Bundesliga side ‘favourites’ to sign Man Utd and Newcastle target this summer
Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Dutch playmaker Xavi Simons as RB Leipzig have been named favourites to sign him.
Simons, 20, is one of the most sought-after players in Europe this summer. After an excellent loan spell at Leipzig last season, there is a race to sign him from Paris Saint-Germain with the likes of Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Newcastle United also registering an interest.
Although PSG are said to want to keep the player, having bought him back from a spell at PSV Eindhoven last summer and immediately loaned him to the Bundesliga, that is far from certain.
MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Souness tells Man Utd boss Ten Hag to take extreme action as Red Devils star ‘can’t change’
👉 Rangers want Man Utd youngster on loan as ‘priority’; £7.5m midfielder ‘receives two offers’
👉 Every Premier League club’s worst waste-of-money transfer ever
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has tweeted that Leipzig are the team most likely to sign him at this stage. According to him, Bayern are waiting on a potential deal for Rennes youngster Desire Doue.
Romano states there is “work to do” to secure Simons’ services but Leipzig are working on it. Last season, Simons scored eight goals and registered 11 assists, before impressing at the European Championships, where he scored a superb goal in the semi-finals against England.
Simons has previously refused to commit his future to PSG, claiming he would decide his future after the Euros. In April, boss Luis Enrique commented on Simons’ future via Twitch.
“Another player who belongs to the club. He’s on loan and he’s excellent,” he said.
“He has the perfect qualities for what we want. He could obviously be a very interesting option for us but it depends on the clubs.”
PSG will likely be in the market for huge signings this summer, but are keen to avoid superstars having seen the exists of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Reports suggest they are more focussed on young talent with potential to become world class, hence their desire to keep Simons.
Manchester United, meanwhile, have recently signed Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee. Although there has been speculation linking Marcus Rashford with an exit over recent months, Romano has mostly updated on United’s interest in strengthening defensively.
