Federico Chiesa (Getty Images)
According to The Sun, Manchester United have kept close tabs on highly-rated Fiorentina winger Federico Chiesa ahead of the summer transfer window.
Chiesa, 22, came through La Viola’s youth academy and broke into the senior set-up in 2016. Since then, he has featured regularly and is one of the club’s best players. His impressive performances have also earned him 17 caps for the Italy national team since making his debut in March 2018.
The youngster he has been a bright spot the squad despite Fiorentina’s poor run of form, which has seen them fall to 13th position in the Serie A standings.
Meanwhile, United have reached 5th position in the Premier League standings after some clinical performances of late. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has managed to bring a change in their fortunes and that has coincided with the arrival of Portuguese sensation Bruno Fernandes.
The playmaker’s arrival has seen United’s attack come to life and the English outfit haven’t been beaten in their last 11 games across all competitions, scoring 29 goals in the process. However, the manager should bring in some key reinforcements to the squad if they are to do better next season.
One of the key areas which Solskjaer must address first and foremost is the wide positions. Daniel James, Jesse Lingard and Tahith Chong are the only natural wide men available at the manager’s disposal.
While the Welsh speedster has been brilliant throughout the campaign, scoring 3 goals and providing 6 assists in the league, Lingard has been at his worst so far. The Englishman has failed to contribute in 20 games and has endured one of his worst times in a United shirt. And Chong has not been regular.
Thus, United should look to add depth to the squad with some fresh young faces and Fiorentina’s Chiesa would be a good choice.
After scoring 12 goals and providing 5 assists in all competitions last season, Chiesa has already racked up 7 goals and 5 assists in 26 games so far. He has gone from strength to strength in the past three years and would bring healthy depth to the wings.
The Italian international has all the qualities to succeed at a higher level and given his consistent form, he would be a valuable addition. His versatility would also be a huge boost for the Red Devils.
At 22, Chiesa has already shown glimpses of becoming one of the best in the business. He would definitely add depth to Solskjaer’s squad especially given Lingard and Chong’s poor run of form. Thus, United must lure the Italian to Old Trafford in the summer.