Manchester United is not messing around this summer. The club has already locked in a £39 million deal for Atalanta midfielder Ederson, talks are open with West Ham over Mateus Fernandes, and now reports say the next target is Juventus’ Khéphren Thuram. The 25-year-old Frenchman has been designated a priority addition, according to Sports Boom, and the asking price from Turin sits somewhere in the €50 million to €55 million range. That’s roughly £43 million to £48 million.
United’s midfield needed a serious rebuild. Casemiro is gone, and Manuel Ugarte hasn’t worked out the way anyone hoped. His £42.7 million move from Paris Saint-Germain two years ago is looking like the worst deal of the INEOS era, and the club is ready to move him along if a decent offer shows up. So the plan is to bring in three new bodies. Ederson is one. Fernandes would be two. But West Ham is asking £85 million for the 21-year-old Portuguese, and that’s a tough number for United to swallow even if they love his film.
That’s where Thuram comes in. He’s not cheap either, but the price is more manageable, and his style fits what new coach Michael Carrick wants. Earlier this season, Italian coach Giovanni Martusciello called him “extraordinary,” and the numbers back up the hype. Four goals and five assists this year, five and eight last season. He’s 6-foot-4 with the engine to run all day and the mobility to play across the whole midfield. His ball-carrying is probably his best trait. He wins it, turns, and drives forward. That skill alone makes him dangerous in transition.
Liverpool lurks, Nottingham Forest tests the waters
Here’s the complication. Liverpool is also watching Thuram, and the two northwest rivals have a history of bidding wars. Juventus has said publicly that he’s not for sale, but the club missed out on Champions League money and needs to balance the books. Al Ahli had a €50 million offer turned down in January. Galatasaray and Fenerbahce got the same answer. Thuram prefers to stay in Turin, but if he has to leave, England is where he wants to be. Nottingham Forest has already held initial talks with Juventus, too, though a battle with either United or Liverpool wouldn’t favor the Tricky Trees.
One thing worth noting about Thuram’s fit at Old Trafford. He’s best as a box-crashing No. 8, which means he’s more of an alternative to Kobbie Mainoo than a natural partner for him. That might matter depending on how United plans to line up. West Ham is digging in hard on Fernandes, and if that deal falls through, Thuram looks like the fallback. Elliot Anderson is reportedly headed to Manchester City, so the Portuguese midfielder remains the top target for now. But the Frenchman is a real option and a good one.
Stylistically, he’s made for the Premier League. Big, aggressive, technical, and with a serious threat from set pieces. That alone is a bonus in a league where corners and throw-ins win games. United has plenty of work left this summer, but the midfield is starting to take shape.
Leave a Comment