Man Utd want Bundesliga star defender Tapsoba: A good deal?

Bengaluru, March 8: If reports in Germany are to be believed, Manchester United are keeping tabs on Bayer Leverkusen star defender Edmond Tapsoba with scouts in Germany highly impressed with the 22-year-old following his exploits for Die Werkself over the course of the last year.

The young defender has caught the eye of several top clubs across Europe since he made his move to BayArena including the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea and now the Red Devils are also said to be interested in a move for the young and talented stopper.

Tapsoba joined Peter Bocz's Bayer Leverkusen just in January 2020 and since then, he has gone on to become one of the most regarded talents in the German top flight. The Burkina Faso international has already become a key player at the club and his phenomenal rise over the last year has not been overlooked by the eagle-eyed scouts of top European clubs.

Following the imminent move of Dayot Upamecano to Bayern Munich from RB Leipzig in the summer, Tapsoba is now regarded as the brightest young defensive talent in Germany and one of the brightest in Europe in his position. And it is hardly a surprise that he is wanted by so many clubs despite his young age and relatively lesser amount of experience at the top level.

Bayer Leverkusen are reputed for their excellent youth academy and extensive scouting system and Tapsoba is a result of the latter. The Burkina Faso international was a name hardly known by anyone before his move to Leverkusen but it was Bayer Leverkusen who paid an initial £15.5 million in a deal that could still rise to £21.5 million in add-ons to Vitoria Guimaraes and his value might have tripled by now.

Premier League holders Liverpool failed in a last-ditch attempt to bring Tapsoba to Anfield in January refusing to trigger his release clause of £44 million and after that the Bundesliga giants have tied him down to a new deal taking his release clause even higher.

But even for a figure like £60 million or higher, Tapsoba would be a fantastic signing by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Manchester United desperately need a top class centre back who can pair up with their skipper Harry Maguire at the heart of the defence and complement him really well and Tapsoba is exactly that kind of defender. He is tall, strong and exceptionally fast. And, his positional awareness and ability to pick out his teammates coupled with his confidence on the ball have earned him comparisons to Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk who is currently regarded as the best defender in the world.

Manchester United might need to break the bank in order to land Tapsoba but that is exactly what the club needs right now. The club have shown in the past that they are never hesitant to make big money deals and doing the same once again could take the club to the next level and challenge for the Premier League title after years.