Man Utd line up move for £42m ace who was at Man City

One of the areas of their squad that Manchester United might look to upgrade in the summer is their midfield. Ruben Amoim has chopped and changed his pivot since taking over as manager, with Bruno Fernandes being the only consistent option in the middle of the park.

Next to Fernandes, the new United boss has either deployed Manuel Ugarte, who does have his limitations on the ball, or Casemiro, who has become a more prominent part of the squad again in recent weeks. That said, it was reported in February that the Brazilian could see out the remainder of his contract at Old Trafford.

Other options in the centre of the park include Kobbie Mainoo, who is currently out injured and Toby Collyer. Therefore, it will come as no surprise that United are linked with a new midfielder for the summer.

Man Utd’s midfield target

So, United could be set to bring in a new player to strengthen in midfield over the summer, to supplement Amorim’s options in the middle of the park.

One name who has been linked to a switch to Old Trafford is Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha.

According to Sky Germany’s Patrick Bergerthe Red Devils are believed to be ‘interested’ in signing the German this summer. He reports that the club ‘have him on their shortlist’ ahead of the transfer window.

As Berger notes in the story, ‘there has been no contact yet’ between United and Dortmund.

However, the midfielder is likely to cost around £42m if he is to leave Signal Iduna Park, which could become likely if BVB fail to qualify for Europe.

Why Nmecha would be a good signing for Man Utd

Despite Dortmund’s struggles this season, it has been an impressive season for Nmecha. Often playing as the deepest midfielder for the Bundesliga giants, he has featured 27 times across all competitions, scoring three times and grabbing two assists.

Goals are not necessarily a key feature of the midfielder’s game; he has only scored eight in his professional career.

However, when he does score, they are often worth a watch. Take his goal against Freiburg as an example. Nmecha picked up the ball from outside the penalty box and curled a shot home into the bottom left corner.

Interestingly, Nmecha has already had experience of English football. He spent several years playing for Manchester City’s academy, even featuring three times in the first team under Pep Guardiola, before making a move back to Germany, originally joining Wolfsburg before signing for Dortmund.

This could also make negotiations for the player run smoother from United’s point of view. As Berger explained in his report, the Red Devils’ technical director, Jason Wilcox, ‘knows him well’, given he was once the head of the City academy.

Should United complete a deal to sign Nmecha, they might find they have signed their own version of Jude Bellinghamnot so much in the way they play, but rather in the fact both honed their crafts at Dortmund.

The England international played for the German side 132 timesscoring and assisting 24 times each, and has since gone on to achieve great things at Real Madrid. Bellingham has played 81 times for Los Blancos, with 34 goals and 24 assists to his name, and multiple titles.

Well, like the former Birmingham City star, Nmecha might not be the player we see today, without his time at Dortmund. In total, he has played 56 times, with nine goals and assists from his deeper role, and three Germany caps to his name.

There are similarities between the pair, however, despite the fact they are different styles of midfielder. Perhaps most notable is that both players are powerful box-to-box ball-carriers. As per FBrefNmecha averages one take-on per 90 minutes this season, and Bellingham 1.72 per game. They also perform a similar amount of defensive work, notably when it comes to tackling.

Perhaps there is something about signing midfielders from Dortmund because Bellingham’s impact in Madrid has been superb. The Red Devils will surely be hoping the same can be said about Nmecha if they were to sign the 24-year-old in the summer.

As football scout Antonio Mango saidhe is a “terrific talent”, who could transfer United’s midfield ahead of a big 2025/26 campaign.