Manchester United are interested in signing a £20million-rated star from Sir Jim Ratcliffe-owned Nice – but won’t be able to do so until transfer deadline day.
Following by far their worst season in Premier League history, United’s squad is being rebuilt under Ruben Amorim and INEOS.
Fixing the misfiring attack has been the first priority, with Matheus Cunha already through the door following a £62.5m transfer from Wolves.
The Red Devils are also trying to sign Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo but face competition from Tottenham, as well as striker Hugo Ekitike.
But all areas of the squad need to be improved and, with Casemiro up for sale and Manuel Ugarte enduring a difficult first season at Old Trafford, a new holding midfielder is desirable.
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With money tight following their failure to qualify for the Champions League, cut-price options are being explored, with The Sun reporting that United recently sent scouts to watch Hicham Boudaoui on international duty.
The Algerian started in last week’s friendly against Sweden and performed well despite the African side losing 4-3 in Stockholm.
The 25-year-old enjoyed a great season in Ligue 1 with Nice, where he has played since 2019, and has the physical profile Amorim desires.
It is said Nice value Boudaoui, who has just two years left on his contract, at £20m, with other clubs in the Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga keeping tabs on him.
United’s interest comes with a catch however, as Ratcliffe and INEOS own both the Red Devils and Nice, with an agreement in place not to move any players between the two clubs until this September.
The agreement was made to appease UEFA given their concerns over multi-club ownership as both sides played in the Europa League last season.
As such no transfer can take place until September 1 – with the transfer deadline in England and France that day at 7pm UK time.
While Boudaoui is cheaper than some other targets, United will still need to raise funds by offloading unwanted stars, chief among which are Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho.
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