Southampton's Mohammed Salisu in action with Wolverhampton Wanderers' Adama Traore
Manchester United are thought to be interested in a possible move for Southampton centre-back Mohammed Salisu, Football Insider report.
The Lowdown: Salisu profiled
Salisu, an out-and-out centre-back, arrived at Southampton back in 2020 from Spanish side Rayo Vallecano in a deal worth €12m. Since then, the Ghana international has gone on to make 80 appearances for the Saints in all competitions, 28 of which have come during the current campaign.
The 23-year-old appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high €18m Transfermarkt valuation and has made just one Premier League appearance under new manager Ruben Selles, though, returning to the side for the 3-3 draw with Tottenham last time out.
His contract on the south coast has just over 12 months left to run, and with relegation to the Championship a real possibility for the Saints, it looks as if Salisu could be on the move in the summer.
The Latest: Transfer news
Football Insider provided an update on Salisu in the last 48 hours, revealing that Aston Villa are plotting a move for the defender. However, it isn’t just Villa who are interested, with United and fellow Premier League side Leicester City also namechecked with an interest.
The report adds that Salisu ‘could be available for £25million in the summer’ and that Southampton are preparing for interest in their centre-back.
The Verdict: Shrewd signing?
United could well be on the search for a new centre-back this summer to rival Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, with Erik ten Hag green-lighting possible summer sales for defenders Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.
Salisu could therefore be viewed as a possible replacement at Old Trafford, especially as he kept United’s star forward Marcus Rashford quiet earlier in the season. As per SofaScore, Rashford failed to have a single shot at St Mary’s in August when coming up against Salisu and Armel Bella-Kotchap, with Salisu winning six of his eight duels, leading to some in the media believing he had pocketed the Red Devils forward.
Former Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl also described Salisu as a ‘very nasty‘ defender in his duels, something which is plain to see with the player making more successful tackles per 90 than any of his teammates this seaosn, as per WhoScored.
He has even outperformed Varane, Maguire and Lindelof when it comes to WhoScored’s average match rating in the Premier League this season, so it could be a shrewd transfer and possibly one to keep an eye on over the coming months.
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