Manchester United have “held talks” about signing RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Dani Olmo, according to FootballTransfers.com.
The website claims that the Red Devils and Bayern Munich are currently the most likely to secure the Spanish international’s signature, with Chelsea and Manchester City having cooled their interest.
Olmo has a release clause in his contract which means teams can sign him for €60m (£51m) but that only remains active until Saturday, July 20th.
It was originally set to expire on Monday but Spain’s progress to the final of the European Championships has triggered a five-day extension.
Why do United want Olmo?
The 26-year-old has demonstrated his abilities at the Euros, having scored 3 goals at the tournament, including the winner against France in the semi-final.
However, Olmo does prefer to play in central areas, and that does raise question marks about the future of captain Bruno Fernandes.
What is the situation with Fernandes?
The Portuguese international is believed to be considering his future at the club. While he still has two years left on his contract (with an option for another twelve months), it is believed that he has requested a new deal.
At the start of June, it was confirmed that Fernandes’ representative Miguel Pinho had spoken to several clubs. There haven’t been any developments since then but the player’s situation remains uncertain.
INEOS’s revamp of the recruitment department and the new contract handed to manager Erik ten Hag will give Fernandes some assurances that the Red Devils are moving in the right direction. Whether that will be enough to convince him to stay, though, it remains to be seen.
That may be why the club have begun conversations with Olmo. The Spaniard may simply be a contingency plan, just in case Fernandes makes it clear that he wants to leave. With Olmo’s clause expiring soon, we shall soon find out how serious their interest is.
