Manchester United are interested in a potential move for Paris Saint-Germain teenager El Chadaille Bitshiabu.
El Chadaille Bitshiabu, who turns 18 in a few weeks’ time, has made 16 first-team appearances for Paris Saint-Germain this season, which shows his maturity and how much trust manager Christophe Galtier has placed in him. Along with Manchester United, Liverpool have reportedly shown interest in the defender, days after he changed his agency to join up with super-agent Jorge Mendes.
The 17-year-old has not made an immediate decision regarding his future at PSG, with the probability that he could pen a contract extension beyond his current deal, which expires in the summer of 2024. Aside from Premier League giants Man United and Liverpool, Bundesliga clubs such as Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt are also keeping tabs on Bitshiabu.
Harry Maguire’s time up at Man United?
Harry Maguire has endured a rough season with Man United, slipping down to fifth-choice centre-back in the pecking order under Erik ten Hag. He has spent the majority of the campaign watching from the bench, and despite Raphael Varane currently injured and Lisandro Martinez ruled out for the rest of the campaign after undergoing ankle surgery, the England international has found starting opportunities hard to come by.
Despite Ten Hag backing Maguire to come good, there are suggestions that the Red Devils would be open to selling their skipper this summer and recouping some of the £80m they paid to Leicester City for his services in 2019.
Also, injury woes have plagued the centre-back position for Ten Hag, with Varane spending chunks of the campaign on the sidelines. As a result, it does not come as a surprise that Man United are understood to be in the market for a central defender.
El Chadaille Bitshiabu would be a smart long-term investment
El Chadaille Bitshiabu has forged his way into PSG’s star-studded side, making 10 Ligue 1 appearances so far this season. He also had a taste of Champions League football, with the defender playing the second half of PSG’s defeat to Bayern Munich in the Round of 16.
Strong and athletic, Bitshiabu is good with his feet too boasting a pass completion rate of 91.6%. At 17, he is still a raw prospect, however with the right coaching and guidance, he has the talent to grow into a top defender in world football. Additionally, Ten Hag’s United don’t have a young defender with high potential to let develop under the current senior defensive stalwarts.
With Liverpool also interested, the Red Devils will need to move quickly to bag Bitshiabu’s signature.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.