Manchester United Transfer News: Shkodran Mustafi Eyed Amid Liverpool Rumours

Manchester United are reportedly keeping a close eye trained on the situation surrounding Valencia centre-back Shkodran Mustafi this summer, a player who has also been linked with a move to Liverpool.

According to Calciomercato (h/t Aaron Flanagan of the Daily Mirror), the defender is on a shortlist of  targets for the Red Devils as they seek to bolster their numbers at the back.

Meanwhile, Sean Kearns of Metro reported Liverpool are interested in the 24-year-old, with manager Jurgen Klopp seeking to rebuild the defensive side of his team.

Mustafi has been one bright spark in a season worth forgetting for Valencia. Here is why he is considered as one of the game’s best up-and-coming defenders:

The man himself has also recently revealed he’d consider leaving the Mestalla in the summer if the right offer did come along.

“I have a contract here and get on very well [with everyone],’ said Mustafi, he said, per Kearns. “But the offers are always there and in football you never know what will happen, as anything can happen. However, I will assess at the end of the season.”

It’s going to be fascinating to see what kind of adjustments the Red Devils look to make at the back this season. When paired together, Daley Blind and Chris Smalling have actually performed very well, with the former a composed, alert presence and the latter an authoritative, front-foot defender.

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These numbers from Squawka Football show that with the duo at the back, United have improved significantly in their defending this season:

Even so, a player like Mustafi would potentially be an upgrade in this area of the field. The former Hamburg man has so many attributes that would pave the way to him being a success in the Premier League, and alongside either Smalling or Blind, he would add a renewed steel to the base of the side at Old Trafford.

The Germany international is a player who seems to relish defending. So often players are encouraged to play out from the back, often forgetting their primary duty is to protect the goal; Mustafi, while no mug in possession, does the basics brilliantly, winning headers, timing tackles and getting the ball away from danger quickly.

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He’s adaptable too, having featured at full-back for Germany at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Given how well he performed for his country, perhaps it’s no surprise Bayern Munich are said to be keen on him, per Bleacher Report’s Clark Whitney:

With Marcos Rojo unconvincing and Phil Jones continually hampered by injury problems, United definitely could do with another defender. Someone like Mustafi, who is young, hungry to improve and already a proven winner, would be ideal to join the squad, providing extremely stiff competition to the likes of Blind and Smalling.

If United can offer UEFA Champions League football next season—something they will have if they win their final two Premier League games—then that’d be a big incentive for players like Mustafi to join the club. After sampling elite European football with Valencia earlier this season, that’d surely be something the German wants more of.