Marco Verratti Reportedly Wanted by Manchester United Amid Nemanja Matic Rumours
Manchester United are reportedly ready to muscle in on the chase for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti.ย
According to Tuttomercatoweb (h/t the Daily Mirror), the Red Devils will bid for the Italy international. As noted in the report, Barcelona have been strongly linked with a move for Verratti in this window.
The Red Devils are on the hunt for another midfielder, with Chelsea's Nemanja Matic linked, as well as Tiemoue Bakoyoko, who has now joined the Blues from Monaco.
United have also been noted as admirers of Tottenham Hotspur's Eric Dier, but with Spurs unwilling to cash in on the 23-year-old, the Old Trafford outfit are ready to look elsewhere,ย according toย Hamish Mackayย of theย Daily Mirror.
It seems clear manager Jose Mourinho wants to add some more quality to the hub of his side, and Verratti would be a stellar purchase.ย
During his time with PSG, Verratti's career has been on an upward trajectory, and he's now rated among the very best central-midfield players in world football. With that in mind, any team from any league would love to have him on board.
As noted by WhoScored.com, the 24-year-old is a metronome in the middle of the park:
"Marco Verratti: Only Thiago Motta (91.5) averaged more passes per game than Verratti (87.5) in Ligue 1 last season pic.twitter.com/Ns2b2f69bR
โ WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) June 11, 2017"
There's more to his game than steady passing, though. What makes Verratti so special is the awareness of space around him, his ability to slalom through gaps and his understanding of when to release possession at the right time.
Those qualities tick every box for a potential Barcelona midfielder, although they're not attributes you'd associate with a typical Mourinho acquisition. Indeed, links to Matic, Bakayoko and Dier suggest the United boss is looking to add power over poise in the middle of the park.
That combativeness at the base of midfield would allow the likes of Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera off the leash. Verratti, although so gifted and instinctive, wouldn't be able to do that job.
Plus, as noted by Sport Witness' Tom Coast, the links to the Red Devils may be geared towards the player receiving a new deal at the Parc des Princes after intense speculation about a move to Barcelona:
Fans of United and Verratti may not give up on this one quite yet, though. According to SportItalia (h/tย Football Italia), the Azzurri man is ready to change agent from Donato Di Campli to Mino Raiola. The latter has been a key influence in the Red Devils landing the likes of Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku in the past.
Still, PSG are a club who have lofty ambitions, especially in terms of challenging for the UEFA Champions League. While he may be diminutive in stature, a potential Verratti sale would leave an enormous void at the core of the team.
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