Manchester United intensify pursuit of Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman
By Tom Gott
Manchester United remain interested in striking a deal for Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman, who was one of their targets during the summer transfer window.
The Red Devils infamously spent much of last summer in an ultimately fruitless pursuit of Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho. However, after finally accepting that a deal was not going to be done in 2020, they turned their attention to alternative targets like Coman and Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele.
The whole narrative made it sound like United weren't actually that keen on Coman, but according to Bild, their interest remains...
As the story goes, United's interest in Coman is actually more concrete than has been portrayed in the media, with the Red Devils already speaking to the Bayern man's agent about the kind of money he could earn at Old Trafford.
United are understood to have promised Coman a contract worth close to £7m per season, more than he picks up at Bayern, and the German side fear he could have his head turned by such an incentive.
Bizarrely, this whole thing is framed as though Coman could follow in the footsteps of David Alaba and leave Bayern for free. Unlike the defender, Coman still has two years left on his contract at Bayern, so it's a bit premature to start thinking about losing him for free.
However, comparisons to Alaba are valid when it comes to financial terms. Like the defender, Coman believes he should be earning more money than Bayern are prepared to pay him, which has given United hope that they may be able to get a deal done.
Whether they will actually pursue a deal for Coman is a different story. A return for Sancho is expected to be high on the agenda, while £37m man Amad Diallo and academy gem Shola Shoretire are flirting with the first team as well, so there isn't exactly much space for another wide player.
Having said that, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could clear up a handful of spots by allowing Juan Mata to leave when his contract expires this summer and shipping Welshman Daniel James out on loan.
This feels like United are simply trying to prepare themselves for another lengthy pursuit of Sancho. The England winger remains the dream target, but this time, United might already have an alternative lined up if they fail.