KEY POINTS

  • Dan-Axel Zagadou is contracted with Dortmund until 2022 summer
  • Man Utd's interim boss Rangnick is an admirer of Zagadou
  • Man Utd will also try to sign Haaland next summer

Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Borussia Dortmund defender Dan-Axel Zagadou at the 2022 summer transfer window.

While Newcastle United are also interested in Zagadou, the Red Devils have taken a step ahead and now are "in talks" with the center-back, reported German media outlet Fussball Transfers.

Zagadou rose through the youth ranks at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), but he didn’t play for their first team as he made a free transfer to Dortmund in 2017. His contract with Dortmund is set to expire in the summer of 2022 and Zagadou has not signed an extension yet.

The report has also claimed that Dortmund are willing to offer Zagadou a new deal and the negotiations between both the parties are underway.

Manchester United’s interim boss Ralf Rangnick is the "driving force" behind the Premier League side chasing Zagadou. He had tried to sign Zagadou during his run as RB Leipzig’s manager before the player left PSG for Dortmund in 2017.

Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund reacts following their sides victory after the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and SpVgg Greuther Fürth at Signal Iduna Park on December 15, 2021 in Dortmund, Germany. Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Manchester United are also chasing Zagadou’s superstar teammate Erling Haaland. The Norway national is expected to leave the Bundesliga club at the upcoming summer window for a fixed fee of $85 million.

While Man Utd, Man City, Real Madrid PSG and Liverpool are competing to secure Haaland, FC Barcelona are confident of landing the Norwegian striker, according to Marca. The Catalans chief Joan Laporte insisted that the club has the funds to sign Haaland and pay his wage despite debts of $1.5 billion, which has seen the club let go of stars such as Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann off the wage bill.

"I'm going to sign Haaland next summer," Laporta is believed to have told colleagues behind closed doors, according to Marca.

In addition, it is believed that Haaland would prefer Barcelona over their La Liga rivals Real Madrid because he is well aware that he won’t be Los Blancos’ main man with Kylian Mbappe expected to move from PSG to the Spanish capital ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

But at Barcelona, the 21-year-old Norwegian is guaranteed to be Xavi Hernandez’s core player and the squad will be built around him, while he’ll have some exciting young talent to link up with too -- Ansu Fati, Pedri and now new arrival Ferran Torres.

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