Manchester United remain interested in signing AS Monaco defender Axel Disasi this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
What’s the latest Man United transfer news?
The Red Devils and Erik ten Hag appear to be after a new defender this summer, with Harry Maguire’s future up in the air. The England international is attracting interest from Aston Villa, Newcastle and Tottenham, and should he depart, United would be left with just three senior centre-back options.
Napoli’s Kim min-jae appeared to be the top target at Old Trafford, and a deal looked like it was gathering real pace, however, it now seems as if the South Korea will make the move to Bayern Munich.
Should that be the case, a swoop for Disasi could be on the cards, according to Romano. The transfer expert took to Twitter in the last 48 hours to share a Red Devils transfer update. He stated that Man United remain interested in the Monaco defender, while Nice’s Jean Clair Todibo is another option.
“Axel Disasi remains concrete name in the list at Manchester United in case Kim Min-jae will end up joining Bayern as expected [next week will be crucial for Kim deal].
“Man Utd also sent their scouts to follow Jean Clair Todibo multiple times — no decision made yet.”
Monaco's Axel Disasi
Who is Axel Disasi?
Disasi is primarily a centre-back but can also turn out as a right-back so would bring plenty of versatility to Ten Hag’s side, should a transfer materialise.
The 25-year-old appears to be at the peak of his powers with a career-high €25m Transfermarkt valuation and has been on the books with Monaco since 2020.
During that time, the 6ft 2 France international has made 129 appearances for the Ligue 1 side – 49 of which came during the 2022/23 campaign.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig described Disasi back in 2020 as a “complete” and “dominant” centre-back, comparing him to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk. Kulig labelled his pace, tackling, heading, athleticism, tenacity, timing as his main strengths, saying he “would be an amazing signing for any top Premier League club”.
As per WhoScored, Disasi averaged a match rating of 6.83/10 last season, a better score than Man United’s Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Maguire, and on the ball, he looks comfortable, ranking in the 96th percentile for progressive carries and passes into the final third, as per FBref.
Therefore, he could be a shrewd alternative target to someone like Kim, and by the looks of it, an Old Trafford transfer could be one to watch over the coming months.
