.
However, the Red Devils have a more than competent star in the attacking midfield department. Since Bruno Fernandes arrived at the Old Trafford outfit in January 2020, the Portuguese has made that role his own as he has racked up 44 goals and 26 assists in 85 appearances. Furthermore, United have also made additions for the centre-forward slot and on the wings this summer with Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho respectively.
Thus, even though United operate in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Olmo’s arrival would create a personnel issue considering that Fernandes has been an ever-present in the attacking midfield role, missing just five matches since arriving.
And while Olmo can play on the flanks, Manchester United have enough options as it is for the wide areas. Indeed, Marcus Rashford, new signing Sancho, Mason Greenwood, Amad Diallo are all available at Solskjaer’s disposal, while Jesse Lingard can be used on the wings.
The Manchester-based club forked out over £130million on transfers this summer and fit several marquee players into their wage bill. In fact, Cristiano Ronaldo is also the highest-paid player in the Premier League with a salary of nearly half a million (£480,000). Olmo is not going to come cheap as Leipzig are set to demand at least £60million for the midfielder’s services.
Moreover, the Terrassa-born player still has three years left on his contract, courtesy of which the German club will be in a good position during negotiations over a potential move for the 23-year-old.
So, a move for Olmo at this juncture would potentially be a luxury that Manchester United can avoid.
Instead, they should focus their funds on signing a central defensive midfielder. The Red Devils are weighing up a move for Declan Rice next summer, and it does not look like the Englishman will come for a small sum. Given that Nemanja Matic will enter into the final year of his current deal next summer, adding a central defensive midfielder can boost the club’s ranks in that area.
