Manchester United could land RB Leipzig star Dayot Upamecano for as little as £38 million next summer due to his release clause.
The 24-year-old is one of world football's most coveted young defenders and has reportedly been on the radar at Old Trafford for some time.
He signed a contract extension in August to keep him in Germany until 2023, but the relatively small release clause for a player of his calibre could pique the interest of United and a number of other top European clubs.
It becomes active next summer which is when the Red Devils will pounce, according to The Times .
Upamecano is a dynamic and assured central defender that suits the counter-attacking style currently deployed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
He is set to feature in Wednesday evening's UEFA Champions League encounter between the two clubs, with the United boss refusing to deny his interest in the French-born defender.
“There are always rumours and speculation about good players for Manchester United,” he said.
“I’ve always tried to respect that they are players for other teams and don’t want to comment on every player that we are linked to, but since he’s playing against us tomorrow I know he’s a very good player so we can see him close up.”
Upamecano has made 120 appearances for Leipzig since joining from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2017.
United have six senior centre-backs in their squad but have looked fragile at the back so far this season, culminating in their 6-1 home humiliation at the hands of Tottenham earlier this month.
However, they earned their first Premier League clean sheet on Saturday as they played out a goalless draw with Chelsea.
New signing Edinson Cavani made his debut off the bench and came close to finding the net with his first touch in a United shirt.
