Manchester United have now hijacked a move from Lyon for the potential signature of the Feyenoord defender Tyrell Malacia.
The insider has been speaking on his latest Here We Go podcast about where the Red Devils stand this summer and he believes the left-back could now be headed for Old Trafford.
It is believed the 22-year-old was set to make a move to the Ligue 1 outfit with a verbal agreement reportedly in place between the two sides for his services.
Malacia played a big role in the Feyenoord side last season with 32 appearances in the league where he was able to provide a goal and four assists (via Transfermarkt).
And despite a late push from West Ham United, Romano now believes the 22-year-old is set to join the Red Devils for €15m (£12.9m) plus add-ons:
“Exclusive bomb. Let me say I’m really proud because I’ve been working on this one for many hours. And now we can say that Tyrell Malacia is really close to join Manchester United.”
“But the expectation is for Tyrell Malacia to become a new Manchester United player because they’re working to hijack the deal. What happened? On Friday, Lyon had the full agreement on verbal basis. So it was not signed, but it was verbal between Lyon and Feyenoord. It was an agreement for €12m (£10m) plus €3m (£2.5m) add-ons.”
“Then what happened? Another English club, West Ham, during the weekend tried to hijack the deal but Malacia wanted to respect the agreement with Lyon and then on Monday, Monday evening, Monday night, Man United jumped into it made the proposal to Feyenoord and as I told you guys with an exclusive update now there is an agreement in place between Feyenoord and Manchester United for €15m (£12.9m) plus add-ons.”
TIF Thoughts on Romano’s comments…
This does seem to be another example of Erik ten Hag using his knowledge of the Eredivisie to bolster his squad this summer as he aims to transform United’s fortunes.
Does Luke Shaw need to be upgraded?
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However, there may certainly be a small section of fans who may find this a slight concern with a potential suggestion his scouting ability may be limited to former players and the Dutch league.
But in the same breath, we would like to think it is more of an indication of him looking to play the first window safe with players he may have a greater knowledge of before looking to make any bigger risks.