Man Utd add £31.5m starlet with odd infatuation to transfer shortlist

Will Ford
Kulusevski for Juventus

Manchester United have reportedly added Juventus forward Dejan Kulusevski to their transfer shortlist.

The Swede was linked with a move to Old Trafford before he made his £31.5million switch to Turin from Atalanta in January 2020.

He was loaned out to Parma for the second part of last season but has struggled to make a significant impact in his debut campaign for the Bianconeri.

But despite just three goals in 15 Serie A starts this season he remains one of the hottest prospects in European football.


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Juventus have struggled under Andrea Pirlo this term and were dumped out of the Champions League in the last 16 by Porto.

Kulusevski has operated as a second striker and a right winger in his first season, with the club hoping his experience alongside Cristiano Ronaldo can take him to the next level.

And reports suggest Pirlo and Juventus are keen to keep hold of the 20-year-old as he’s thought to be someone they can rebuild around.

But according to Italian journalist Daniele Longo, Manchester United are keen to sign Kulusevski and have added him to their transfer shortlist.

Kulusevski certainly fits Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s criteria for new recruits, with the United boss keen to sign young players with big potential.

And the club are in the market for a right-winger having failed to land Jadon Sancho in the past two summers.

It’s believed that the area will be prioritised alongside another centre-back.

Kulusevski has already dropped a hint in the past that United are a club that are of interest to him, bizarrely taking the No.44 shirt at Parma in honour of former United winger Adnan Januzaj.

“I was in Sweden to see Manchester United and I witnessed Januzaj’s debut,” he told Sky Italia in May 2020.

“He entered the pitch with an incredible personality, even though it was his first professional game.

“I said to my dad that I wanted to be like that, I wanted play that way. I got attached to that number, read a few things and fell in love.”