Manchester United are looking to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer before this evening’s transfer deadline, following Christian Eriksen’s injury absence at Old Trafford, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has told GiveMeSport.
Erik ten Hag may look for a short-term replacement for the Denmark international, who is expected to be out for the majority of the campaign.
Man Utd transfer news – Marcel Sabitzer
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United are now pushing ahead in talks with Bayern over a potential deal for Sabitzer with discussions over the structure of the deal ongoing, after Florian Plettenberg revealed that the Red Devils and Chelsea are interested in a Deadline Day swoop for the 28-year-old.
The Italian journalist has also indicated that the Austrian midfielder wants to make the move to Old Trafford, which is bound to make a potential switch a smoother process.
Jacobs has recently told GiveMeSport that United could still get late business done heading into the final hours of the transfer window, with a potential move for Sabitzer now backing up the claim.
And despite rumoured interest from Chelsea, Jacobs cannot see the Blues hijacking a deal for the 28-year-old to make the move to the Red Devils.
What has Jacobs said about Man Utd and Sabitzer?
When talking about Chelsea and Manchester United’s interest in Sabitzer, Jacobs told GiveMeSport: “Chelsea are looking elsewhere at the moment, I don’t see them hijacking that kind of deal.
“Manchester United are certainly moving, I’ve confirmed that. What we’re seeing is a direct reaction to the Christian Eriksen injury and therefore Manchester United are now looking to do late business, compared to before the Eriksen injury.
“The player wants the move as well. I think that they’re still talking about the terms of any kind of deal from what I gather, but there’s no doubt that the player wants the move.”
Would Sabitzer be a good signing for Man Utd?
Sabitzer – who signed for Bayern for a fee of almost £14m in the summer of 2021 – would be a solid addition to ten Hag’s side at Old Trafford and would be seen as a player who would fill the gap left by Eriksen’s injury over the next few months.
The 68-time Austria international has made 24 appearances for the Bundesliga giants this season, hitting the back of the net just once and providing a singular assist, suggesting he’s not a particularly productive outlet in front of goal.
However, the £165,000-per-week earner does compare favourably to his positional peers in some aspects of his game, ranking in the top 1% of midfielders across Europe’s big five leagues as well as the Champions League and Europa League for total shots (2.38) and top 4% for progressive passes received per 90 minutes (4.29) over the last 365 days, according to FBref.
Therefore, if United can secure a fair deal with Bayern for Sabitzer’s services, the Austrian could prove to be a useful addition to the squad at Old Trafford.
