Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are keeping tabs on Bayer Leverkusen defender Odilon Kossounou ahead of a potential summer swoop.
Odilon Kossounou, 23, has enjoyed a meteoric rise in stature in the last 12 months at Bayer Leverkusen. He has played a key role in helping Bayer Leverkusen establish an eight-point lead at the summit of the Bundesliga this season, starting 14 out of 15 games before heading to the Africa Cup of Nations in early January. The centre-back started three games, including the AFCON final where hosts Ivory Coast beat Nigeria 2-1.
The talented 23-year-old’s performances haven’t gone unnoticed, with clubs across Europe keeping tabs on his progress. Manchester United and Tottenham could reportedly battle for Kossounou’s signature as they look to reshape their squad in the summer transfer window. Given the Ivory Coast international is a hot property, Bayer Leverkusen remain uninterested in selling him but may not be able to resist a €50 million offer.
Man United, Spurs keen on Odilon Kossounou
Both Man United and Spurs have prioritised signing a central defender heading into the summer.
The Red Devils, boosted with the investment of new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS, are preparing for arguably their most crucial transfer window. Odilon Kossounou is thought to be on the club’s wishlist.
The 20-time English champions are set to lose Raphael Varane this summer when his contract expires, while the futures of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans remain uncertain. With Lisandro Martinez suffering two big injuries since the start of the season, everything points toward a defensive overhaul at Old Trafford. In that regard, Kossounou would fit the bill perfectly at Man United.
As for Spurs, they reinforced their backline in the January transfer window with the addition of Radu Dragusin from Genoa. However, with Eric Dier departing for Bayern Munich during the same transfer window, Ange Postecoglou remains keen on adding another centre-back to shore up his defensive ranks.
Kossounou is among the several names on the Australian tactician’s list. With an intimidating presence at the back and good composure on the ball, Kossounou would be a strong addition to Spurs’ defence which already boasts the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Dragusin.
It is unknown if Leverkusen’s defensive rock will still cost €50 million in the summer but that seems a reasonable fee for the Ivorian given that he is still very young and proven in Europe.
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.
