RB Leipzig Expecting January Bids for Man Utd & Liverpool Target Dayot Upamecano
By Tom Gott
RB Leipzig could make a decision on the future of centre-back Dayot Upamecano in January, when it is expected that a number of the Premier League's top sides will lodge bids for the 22-year-old.
Upamecano was expected to leave Leipzig last summer, but he eventually signed a new contract which is understood to contain a release clause of around £40m which can be triggered next summer.
That price is widely accepted to be a bargain for the 22-year-old Frenchman, and Sport Bild's Christian Falk has revealed that Leipzig are expecting to receive offers of that £40m from a number of Premier League sides in January.
There's no mention of any clubs in Falk's tweet, but the report on the Sport Bild website throws Manchester United, Liverpool and even Manchester City into the mix, who have all been linked in recent weeks.
Bayern Munich had been expected to win the race for Upamecano last summer, but he is now thought to be too expensive for the German champions to pursue in January, leaving the door open for the English sides to swoop in in January.
It would come as a surprise to see City bid for Upamecano, given they just spent £65m on Ruben Dias and £41m on Nathan Ake from Benfica and Bournemouth respectively. There's no obvious need for a new centre-back, and particularly not one who will cost £40m.
That leaves United and Liverpool as likely suitors. Sources confirmed to 90min back in October that Upamecano was on Liverpool's radar, and it has since been revealed that the Frenchman is top of their wish list, so expect the rumours of a potential move to Anfield to keep on rolling.
As for United, they have also been tipped to move for Upamecano once his release clause kicks in. While it may only be active in the summer, it's suggested that Leipzig would listen to bids which hit the £40m mark in January, which may give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the chance to find his ideal partner for Harry Maguire earlier than expected.
There are also reports circulating about potential bids from United for Real Madrid's Raphael Varane. The likes of the Daily Star seem to be hyping up the idea of a move to Old Trafford for Varane, but it appears to have taken inspiration from an article from the Manchester Evening News, which simply states that the Real defender is no longer unaffordable, as he was in 2018.
It seems like Upamecano is the man at the top of both United and Liverpool's wish lists, and if the chance to move ahead of Bayern in the race for his signature arises, don't be surprised to see either side try and take it.