Manchester United have seemingly set their sights on Leicester City’s James Maddison but if the new reports coming from The Telegraph are any indication, the young attacking midfielder is bound to sign a new contract with the Foxes which would make him an unattainable target for now.
But luckily for the Red Devils and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, there are plenty of fish in the sea for them yet and with that in mind, here are three alternatives they could chase in case Maddison does end up penning a new contract at Leicester City.
Denis Suarez – Celta Vigo
If Manchester United are truly looking for a young and talented attacking midfielder, the former Barcelona ace is definitely their man. The now 25-year-old Suarez has recently joined Celta Vigo but would not really be out of the Red Devils’ range if they really went for him in the not so distant future.
Despite not making it a Barcelona, Suarez is still very talented and definitely capable. So far this season, he has scored and assisted once for Celta and has actually been their best-rated player, according to WhoScored.
He also registered one shot, 2.3 key passes and three dribbles per game, which further emphasises how good he’s been since the beginning of 2019/20.
Transfermarkt rate him at £10.8m but even if Celta were to ask for more, it would definitely stay well within Manchester United’s reach.
Isco – Real Madrid
If they wanted to go for a slightly bigger name that has fallen out of favour at his current club, they shouldn’t look further than Isco. The 27-year-old Spaniard is slightly older than Maddison, granted, but he is also a well-established player with both experience and plenty more to give – he has 48 goals and 52 assists in 284 games for Real.
Interestingly enough, he was already reportedly offered to them not so long ago as Real Madrid were looking to lower Paul Pogba’s price with the inclusion of a player of their own in that deal.
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Looking at Isco, with only 225 minutes under his belt under Zidane this season, his situation at the club and Real’s interest in Pogba could all very well work for United in this deal.
Not to mention that despite being out of favour, the 27-year-old is still very capable and his 1.5 shots and 1.5 career key passes can surely attest to that.
Donny van de Beek – Ajax
Maybe the best out of the three targets here would actually be Ajax’s van de Beek.
The 22-year-old simply ticks all the boxes for Manchester United: he’s very young with just 22 years under his belt, similarly to Maddison, extremely talented and prolific in front of goal.
Van de Beek has already found the net on seven occasions and has assisted a further six in a total of 18 games across all competitions for Ajax this season, and is showing no signs of stopping.
Of course, the only problem could be his asking price, which seemed to be the issue last time Manchester United came knocking on Ajax’s door. However, looking at this young prospect as a whole he would definitely be worth the hassle.