Manchester United continue to gear up their transfer war machine in preparation for retooling the first-team squad under incoming boss Erik ten Hag, with Red Devils scouts in attendance tonight to watch Paris Saint-Germain clash with RC Strasbourg at the Stade de la Meinau in Alsace.
Everton, Leicester, Manchester United and Wolves are among the clubs to have scouts at tonight’s Strasbourg-PSG game. (@Tanziloic)
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) April 29, 2022
Les Bleu et Blanc hold an early 1-0 lead through Kevin Gameiro at the time of writing, but United scouts are in the stands to keep tabs on Strasbourg center-forward Habid Diallo
Diallo, a 26-year-old Senegalese international, is having a fine season in the east of France this term, with 11-goals to his name in 27-appearances, and has become a key piece of the puzzle under Julien Stéphan as his side remain in with a chance of securing European football next season. With United in need of center-forward reinforcements, Diallo could certainly tick a few boxes should the club miss out on bigger targets the likes of Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.
More importantly, also on the docket for United is 18-year-old French youth international Habib Diarra, after the youngster was promoted into the first-team setup this season, where he has featured four times since.
Montpellier’s French defender Nicolas Cozza (R) fights for the ball with Strasbourg’s French-Senegalese midfieder Habib Diarra (L) during the French cup round of 32 football match between Montpellier (L1) and Strasbourg (L1), at the Mosson stadium in Montpellier, southern France, on January 2, 2022. (Photo by Sylvain THOMAS / AFP) (Photo by SYLVAIN THOMAS/AFP via Getty Images)
But United are not the only Premier League club watching Diarra specifically tonight, as Leicester City and Everton have both also sent staff to cast an eye on the midfield youth product, according to Santi Aouna.
Despite his age and relative inexperience in the first-team this season, Diarra is highly touted across both Strasbourg circles and France at large, with OGC Nice and German giants Bayern Munich also tracking him tonight, making securing his signature tricky for United should they view him as a viable transfer option this summer.
Once ten Hag arrives at Old Trafford, it is expected that the Red Devils will look to upgrade and reinforce options in the center of the park under the Dutchman, as both Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matić are set to leave the northwest of England during the transfer window.
Links have begun to surface regarding names such as Frenkie de Jong – who PSG has also garnered interest in – as well as Aurélien Tchouameni and Kalvin Phillips, though the Leeds fan-favorite recently rejected a move to the rivals of his boyhood club.
Regardless of the need for Man United to bring in a top-quality central player, the notion that they could also be looking at signings with the future in mind is certainly encouraging for their supporters.
