Manchester United are reportedly in advanced negotiations for their third major summer signing as the Sir Jim Ratcliffe revolution continues at Old Trafford.
United have already signed forward Joshua Zirkzee in a £36.5m move from Bologna, with Leny Yoro also joining in a deal worth up to £62m from Lille – with the Red Devils beating Real Madrid to the highly-rated defender in the process.
They are in talks to sign several other players for Erik ten Hag including Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt, having had an initial bid already rejected for the Netherlands international.
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But in a surprise development, United could be set to sign one of his club teammates first.
Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg claims United are in 'advanced talks' to sign Bayern full-back Noussair Mazraoui.
West Ham had been favourites to sign the 26-year-old, who is primarily a right-back but can also play on the left, with the BBC reporting on Thursday that the Premier League club had agreed a fee for the Moroccan.
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It was claimed that West Ham had agreed to pay Bayern an initial €16m (£13.47m) fee for the defender, with a potential further €3.5m (£2.95m) in add-ons.
But Plettenberg now claims negotiations have collapsed, opening the door for United.
He tweeted: "Noussair #Mazraoui deal with West Ham is OFF!
"No agreement on agent's side has been reached. Despite the agreement between the clubs and on player's side, West Ham now have left the negotiations.
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"Manchester United now pushing to sign Mazraoui. Advanced talks."
Mazraoui was born in the Netherlands and joined Ajax as a youngster, going on to make 137 appearances for the Dutch club while also scoring 10 goals.
He joined Bayern on a free transfer in 2022 and made 29 appearances for the Bundesliga giants in all competitions last season.
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In total, he has played 55 times for Bayern, scoring once.
United are currently away on their pre-season tour of the United States, having already lost to Rosenborg and beaten Rangers back in Europe.
They continue their preparations for the 2024/25 campaign with a game against Premier League rivals Arsenal in the early hours of Sunday morning in Los Angeles.
Ten Hag's side will then face Real Betis and Liverpool in further warm-up games before taking on rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield on August 10, with their opening Premier League game against Fulham coming on August 16.
Topics: Manchester United, Transfer News, Premier League, Erik Ten Hag, Bayern Munich, West Ham
Rory O'Callaghan