Acquiring a stalwart centre-half to partner Lisandro Martinez next term is one of Manchester United’s utmost priorities heading into the transfer window.
Already, we’ve seen numerous players linked with a summer switch to Old Trafford, including the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite, Marc Guehi and Jonathan Tah, the latter of which could well be sold by Bayer Leverkusen in the coming months.
Tah is out of contract in 2025, and it’s believed that his terms include a release clause of £15.5 million for the 28-year-old, a fee that clubs certainly won’t be turning their noses up at given his scintillating 2023/2024 campaign.
He is fresh off the back of being crowned a Bundesliga champion and has played an integral role in Xabi Alonso’s side’s unprecedented 46-game unbeaten streak. In the league, they have conceded just 22 goals in 31 matches.
There’s a chance that the German international finishes the term as a treble-winner should Leverkusen reign victorious in the upcoming DFB Pokal final, as well as go all the way in the Europa League, in which they take on Roma in the semi-finals.
Leverkusen CEO admits Tah departure is a possibility
The club’s CEO, Fernando Carro, spoke on Tah’s situation recently as he continued to attract interest from the likes of United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
He told Sky Sports Germany (cited by 90min): “We want to extend his contract. We are a club that will not give players away for free. That means that we have to extend his contract, otherwise we will sell him.
“We have spoken to Jonathan. We value him very much. He knows that the club and all of us want to keep him in Leverkusen. He knows that. But we also respect his wish. We will see whether he stays with us in the end or goes somewhere else. We hope he stays.”
“If I try to put myself in Jonathan’s position,” Carro continued. “It might be more interesting for him if he wants to move or would end up moving, perhaps not to move within Germany. Maybe it is more interesting to move abroad.”
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