Manchester United are reportedly showing an interest in signing a new defensive target, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Are Man United signing a defender?
The Red Devils and Erik ten Hag have been active so far this summer, with Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund all completing big-money moves from Chelsea, Inter Milan and Atalanta.
However, there still looks like there could be room for further additions before the deadline, especially if a number of players leave the club. One of those appears to be centre-back Harry Maguire, who is on course to complete a move to West Ham United.
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An agreement in principle worth around £30m has been reached for the defender’s services, and should Maguire depart, Ten Hag would be left with Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly as his senior options, with the latter of the four another who could be on the move before the end of the month.
Therefore, it looks as if United may well be in the market for a new centre-back to arrive, and Bayern Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba appears to be a new target.
Romano took to X to share a Man United transfer update on Wednesday, naming three defenders that are options for the Red Devils. Two of the three, Jean Clair Todibo and Benjamin Pavard, have been linked with a move to Old Trafford before, however, the transfer expert said that Tapsoba is also an option to replace Maguire.
“Manchester United have three options in the list for new centre back. Benjamin Pavard, Jean Clair Todibo and Edmond Tapsoba are being considered as possible names to replace Maguire. Talks already took place with Todibo as revealed here; Pavard, keen on the move.”
Who is Edmond Tapsoba?
Tapsoba, a Burkina Faso international, is an out-and-out centre-back who has been with his current employers since 2020. The 24-year-old made the move to Europe back in 2017 with Portuguese side Leixoes and then joined Vitoria de Guimaraes six months later.
The defender went on to make 32 senior appearances for Vitoria de Guimaraes and signed for Bayern Leverkusen in a deal worth over €20m. Since then, Tapsoba has featured on 137 occasions for Leverkusen and is under contract until 2026.
As per FBref, Tapsoba has impressed over the past 12 months and ranks in the top 1% of centre-backs for through balls, top 5% for progressive passes and top 12% for passes completed, showing his ability on the ball.
Leverkusen’s managing director, Simon Rolfes has also praised his ability on the front foot, describing the player as “dangerous in front of goal”.
"Edmond Tapsoba was a regular first choice at Guimaraes at the age of 20 and in addition to his defensive ability, he’s also dangerous in front of goal."
The player defensively has also been solid, ranking in the 85th percentile for tackles in the final third and 82nd percentile for shots blocked. Therefore, it looks as if a move could be one to keep an eye on over the coming weeks, however, Tapsoba isn’t the only centre-back on United’s radar.