According to reports from Record via The Express, Manchester United are planning a January swoop for FC Porto winger Yacine Brahimi.
The Algeria international joined the Estadio du Dragao ranks following a string of strong performances at the 2014 World Cup and has continued to impress at club level. He bagged twelve goals in 42 appearances across all competitions last term and has been integral to Porto’s efforts in the Champions League this season, averaging the most successful dribbles per match, a simply incredible 8.7, of any player involved in Europe’s top tournament.
The 25-year-old was reportedly on the radars of Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur during the summer transfer window, but he’s more recently been linked with a move to Chelsea – who are allegedly ‘working hard on a deal‘ to sign the former Granada man in January.
According to Record, however, Brahimi is in the Red Devils’ crosshairs once again as Louis van Gaal’s side plot a swoop of their own for the coming transfer window. United were impressed with his performance against Chelsea in the Champions League earlier this season – a shock 2-1 win in which the winger claimed the Man of the Match award – and sent scouts to watch him in action during a 2-0 win over Vitoria de Setubal on Sunday.
The Brahimi link comes amid news that Louis van Gaal intends to sign a winger in the coming transfer window, having told reporters on Saturday; “You have seen that now we play with Jesse Lingard and he is not the most speedy winger in the world and Mata is also not the most speedy winger in the world. So first we must first finish that problem and then we can see how we have to play and how we are in balance with playing with speedy wingers.”
The 2014 African Player of the Year certainly falls into the category of ‘speedy’. But whether that’s enough for Manchester United, or indeed fellow suitors Chelsea, to activate his £40million release clause remains to be seen.