According to the latest reports, Premier League duo of Manchester City and Manchester United have been given a boost in the pursuit of signing Olympique Lyonnais superstar Tanguy Ndombele in the summer transfer window. The midfielder has gained plenty of attention for his impressive displays at the French club and the two Manchester giants are in the hunt to sign the young defensive midfielder after Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas revealed his summer plans.
The two Manchester clubs are facing contrasting fortunes from what history had shown us a few seasons ago. The Blue half of the City are sitting at the top of the Premier League summit and look on course to win the League title while the Red side of Manchester is struggling to make it into the top four. Although both sides are still in the Champions League, City still has a more realistic chance of winning the continental tournament in comparison to United. Pep Guardiola’s side has already bagged the League Cup trophy and is still on course for the quadruple this term.
Guardiola is still looking to improve his squad for next season especially in the defensive midfield department. Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho is currently 33 years old and may not have the legs to play for many more years and a younger more adept player is required at the Etihad Stadium. Therefore, Guardiola is keen on signing a solid defensive midfielder to replace Fernandinho in the summer and he has been monitoring Lyon star Tanguy Ndombele.
Having lost Marouane Fellaini in the winter transfer window, Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer aren’t able to find a powerhouse of a midfielder to compliment Paul Pogba. Even Ander Herrera’s injury woes are a cause of concern to United and the Red Devils want to bring in another star midfielder in the summer to add dynamism in the middle of the park. Solskjaer is set to receive a massive amount of transfer fees to spend in the summer and he could use it to lure in Ndombele.
Both the Manchester outfits are desperate to sign the 22-year-old French sensation, who has two Champions League goals and five assists in the Ligue 1 this season and Lyon president Jean Michel Aulas has updated us on Ndombele’s situation. While speaking to reporters, the 69-year-old Aulas said that Lyon could allow one or two star players to leave the club if it helps the club grow, “We want to win titles in France now, we want to go as high as possible in the hierarchy of European clubs so we must be in good economic health, but also have talent. We will only let go this summer one or maybe two players.”
Lyon currently values Ndombele at around £70m and wasn’t ready to part ways with the French midfielder, but a big offer may be too tempting to resist and the management may change their mind. Even North London side Tottenham Hotspur is keen on Ndombele’s services, after losing Belgian midfielder Moussa Dembele in the winter transfer window.
This is surely one transfer saga that will attract a lot of attention from big clubs across the European continent.
