Ahead of the summer transfer window opening, there are several positions Manchester United are looking to strengthen.
With this summer being the first for Manchester United under the ownership of Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, it’s expected that the club will want to make a statement.
We’ve seen the early signs of this, with a reported four positions due to be strengthened at the very least, supplemented by sales.
Exits this summer are also being heavily rumoured with Christian Eriksen and Casemiro both believed to be considering an exit.
If this occurs, United will need to sign more than one midfielder and now one potentially excellent option has been revealed to still be possible.
Manchester United still have a chance to sign Assan Ouedraogo
One player who is hot property this summer in Europe is Schalke’s 18-year-old prospect Assan Ouedraogo.
With United keen to sign young talents for cheap fees and develop them into stars, it’s little surprise to see the Red Devils be interested in the German.
Now, according to a transfer update from Sky Germany and Florian Plettenberg, it seems United remain in the race, despite previous reports that Bayern Munich had already won.
United are joined by Aston Villa, Newcastle and Liverpool in having presented a clear project to the player and his management.
Ouedraogo would cost £12m as there is a clause which Premier League teams are keen to take up. That being said Bayern are favourites, and the teenager would rather stay in Germany.
But there is no commitment to Bayern yet, which means United still have a chance.
What would Ouedraogo bring to Manchester United?
A midfielder who has often been likened to the once magnificent Paul Pogba, Ouedraogo would be a solid purchase for any club as his future is bright.
Having only turned 18 last month, Ouedraogo is already a regular for Schalke and made 17 appearances last season, scoring three and assisting one goal.
From his FBRef stats, we can see that he is very creative and progressive on the ball which might make him a solid understudy for Kobbie Mainoo, with a defensive midfielder paired with him.
Here are some of his standout stats;
This shows quite clearly his qualities lie further up the pitch, as he is actually completing more take-ons than Marcus Rashford (2.00) and also creating more (3.48), as per FBRef.
An exciting talent who would absolutely be worth picking up if he opts to move to United and England, which right now remains an option.