Manchester United are reportedly leading the race to sign Southampton transfer target Mohammed Salisu in the summer.
According to Spanish outlet AS, Manchester United are preparing a bid for the centre-back ahead of the next transfer window, with Real Madrid also said to be interested.
Sky Sports reported last month that Southampton were keen on a deal for Salisu as they looked to strengthen their defence.
READ SOUTHAMPTON VERDICT
Salisu has managed a WhoScored rating of 6.85 in La Liga for Real Valladolid this season, which is higher than any Southampton centre-back has mustered in the Premier League.
This suggests that he would improve Southampton’s squad and, potentially, be the best centre-back at the club – given the level of his performances. In 23 appearances, he has averaged 1.4 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 5.4 clearances per game.
Whilst this shows that he could be a very good signing for Southampton, it must be taken into consideration the competition they are now facing for his signature.
Manchester United and Real Madrid are both comepting in European comeptition and both seem to be in the hunt for trophies each year, whilst Southampton are currently a midtable side in the Premier League.
This means that they may not have the pull of their competitors in this race, making a deal for Salisu look unlikely at this stage.
