Manchester United want Ligue 1 midfielder, a good deal?

Bengaluru, January 14: Manchester United are interested in highly regarded LOSC Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare, according to reports in England. And, they have been given a boost with the news that the Ligue 1 giants are happy to part ways with the French midfielder if their valuation of €35 million is met.

The 21-year-old has earned rave reviews over the past couple of seasons that has seen him getting linked with some of the biggest clubs in world football such as Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, AC Milan and now it is believed that Manchester United are leading the race for the 21-year-old.

A product of the reputed Paris Saint-Germain youth academy, the midfielder did not make a single senior appearance for the French champions and chose to establish his career with Lille.

Soumare made the switch to Lille in the summer of 2017 and has gradually established himself as one of the best young players in the division catching the eye of eagle-eyed scouts from around Europe. He has become a key member of the Lille side over the past couple of years and has been a key reason behind the club's surge for the Ligue 1 title this time out.

The 21-year-old is a defensive midfielder by trade but can also feature in a box to box role and has been used in both roles by Lille manager Christophe Galtier. He has already racked up 91 appearances for Les Dogues and has just one goal and two assists to his name till date. However, judging a defensive midfielder in terms of goals and assists is not fair.

The 21-year-old has featured 22 times in all competitions this time out, helping Lille to tcontend for the title with Lyon and PSG and also helped them qualify for the Europa League knockout stages.

Manchester United do have plenty of options to choose from in the middle of the park. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has mostly used a double pivot with a number ten in front of them and for the two positions, he has a plethora of options in Paul Pogba, Scott McTominay, Fred, Nemanja Matic and Donny van de Beek.

However, with Matic aged 32 right now and struggling with injuries and Paul Pogba's future at the club looking uncertain, the club needs to look for alternatives in the middle of the park and Soumare certainly looks like a solid candidate to bolster their midfield for many years to come.

€35 million is not a very big fee these days especially for a player who is just 21 years of age. Soumare is tough-tacking and hard-working midfielder who can be a long-term replacement of Nemanja Matic and with him, the Red Devils will certainly become stronger in terms of both quality and depth in midfield.