Manchester United Transfer News: Riechedly Bazoer, Hirving Lozano, Fresh Rumours

Manchester United have reportedly surged to the front of pack in the race for Ajax’s Riechedly Bazoer after making a bid for the young midfielder.

That’s according to Le10 Sport (h/t Luke Gardener of the Daily Star), which claimed that the Red Devils are keen to oust Premier League rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City to get this one over the line. Gardener also noted that Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Juventus are admirers of the 19-year-old.

It’s easy to see why such a large clutch of European clubs are keeping tabs on the player. Here is a look at what he has to offer:

There’s little that seems to be stopping Bazoer from becoming one of the finest midfielders in the game. Although as Dutch football journalist Elko Born noted, he’s still very young:

At a glance, he does have the lot. Bazoer is an orthodox central midfielder able to break up opposition attacks, get the play moving and carry the ball quickly from box to box. He spent much of his youth career in the PSV Eindhoven academy, and as you’d expect of any young player coming out of that club, he’s very proficient technically, too.

“He will be an unbelievable player in a few years,” Southampton and Netherlands man Jordie Clasie said of the 19-year-old, per Gardener. "If you saw some of the games from Ajax, you see that sometimes he runs the whole game for them. He scores a lot of good goals, he’s got confidence, he shows quality nearly every week.”

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Despite his reputation, football writer Seb Stafford-Bloor is unsure whether or not Bazoer is capable of living up to the hype:

United fans would be wary of this kind of deal, too. While the midfielder would bring a stellar reputation with him to Old Trafford, the club signed Memphis Depay as a young superstar from the Eredivisie last summer, and the former PSV man has taken longer than many anticipated to adapt.

Still, every player is different, and Bazoer certainly seems to have the physicality to adapt faster than his compatriot to English football. But even if United have acted fast to make an offer for the player, with such a glamorous list of clubs reportedly keen on him, it’d be a big surprise if the teenager didn’t take his time in making a decision.

United Scout Hirving Lozano

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Manchester United have had chief scout Jim Lawlor keeping a close eye on Pachuca’s Hirving Lozano and two of his team-mates, according to the club president.

Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News noted that Lawlor was the man who did extensive research into Lozano’s compatriot Javier Hernandez before the club drafted him in. Now his attention is firmly fixed on another Mexican international, as well as Erick Gutierrez and Rodolfo Pizarro, according to the report.

“[The chief scout] has been coming here to do special reports on our players, but especially Chucky [Lozano],” confirmed Jesus Martinez, per AS (h/t Luckhurst). “We would love it if he had to go that it would be to a team like Manchester United or Porto.”

Lozano is undoubtedly the crown jewel of this Pachuca team. Here’s a look at why the 20-year-old is rated so highly:

It’s reported that the Red Devils are seeking to secure a winger in the summer window after they came up short in their pursuits of Pedro and Sadio Mane ahead of this season. While still young and untested at the very top level, Lozano does possess all the raw attributes to be a big star too, having been twice capped by Mexico.

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While Hernandez was an immediate hit at Old Trafford, it’s rare for footballers from such a contrasting culture to instantly settle into the frantic environment of the English top flight. Lozano, therefore, may be a brilliant acquisition with the future in mind, but it’d be a big surprise if he was to come in and instantaneously enhance this United side.