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Man Utd threatened by transfer tactic involving Liverpool in race for dynamic Serie A midfielder
Manchester United are in a head-to-head battle with Brighton for the signing of Davide Frattesi from Sassuolo, according to the latest reports.
Frattesi has been enjoying his second full season in the Sassuolo first team after loan spells away earlier in his career. Now an established Italy international, the midfielder is in demand ahead of the summer transfer window.
Brighton appear to be strong suitors to offer him the next step in the Premier League. By joining them, Frattesi could reunite with Roberto De Zerbi, who was in charge of Sassuolo when they were loaning the Roma academy graduate out.
Frattesi actually never got the chance to make an appearance under De Zerbi, but they could develop a new working relationship at Brighton.
According to Football Insider, though, Man Utd remain in the hunt for the 23-year-old as well. After all, they want to inject new energy into their midfield this summer.
Man Utd must make a decision about whether to buy Marcel Sabitzer from Bayern Munich after having him on loan for the past six months. Regardless of the outcome they choose, they want to add another player in similar territory.
United’s interest in Frattesi is said to be ‘strong’. It remains to be seen how much they would be willing to pay for him.
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Brighton have strategy to beat Man Utd to Frattesi
However, the threat from Brighton is a serious one. Per the report, the Seagulls intend to fund a bid for Frattesi by using a portion of the funds they could generate by selling Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool and Moises Caicedo to Arsenal.
De Zerbi seems to have accepted that Mac Allister and Caicedo will be snapped up by richer clubs in the summer. To help plug the gap, Brighton have lined up the signings of James Milner and Mohamed Dahoud on free transfers.
But Frattesi would be an exciting purchase who could develop under De Zerbi’s guidance.
For Man Utd, it will be a case of aiming not to be beaten to someone who could become a top talent. A few years ago, they were looking at Caicedo before Brighton beat them to a cut-price deal. The 21-year-old’s value has increased exponentially since.
Under contract with Sassuolo until 2026, Frattesi won’t necessarily be a cheap signing at this stage. But he could become even more expensive if he makes a success of his next move.
Therefore, it will be interesting to see who gets their hands on him in the upcoming transfer window.
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