While all eyes are on the World Cup as the knockout stages get underway, Premier League clubs are hard at work behind the scenes as preparations for the new season continue.
Manchester United enjoyed the best season since the 2022/23 campaign with a third-placed finish and quickly moved to hand Michael Carrick the reins on a permanent basis following his successful stint as interim boss in the wake of Ruben Amorim’s sacking in January.
Carrick will now work with the club to build a squad in his image, with the benefit of being able to offer prospective new faces Champions League football.
Manchester United linked with former City prospect
One of the latest players to be linked with a move to Old Trafford is a player who knows Manchester very well, in Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha.
That’s because the 25-year-old was a product of the Manchester City academy, having come up through the ranks at the club and making three senior appearances in cup competition before his release in 2021.
He would then make the move to Wolfsburg, where he would spend two seasons before signing for Borussia Dortmund, where he has established himself as a Germany international and put in a string of performances that have caught the eye of a number of Premier League sides.
Manchester United are one of these teams, with the club’s head of scouting Christoper Vivell having recently reportedly been in contact with the player, who is currently away with Germany’s World Cup squad.
The latest reports from Germany claim that Newcastle United have now joined the chase for Nmecha, with Eddie Howe’s side seeing him as a potential replacement for Bruno Guimarães, whose Magpies future has appeared uncertain in recent months.
With Nmecha’s former side Manchester City also said to be monitoring the situation, German outlet Bild have an update on where the player himself would prefer to go, and it’s not good news for Newcastle.
The report claims that Nmecha would find a move to either of the Manchester clubs more attractive than heading to the north east. While the reasons for this preference are not specified, the Magpies would not be able to offer European football, while the two Manchester sides will both be playing in the Champions League next season.
It’s not just Premier League sides are being linked with the Hamburg-born star who is valued at €50million by Transfermarkt, as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have both been mentioned in dispatches.
In FourFourTwo’s view, despite Manchester United having already struck a deal for Atalanta’s Ederson, the injury sustained by Manuel Ugarte at the World Cup may well bring a change in plan, depending on the severity, as the club could be left short in the middle.
However, it is Nmecha’s contract – which runs until 2030 – that puts the ball into Dortmund’s court, when it comes to the future of the midfielder.